The Game Expo had its big debut early last month at the Melbourne Convention and Exhibition Centre, and with the inaugural event behind us we’re able to look back at what was a pretty successful first run, thanks to a bunch of exciting highlights shared by the expo.
If you missed the show, it delivered two days of exciting exhibitors, tournaments, community events, prizes, cosplay, art and more. Even for a smaller, brand-new expo it managed to sell out both Saturday and Sunday passes, with over 7000 in attendance across the weekend. Packed into the hall, attendees could interact with booth exhibitors showing off tabletop and board games, video game hardware, retro games and art/clothing available to buy direct from artists and brands.
A huge pool of prizes were given out across tournaments from Rocket League, Just Dance, fighting games, cosplay competitions, an exciting prize wheel and even chess. Charities won out too with support for Cancer Council and Game On Cancer thanks to creator clashes and speedrun shows.
The organisers attribute The Game Expo’s successes to a focus on participation while acknowledging the areas that things can be improved for next time, saying, “The key to The Game Expo has always been about participation. Every addition and feature to the show was something that gave people something to do, not just look at. As a new, smaller show, we know this is both a strength and a weakness, as we develop towards a goal of having more marquee features, such as new upcoming titles, and balancing that with the relaxed and community focused atmosphere we have fostered.”
The Game Expo has also shared some insights into the event’s attendees, which show an encouraging split between demographics. Of everyone in attendance, approximately 64% identified as male, 26% as female, and 10% as non-binary or other. In terms of age groups, the vast majority of the crowd were aged 18-44 while 8% of attendees were aged over 45 and 6% were 17 or under.
You can take a look at some great wrap-up videos showcase all of the fun and excitement that was had at The Game Expo on a dedicated Show Highlights page right here.
