The organizers of the Games Convention Asia (GCA) and Games Convention Asia Conference (GCAC) must be very happy about the success of last year's events. This year's show has already been dated so  those who plan on attending might want to start clearing their schedules. For the venue and dates, head on over to the full article.

The Games Convention Asia Conference is currently underway and has attracted respected delegates from over 20 countries. Industry bigwigs from North America, Asia and Europe were all at hand to share their thoughts on the state of the business.

 

The inaugural GCAC started on September 6 and wraps up on Sunday with an opener courtesy of  Dr. Vivian Balakrishnan, Minister for Community Development, Youth and Sports, and Second Minister for Information, Communication, and the Arts.

Managing Director for the Conference & Exhibition Management Services  Edward Liu and Leipzig Trade Fair President Wolfgang Marzin were also in attendance to welcome everyone. The two are the main organizers of the Games Convention events.

Marzin commended the host nation at the opening ceremonies and said, "Singapore is the gateway to the booming Asian-Pacific market, and opens up exciting new opportunities for the global games industry." Bob Wallace of Strategic Alternatives agrees:

The games business is a fast-growing entertainment market with participants from all nations. Asia, however, is the fastest growing part of this market, and many new world-class games companies are expected to emerge from Asia. GCA promises to be the first truly pan-Asian games conference showcasing game products and companies, and it is not to be missed by those who look toward the future.

The GCAC is happening alongside the GC Asia exhibit, which shows off the latest in the gaming industry, encompassing all platforms from consoles, PCs, handhelds and mobile phones.

The GCAC is expected to go off with a bang when Electronic Arts Worldwide executive of Music and Marketing Steve Schnur takes on the podium and offers his thoughts. Schnur says he is proud to be a part of GCAC and is excited about his turn to speak.

Alexander Fernandez, founding member and CEO of Streamline Studios, has been named as the keynote speaker in the Asian Games Convention. The convention will be held on September 6 and 7 at the Suntec Singapore International Convention & Exhibition Center.

Under Fernandez's directive, Streamline was able to deliver critically-acclaimed video games such as Gears of War, Saints Row, and Ghost Recon 2.

Fernandez's speech will be titled The Rising Value of Content Capital and will tackle the issues surrounding the importance of content-driven games and how outsourcing can help develop the industry.

"We view GC Asia as a key forum for addressing both the opportunities and challenges of the emerging content creation sector in Asia," said the Streamline Chief. "With game development ever more a global phenomenon, it's the perfect time to address the implications for all parties involved: creators and publishers alike."

GC Asia is the regional counterpart of the recently-concluded GC 2007 in Leipzig, Germany where talks about the industry as well as exhibits of the biggest gaming projects today were held. The event covers all forms of gaming from consoles, PCs, handhelds, and even mobile phones.

If you're interested in GC Asia and would like to participate, you can go to www.GC-asia.sg to find more information.

While all eyes are currently on the upcoming Leipzig Games Convention (GCDC 2007), its far Eastern counterpart is garnering strong support as well. A press wire in circulation is announcing that this year's Games Convention Asia event will be witness to the region's very first signing of the Memorandum of Intent (MOI) between the national game associations of 12 countries and regions in the Asia Pacific rim:

• Singapore
• Malaysia
• Thailand
• Philippines
• Vietnam
• Australia
• New Zealand
• Japan
• China
• Korea
• Taiwan
• Indonesia
  

This MOI is hoped to improve ties between the gaming associations and industries existing among the signers. Aside from Singapore, Australia, Germany, Taiwan, the Philippines, and Thailand are further confirmed to be participating in this year's GCA. Each country is expected to set up their own pavilions at the said event, with 8 to 10 homegrown game companies from each country expected to be present. Currently finalizing their participation plans for GCA are Malaysia, Korea and China.

A total of 200 participating companies are expected to arrive at this year's event, with strong financial support coming in from Singapore's Venture Capitalists & Private Equity Associations, and Southeast Asia's Business Angels Network. The event proper is expected to take place this September 6 to 9, at the Suntec Singapore International Convention and Exhibition Centre.

Leipziger Messe, the people behind the highly-successful Leipzig Gaming Convention in Germany, now brings another of their highly-anticipated events to Asia. To be specific, they will be holding Games Convention Asia 2007 at the Suntec Singapore International Convention and Exhibition Centre, from September 6 to 9.

According to their latest release, GCA 2007 aims to address issues related to "the development needs and opportunities presented by Asia’s rapidly growing digital interactive gaming industry". They have also noted that the event will be divided into two areas: the Business Convention side where international publishers and distributors can sample the products of Asian developers, and the Public Convention side.

The organizers have also noted that they're expecting that a large number of the people attending the event will be composed of gamers, for whom a number of games competitions are being planned. They are also encouraging parents to drop by and take a look, so that they can try out new, family-oriented software and hardware.

The first of its kind in Asia, GCA 2007 has already received the blessings from several organizations within the region, such as iPark Singapore from Korea, China Game Publishers Association, Vietnam Software Association, The Indonesian Animation & Content Industry Association, Hong Kong Digital Entertainment Association, and Taipei Computer Association, to name a few.