The industry festival connecting with global market pulses - GTI Asia Taipei Expo 2008

Show scale expanded and its relevance recognized again

By Jim Ke

Organized by GTI Magazine, the 15th edition of GTI Asia Taipei Expo took place at B, C and D Areas, Hall 1 of the Taipei World Trade Center on May 8th-10th.  At the event, more than 880 stands were taken.  Overseas exhibitors included Australia-based Interblock, AMAYA from Canada, Japan-based RS, Nihon Unica, Bandai Namco, Toki, Nippo-Tusho, Jungletac Interactive, Beetouch, Game Plus, Zhongshan Golden Dragon, Game Art, Korea-based VOGOS, Interpark Games, Zamperla from the Philippines, and Malaysia-based Cosmic.  This year's new exhibitors were iToys, Black Technology, Yun Chang, Dragon ROC Technology, Dosun, Cinmex, NRI and Bao Lai.  A total of 129 participating amusement companies and media wrote a glorious page for this year's GTI Asia Taipei Expo.

This year's event featured a wide variety of exciting products presented by exhibitors coming from across the world.  Gaming exhibits included slot machines, coin pushers, Mario games, fruit games, pachinko and pachislot machines, pinball bingo machines, and bingo keno machines.  Intellectual-type game products on display included gift machines, boxing machines, capsule machines, cranes, basketball machines, ticket machines, simulators, and kiddie rides.  There were also diverse parts and accessories such as cables, touch screens, industrial PCs, monitors, coin counters, bill devices, bill dispensers, card dispensers and video cabinets.  ''There are too many product items for the eye to take in,'' said Warren of CoinFactory.  Many exhibitors brought their newest games that had not been shown before.  In a combined performance of sound, light and visual effects, amusement, technical level and creativity, exhibits this year far exceeded those in previous years, exemplifying that GTI Asia Taipei Expo has become the best product launch platform for game developers.  What is worth noting is that exhibits in the intellectual game category this year have greatly increased over previous years'.

This year's GTI Asia Taipei Expo attracted participants from more than 50 countries including Asia's Vietnam, India, Indonesia, Malaysia, the Philippines, Hong Kong, Singapore, and Thailand; Pakistan, Turkey, and the UAE in the Middle East region; Australia and New Zealand in Oceania; Romania, Croatia, Cyprus, Russia, Czech Republic, France, Austria, Germany, Greece, Italy, Ireland, Spain, Switzerland, Poland, Latvia, the Netherlands, Ukraine and Switzerland; Colombia, Puerto Rico, Argentina, Brazil, Chile, Peru, the US, Canada, Jamaica, Venezuela, Uruguay, Panama, Mexico, Bolivia, El Salvador and Paraguay in America; and Swaziland in Africa.  There were more than 3,000 domestic and overseas visitors.

In the EZ Net Hong Kong, Taiwan and Macao Fight the Landlord Tournament, championship was taken by a Hong Kong player while second and third places were taken by Taiwanese contestants.

Important governmental and industry representatives attended the grand opening ceremony

The opening ceremony of 2008 GTI Asia Taipei Expo began at 10 am on May 8th and invited numerous important guests, including Legislators Lin Yu-fang and Weng Chung-chun, Director General Huang Chih-peng of Bureau of Foreign Trade, Ministry of the Economic Affairs (MOEA), Director General Chen Jieh-shan of Bureau of Standards Metrology and Inspection, MOEA, Deputy Director of Chiou Chyou-huey, Information Technology Industries Division, Industrial Development Bureau, MOEA, Secretary General Chao Yung-chuan of Taiwan External Trade Development Council, and industry representatives such as Chairman Lu Kun-mou of Taiwan Digital Entertainment Association (TDEA), Chairman Lee Hsiang of Taiwan Family Entertainment Development Association, Chairman Yang Wan-te of Taiwan Federation of Amusement Park Commercial Association.  These guests attended the opening and ribbon cutting ceremony.

Legislator Lin Yu-fang who has long been concerned about the development of Taiwan's electronic game industry was the first guest to make remarks.  He highly recognized the GTI Asia Taipei Expo and gave compliment by saying ''having more than 800 stands presenting 100-plus exhibitors, the GTI Asia Taipei Expo is considered a large-scale role model exhibition for Taiwan.  Such an achievement is a result of accumulated efforts from each industrial associate and show organizer over all these years.  The event is a pride of not only the game industry but also Taiwan.''

Legislator Weng Chung-chun also delivered a speech.  ''I am very honored to attend this event.  Looking at the show's scale, we know for sure that GTI Asia Taipei Expo is in the leading position among trade shows of its kind.  For the future, the government should soon take action to boost Taiwan's economy.  Belonging to the industries of digital content, the electronic game sector plays a key role,'' said Legislator Weng.

Understanding the importance of international economic and trade exchanges, Director General Huang Chih-peng of Bureau of Foreign Trade, Ministry of the Economic Affairs (MOEA) also gave recognition to the show and firmly stated ''GTI Expo is now entering its 15th year since its inception in 1993.  With 800-plus stands and more than 100 exhibitors, it has long become the leading electronic game show in Asia.  Demonstrated by the event, in terms of game development technology and capability, Taiwan holds a significant position in the international market.  For this, we would like to thank all the industry associates' efforts and support over these years.  Also, we would like to express gratitude for all the encouragement from industry professionals worldwide.  We hope in the future GTI Asia Taipei Expo will grow even bigger and continue to reap good results.''

Then Chairman Chen Hwei-chung of Taiwan Amusement Machine Association (TAMA) made remarks.  He stated ''looking back to the past ten years, amusement establishments in Taiwan have declined and Taiwan's economy has also experienced slowdown.  However, the GTI Asia Taipei Expo has bucked the trend, growing into the Asia Pacific Region's largest game trade event from a small show.  Despite of Taiwanese game developers' outstanding performance, Taiwan's domestic market has been stepping on the same spot and made no progress.  Through today's grand opening ceremony, we would like to call on all local governments to loosen up application requirements for game centers so that the electronic game industry can create a growth miracle.''

At last, Chairman Lu Kun-mou of TDEA concluded ''the electronic game industry was in a prosperous development in the past, but under the influence of bad image, the industry has been limited in many aspects.  We have put into great efforts to transform the image of electronic game industry and gave the new definition of digital entertainment to the industry.  In the future, boosting the economy will be a very important direction for the Taiwan government's administration.  The electronic game industry indeed possesses the technology, intelligence, and capability to promote economic prosperity for Taiwan.  We hope the Taiwan government can give our industry positive support and guidance.''

Basketball machine is very popular in Taiwan and relevant tournaments always attract many young participants.  Pictured was a scene at Saint-Fun's Great China Street Basketball Tournament.

High visitor attendance and enthusiastic feedback

Following the increasing ubiquity of digital entertainment, more and more companies participate in electronic game trade events.   This year more than 100 firms took part in the GTI Asia Taipei Expo and showcased a wide array of products.  During the short 3-day event, all exhibitors tried their best to attract as many buyers as possible.  Some leveraged booth decoration to present their unique traits.  Feiloli designed a two-layer stand, offering a comfortable area for visiting buyers to rest and discuss business.  The company's stealing a quiet spot in a noisy environment made a deep impression on buyers.

In addition, holding large-scale tournaments were utilized to gather crowds and were considered the best solution for exhibitors.  During the past few years' GTI Expo, game tournaments were commonly held.  These game tournaments are enthusiastically supported by young consumers on the internet and at the show venue.  This not only stands for great encouragement to game developers but also lets people see hope in the development of Taiwan's electronic game market.

Organized by IGS, ''EZ Net Hong Kong, Taiwan and Macau Fight the Landlord Tournament'' enters its second year this year.  The tournament attracted tens of thousands of participants.  After months of competition, two players from Hong Kong and Taiwan were chosen to compete in the final game at this year's GTI Asia Taipei Expo.  Assistant manager Kao Mei-chun of IGS emphasized ''to let players compete in a fair, just and open environment, IGS has constantly improved the tournament's procedures and rules.  IGS' Fight the Landlord Tournament has therefore become one of the most authoritative and representative game contests in Chinese-speaking areas.''  At the GTI Asia Taipei Expo, besides the EZ Net series products, IGS also presented games developed on its own such as Percussion Master 2008, a music game, Speed Driver 2 car racing game, GoGo Ball, Pirate Revenge, a sea adventure game, and Punch, a family entertainment-oriented game, as well as a range of slot machines.

For basketball machines that are very popular among teenagers in Taiwan, Saint-Fun has Street Basketball Tournament.  Entering its third year this year, the tournament always attracts many players' participation every year.

To accelerate the revision of Taiwan's Electronic Game Establishment Management Regulations, representatives of industry associations held a discussion conference at the TEDA office on May 8th.

Aside from the dynamic exhibition itself , the activity outside the show venue was also important and drew a lot of attention.  In view of Taiwan's new government to be inaugurated on May 20th, President Thomas Liu of GTI Magazine invited representatives of all industry associations to the conference held at the TEDA office in the afternoon of May 8th for discussing the plan of promoting revision of the existing Electronic Game Establishment Management Regulations.  The conference's participants included TDEA Chairman Lu Kun-mou and Honorable Chairman Lee Ko-chu, legal consultant Hu Chih-wei, TAMA Chairman Chen Hwei-chung, Chairman Lee Hsiang and Secretary General Sun Shou-shan of Taiwan Family Entertainment Development Association, Chairman Yang Wan-te of Taiwan Federation of Amusement Park Commercial Association, Chairman Hsueh Shin-chih and Director General Lee Wen-jin of Kaohsiung Amusement Park Commercial Association, and CEO Tsai Long-feng of Bo Ai Foundation.

On the first day of GTI Asia Taipei Expo, to thank all exhibitors' support, GTI Magazine arranged an 80-table dinner banquet at Taipei City Government's Banquet Hall.  The banquet provided a great chance for Taiwanese and overseas industry associates to network and build relations as well as facilitating cooperation.

The dinner banquet on the first day of the event had 80 tables for close to 1,000 Taiwanese and overseas industry professionals.

Exhibit introduction here makes the show come alive again

This year's GTI Asia Taipei Expo was a one-stop show satisfying all buyers' needs.  It offered a wide array of products from upstream, midstream and downstream sectors of the game industry, including slot machines, cranes, Mario games, coin pushers and various parts and accessories like motherboards, cabinets and pushbuttons.  Such abundant exhibits from Taiwanese and overseas companies dazzled show visitors' eyes.  Now we will walk you through the exciting exhibits at the event.

I. Adult amusement machines:
1. Slot and pachislot games:
Slot machine has always been a vital profit-generating tool for casinos.  It has changed from the past mechanical reels to the currently mainstream LCD touch control.  For providing abundant game content, a wide diversity of themes and eye-dazzling animation graphics are seen in slot machines.  This type of product was wide-ranging at the show such as Astro's western-style slot games, Robot Kong and Circus, Borden's Pan Jin Lian and Yun Chang's Guan Gong that offered a strong Chinese classical feel.  Also, there were Star Pirate from ENG, IGS' Season Greetings, Conqueror from Paokai, Global Game's Halloween 3, and IAM's The Wolf Comes.  Although pachislot is also a reel game, its rules and gameplay are different from slot machines.  Japan produces a lot of pachislot games.  Onimusha 3 and Devil's Messenger displayed by Nippo-Tusho were unique Japanese-style designs.
2. Bingo and keno machines:
The bingo and keno machines presented at the show had magnificent outlooks and outstanding functions.  Exhibits of this category included Bingotimes' Double-track Keno Machine and Lon Sheng's Bingo Galaxy.

Not only the variety of slot machines is wide, but they also adopt diverse themes.  Therefore, slot machines have always been an important exhibit item for show visitors.

3. Roulette and dice machines: If you are going to a casino, you can't miss playing roulette game.s  Q-LIT and Australia-based Interblock designed their stands into an international class deluxe casino to let visitors feel like being in a casino.  Besides roulettes, there were dice machines to try.  Sicbo King jointly developed by GMS and Wayi as well as Chess were the top notch products that buyers couldn't afford to miss.
4. Mario games:
Although Mario game features simple running lights, it is one of the most popular games in Central and South American markets.  Following the advance of Mario game technology, Mario game has different outlooks and brings more diverse game panels and gameplay.  A wide range of Mario games were displayed at this year's show including Min-Yan's Soccer 2010 and Tarzan, FIFA World Cup and Shrek 2 from San Jyi Huang, Dragon ROC's Reel-Slot Mario, A Ton of Gold from Huahai, Happy soccer from Progame, and various Mario games from Sheng Far.

Following the relaxation of the Taiwan government's gambling policy, Mario games, poker games, coin pushers, mahjong games, and slot, dice and roulette machines are expected to benefit indirectly.

5. Poker and large-sized baccarat machines:Poker games are considered having the largest base of fans.  Taiwan created 5 PK and 7 PK gameplays.  Also boosted by movies, poker machines take up a large share of the gaming market.  Poker and large-sized baccarat machines displayed at this year's show contained Black Jack from Le Chi Hwa, Stat Poker from Dragon ROC, Treasure Poker and Triple Luck Deluxe developed by Subsino, Mni Baby from IAM, Baccarat and Caribbean Poker from Black Technology, WECOM's New Astro City, Crazy Fight the Landlord III from Sealy, Baccarat machine from Laxan, and Lu Hao's Venetian Baccarat Casino.  Additionally, over recent years baccarat machines with cards dispensed by robotic arms have become trendy.  Exhibitors showcasing such products included Golden Royal, Bingotimes, D&S, Homer, and Hwei Chung.
6. Coin pushers:
Coin pusher may have a simple gameplay, but can bring players different fun after coin pusher developers have constantly added new elements.  Pan Asia had coin pushers on display while Lon Sheng presented Medal Link.  Keaon showcased Rainbow Belle and Magic Jewelry and Sume exhibited Fantastic Fever 2.  Other coin pusher products included Rave Party from Le Chi Hwa, Lucky from Gold Dragon, and Desert Travel from Zhongshan Golden Dragon.
7. Mahjong games:
Regarded as a national pastime for Chinese, mahjong game has a large base of fans.  However, due to the cultural differences between the west and east, game developers have cut down on developing mahjong games for European and American markets.  At this year's show, King of Mahjong was the only representative of mahjong game.
8. Multiplayer network games: To carve out casino atmosphere and let players experience the fun of playing with others, multiplayer network games are often equipped with deluxe equipment and a linkage system for five to eight people or even local area network system for more players.  Exhibits of this category included Roulette R-72 from Subsino and Lan from Micro Sova.  Shang Ho also had multiplayer net work games on display.

High-priced and deluxe designed bingo, keno, dice, and roulette machines are essential to international casinos and also the focus of attention at GTI Expo.

II. Music and simulation games:
Music games can reflect players' skill and response speed.  Those that can demonstrate great skills with music and dance games are often idolized by their peers.  Music and dance games can easily generate a happy and fun atmosphere. Therefore, game developers are fighting to seize the market.  At this year's event, IGS presented Percussion Master 2008 and Drum Party and Bandai Namco exhibited Taiko Drum Master 11 Asian Version.  Also, Sume had Jubeat on display while Kingtronic showed Pump It Up NX.

Since IGS launched GoGo Ball, a ball throwing game, a good number of industry peers released similar products this year such as Pang Pang by Interpark and Jungle Adventure from Malaysia-based Cosmic.  Other types of simulation games included Racing Club by SEC, Super Bikes and Alien from Universal Space, Speed Driver 2 from IGS, Initial D2 from Toki, and Saint-Fun's shooting game, Paradise Lost.

Music games, simulation machines, carnival redemption games, motion simulation machines and kiddie rides have greatly advanced in the aspects of quality, technology and creativity.  These products have become a new focus at this year's event.

III. Carnival redemption games:As basketball machines are easy to play and suitable for players of all ages and don't occupy large space, it is commonly seen in Taiwan's night markets, department stores, and hypermarkets.  Also, basketball machine tournaments are held every year, attracting more young people to play.  At this year's event, there were a good number of exhibitors showcasing basketball machines.  Saint-Fun presented Street Basketball while Feiloli showed Dream Shooter golden Version.

With respect to other types of carnival games, Global Star displayed ESP Agent, a boxing machine that makes people laugh and Yuan Gong showed Hockey series.  Also, there were Ice Hockey from CLE, Ocean Panic by Tecway, Yoyo Baseball from Korea-based VOGOS, Golden ARM from UIGI, Q-Pong Challenge by Bao Lai, King's Hoop from Game Art, Dinosaur Paradise and Pirate Adventure from Game Plus, Cannonball Flyer from Unzan, and Highway 66 Mini Bowling by Italy-based QubicaAMF.

IV. Motion simulation machines:
The biggest feature of motion simulation machine is that it follows the scenarios to make swinging and vibrating movements and gives the player a realistic experience during the game.  Representative exhibits of this category at this year's event included XP and XA series products from Injoy Motion, Mini Rider 2 by Pan Asia, and Tank Adventure from Tecway.

V. Kiddie rides:
Those kiddie rides that only offered simple functions of swinging and playing music in the past can no longer satisfy children in terms of sensory stimulation.  Nowadays kiddie rides have more appealing outlook designs and are equipped with screens presenting exciting storylines, making children have more fun.  A range of kiddie rides were showcased at this year's event including Classical Train and Amazing Sport Car from Feng Yung Cheng, the Philippines-based Zamperla's Zap Rally Sport Car, Subsino's Panda Train and Little Police Car, Animal Adventurer by Feiloli, Game Art's Benz Car, and Excavator from Zhongshan Luck & Jinying, as well as Here Comes Panda from Q.T. Elec.

VI. Video games:
Consumers are most familiar with this category of games and many classic fighting and shooting games belong to this category.  Now touch control interfaces are seen in video games.  There are even interactive video games adopting Wii-like technology in the market.  Adding network and card functions, video games have prolonged life cycles.  EZ Touch series from IGS, Tekken 6 from Bandai Namco, Sworder 2008 from Lidu, and Hepi Hepi by K-King were exhibits of this category.

VII. Crane/gift machines:
Each year GTI Asia Taipei Expo sees a good number of companies exhibiting crane/gift machines.  Although crane/gift machine is easy to play, the player needs skill and luck to win.  Crane machines are very popular in Taiwan and their ubiquity is just as high as basketball machine.  Feiloli's crane machine has even won the Taiwan Excellence Award.  Besides Guan Shing and Tommy Bear had various crane machines displayed at their stands, Youal-Jifh also showed Peluche Box and CLE exhibited Gift Shop.  Additionally, there were Baby Bear displayed by YES and Treasure Mountain from Nihon Unica.

What was worth noticing was that RoBo Catcher showcased by Japan-based RS which took part in the GTI Asia Taipei Expo for the first time.  Pan Asia's Net Cast presented by Pan Asia was another eye-dazzling and creative piece.  Both machines raised a lot of discussions.  Tommy Bear's Happy Ball and capsule vending machines, Dream Castle from KNT, Lon Sheng's gift machine, and Heap Up from Excellence also drew attention from buyers.

VIII. Pinball bingo and pinball machines:
Pinball bingo is a unique product developed by Taiwan and also one of the most internationally popular gaming machines made by Taiwan.  Pinball bingo has seen increasing popularity in Central and South American markets over recent years and also has started to draw attention from other countries.  Pinball bingo products showcased this year included Magic Ball and Super Fubol from Taiwan Yuanmei, 2008 Super Futbol developed by Frolicker, World Cup from Kwang Yi, Happy Ball and Soccer Star by Sheng Bao, Sheng Yang's Hello Bingo, Indiana Jones from SEC, and Putbol Santlago from Zii.

IX. Parts and accessories:
1. IPC:
Following the prosperous development of the gaming market over recent years, industrial PC manufacturers have entered the gaming market with their core products like embedded computers and motherboards and become familiar faces at GTI Asia Taipei Expo such as MSI, IBASE, Advantech, ARBOR, Avalue, Axiomtek and Acrosser.
2. Parts: Parts and accessories are the electronic game industry's foundation, and account for a large share of exports for Taiwanese companies.  The quality of parts is key to the quality of products.  Parts also have the widest variety among all electronic game products, including cabinets, cables, pushbuttons, power supplies, monitors, chassis, coin chutes, coin acceptors and more.  The number of parts exhibitors was high at this year's show.  Billabs, YTE, A Touch and Cheng Hong showcased panels while Le Chi Hwa, ICT and Shang Yang presented coin counters.  Will Join, Chang Min, YCCT, and Jyuee Ang exhibited pushbuttons, cables, and LED.  Coinslove had coin chutes on display.  New Sun Yu, WECHE, Entropy and Huai I showed cabinets.  Also, there were locks from MJK, card readers and printers from EWT, and bill devices and card dispensers from Feng Chen.  Other parts exhibitors included Han Sen, GZ Technology, EAGO, Cheng Hong, CYE, Win Lenk, Cinmex, Dosun, Progame, NRI, Beetouch, Xien Jin, and City Step.

Parts, cabinets and industrial computers hold important positions in Taiwan's electronic game industry.

X: Others:
Other categories of exhibits at the event included a wide variety of toy figures from Tommy Bear Co., GSE-625 online game development system from Gauss, Toy Soldiers, a 3D online card game from iToys, and Sport Vii interactive game system from Jungle Interactive.

New games never seen before made their debut

Walking through the show venue, both new and old exhibitors launched innovational products at this year's event.  Especially after the inauguration of Taiwan's new government, Taiwanese game developers believe Taiwan¡¦s electronic game industry that has been in a stale situation for years will have a promising future.  Therefore, this year's exhibits were more anticipated and exciting than those in previous years and gave good topics for the industry to discuss.  Several exhibitors presented extraordinarily innovational products that raised a lot of attention and discussion.

After experiencing a transformation, Injoy Motion which became famous for its six-axis motion simulator made its first move at the year's show.  The firm launched Power Boat, a boat racing game, and Panzer Elite Action, a tank combat game.  Additionally, for different locations, Injoy Motion has developed XA360, XP360, XP and XA series of products that are equipped with LCD screens, racing car class seats and striking outlooks.  Also, 360 degree rotation, realistic simulation movements and easy-to-assembly and move advantages make the company's products suitable for any recreational sites.  At this year's event Injoy Motion's products attracted a lot of attention and constantly received inquiries from buyers.

Mini Rider 2, a 3D VR game that was developed by Sega and imported to Taiwan by Pan Asia, made a presence at ATEI early this year, but it was first seen in the Taiwan market at the GTI Asia Taipei Expo.  This highly anticipated game attracted a long line of players.  Each visitor wanted to experience the roller coaster-like speeding thrill.  Tecway that is famous for developing carnival redemption games cooperated with China-based Mecpower to launch Tank Adventure, a 3D tank simulation game.  With a tank-like design, this China-developed game drew many visitors to try.  Those that played the game were surprised by the speedy advance in the technology of China-made simulation machines.

Japan-made Mini Rider 2 that was displayed by Pan Asia received terrific reviews at this year's event.

From southern to northern Taiwan and from crowded business circles and night markets to streets and allies, there are crane machines.  To attract customers, crane operators have tried every possible way to make changes, but they can only do change machine functions or claws.  The robotic crane machine that raised a lot of discussions in Japan not long ago came to the GTI Asia Taipei Expo.  Participating in the show for the first time, RS from Japan brought RoBo Catcher.  The feature of letting the player grab objects through controlling a miniature robot was never seen before.  It was difficult to imagine that such an element could be added to a crane machine.  Besides RoBo Catcher from RS, another crane machine Net Cast exhibited by Pan Asia was also unique.  The grabbing tool of Net Cast is a rotating net.  The player needs to move the spinning net to a place above the targeted object and then use the net to catch the object like fishing.  This way the player has a chance to catch the object.

Jointly showcased by Tecway and China-based Mecpower, Tank Adventure attracted a lot of attention at the show and made people surprised by the speedy advance in China's simulation game technology.

Integrate new technology and innovation to create new life for games

If a game reaps excellent sales, the game developer usually will launch sequels.  For fighting games, the most attention drawing game at this year's show was doubtless Tekken 6 presented by Bandai Namco.  Another fighting piece that was jointed developed by the Academia Sinica of Taiwan and Cookys Digital Park Co. and displayed Pan Asia at the show, Sworder 2008, brought new applications to fighting games.  Leveraging micro inertial sensor technology, Sworder 2008 is an interactive sensory integration game combining software, hardware and digital content.

Among the music games displayed this year, Bandai Namco's Taiko Drum Master 11 Asian Version and IGS' Percussion Master 2008 both drew many visitors to try.  Even though Taiko Drum Master has entered the 11th edition, what have changed are music and interface.  There is no major change in its gameplay.  However, another music game that hasn't been officially released, Jubeat developed by Konami brought different experience.  Two units of Jubeat test machines were showcased by its distributor in Taiwan, Sume.  Featuring an operational interface of 16 pushbuttons, Jubeat requires players to pay attention to color changes on the pushbuttons.  The interesting and exciting Jubeat attracted a lot of crowds to Sume's stand.

Jubeat, a new music game developed by Konami, has not been officially released yet.  Sume displayed two units of Jubeat test machines at this year's event.  The game requires players to pay attention to color changes on the 16 pushbuttons and provides a lot of fun.

Each GTI Asia Taipei Expo sees a lot of parts exhibitors showing coin counters.  But you wouldn't guess that coin counters can be used to make a shooting game.  At Universal Space's stand, a shooting game named Battle Forge integrates a shooting gun and coin counter.  Coins have become the ammunition for players.  During the game, players can have a realistic experience of firing bullets.  Compared with ordinary digital video shooting games, Battle Forge is unique and offers more excitement.  Leveraging the high popularity of Chien-ming Wang in Major League Baseball, the easy-to-play pinball bingo can also have new elements added to its gameplay and outlook design.  At Astro¡¦s stand was Super Big Baseball Board, which successfully drew a lot of attention.

TV game, PC game, online game, palm game and even mobile phone game have started to seize the recreational and amusement market.  Competition from these games has caused a serious impact on the arcade game sector.  Since Nintendo's Wii featuring human-machine interaction was released, arcade games operated at game centers have seemed to lose its edges in the past.  Faced with numerous challenges and intense competition, what should arcade games do?  Chang Tsz-yin, Industrial Economics & Knowledge industry analyst at the Academia Sinica of Taiwan pointed out ''the technological applications of five senses including visual, olfactory, auditory, gustatory and tactile senses will become the key in the future for game developers to satisfy consumers in sensory enjoyment.''

For a long time, to pursue temporary profits Taiwanese companies have been focused on increasing OEM orders and seldom engaged in R&D and development work.  They would rather be in a cutting-throat price competition to earn low profits, causing the room for growth to dwindle.  That is a pity.  Many Taiwanese companies once believed crane machines have reached a bottle neck circumstance, but the aforementioned crane machines from RS and Pan Asia are expected to inspire the Taiwan crane machine developers to think out of the box.

This year's show presented a good number of innovational and advanced exhibits.  Adding creativity, small games adopting the already known technology can also have different looks, attract players and create business opportunities.  Providing a platform for industry associates to network and have technological exchanges is also one of GTI Asia Taipei Expo's objectives.

Leveraging the popularity of Major League Baseball, pinball bingo has a new gameplay and outlook design and Super Big Baseball Board drew a lot of attention at the show venue.

Improve drawbacks for a perfect event in the future

Each year the organizers of GTI Asia Taipei Expo have tried their best to satisfy exhibitors' various needs before, during and after the event.  Now the show has ended, but to make next year's show better, the organizers conducted a questionnaire survey among participating exhibitors and hoped to get feedback on this year's event and suggestions.  According to the survey's results, most exhibitors thought this year¡¦s showed great improvement in space arrangement, content of exhibits, and route and booth arrangement.  President Hong Ching-ho of SEC, Manager Allen of Yatta Lunta and representative of MJK all commented that this year's show have made significant progress and reached international class.  They also believed many exhibitors will benefit from the show to seize a larger market share.

The business center at the show for servicing exhibitors and visitors provided internet connection, Xerox, and print functions.  Many exhibitors gave recognition to the friendly attitude of attendants at the business center.  President of Taiwan Yuanmei was satisfied with services by the business center.  However, the biggest drawback of this year's business center was that its space was small and there were no clear directional signs.  Therefore, some industry associates couldn't utilize the place for business discussions and some had a hard time to find the business center.  In the future, the show organizers should pay more attention to the importance of the business center so that buyers and exhibitors can have an ideal place for networking and talking business.

It was once believed that crane machines had reached a bottleneck, but this year's event has seen creativity and uniqueness in some crane machines.

As to opinions of other exhibitors, this year's new exhibitor RS from Japan hoped the width of booths could be wider so that there is more space for utilization.  President Shen Chih-yu of Le Chi Hwa and Sales Manager Weng Ruei-yang both suggested that the installation of basic decoration, water and electricity prior to the show should be faster and improve in quality otherwise they may consider using personal decoration next year.  Furthermore, regarding the presence of buyers, Manager Chen Shiung-liang of Q.T. Elec. suggested that exposure on the media should be expanded.  Holding the similar opinion, Ms. Yang from WECHE commented ''many international buyers couldn't come to Taiwan because of other international trade events in May.  If the show schedule in the future can change, the number of visitors should be higher.''

According to show statistics, more than 900 overseas buyers from 50-plus countries made a presence.  The subprime mortgage crisis breaking out in the US last year has seriously influenced the world economy.  Las Vegas that is regarded as the most economic downturn-resistant city has also been impacted.  According to economic data announced by the Las Vegas Tourism Bureau, due to a drastic 12.6% decline in the number of trade exhibitions, the first quarter's revenue from exhibitions decreased by 7.1%.  Harrah's Entertainment and Sands Group recorded a loss in the first quarter while Tropicana Resort & Casino filed bankruptcy in May.  As such, this year's GTI Asia Taipei Expo saw a significant decline in the number of buyers from Europe and the US.

Based on show statistics, the number of guests from Asia, East Europe and Latin America has grown compared with a year ago.  These emerging markets including China, Korea, Singapore and India as well as Japan now play important roles in driving up demand in the global gaming industry.  Even if Europe and the US has slowed down, in the long term these emerging gaming markets are expected to have great growth.

Buyers tend to travel around the entire world to seek products of excellent quality and would not miss representative international game trade events like G2E in the US, ATEI in the UK, SAGSE show in Argentina, and DEAL in the Middle East.  However, the most representative and important trade event for the amusement game industry of Asia, in the eyes of representative of Argentina-based Magnetic Cash, is the GTI Asia Taipei Expo.

Highly anticipated GTI Asia Taipei Expo will continue to grow

Over the past 15 years, the GTI Asia Taipei Expo has experienced several major crises political suppress, Asia's financial crisis and SARS.  Under the joint efforts of show organizers and game developers, even faced with Taiwan's economic downturn, Taiwanese game companies still gave outstanding performance.  IGS acquired the 13th National Award of Small and Medium Enterprises and in 2006 Astro was evaluated as one of Asia's best small and medium enterprises by Forbes Asia.  Feiloli's crane machine and Dream Shooter were recognized by the Taiwan Excellent Awards.  Benefiting from efforts of all sectors, GTI Asia Taipei Expo stands on a solid foundation and will continue to serve as a gateway to export markets for domestic and international enterprises and will also remain devoted to instilling energy to Taiwan's amusement game industry.

After experiencing challenges and upgrading over all these years, even without the Taiwan government's strong support, GTI Asia Taipei Expo has reached its current scale and show results, is selected as one of the best exhibitions in Taiwan by the Taiwan External Trade Development Council, and has gained wide recognition from domestic and overseas industrial professionals.  At the same time, following the increasing internalization of GTI Expo, besides Taiwanese companies' participation, industry peers from neighboring countries like China, Japan, Korea, the Philippines, and Malaysia also aggressively took part in the show.

Representative of Sega Corp. mentioned ''industry associates from across the world all come to visit the GTI Asia Taipei Expo because it can generate the best outcomes in expanding the international market.''  GTI Asia Taipei Expo serves as an international game trade platform for companies to develop export markets, gather industry information and understand new game trends.  Under benign competition, industry peers can accelerate in launching new products and upgrading and the game industry of Taiwan can also reap positive development.

Not only focused on promoting networking and technical exchanges among industry associates, more importantly GTI Expo is dedicated to inspiring industry associates and facilitating cooperation among them in hopes of breaking through tough challenges and moving up to higher level.

To each amusement company in Asia or other regions of the world, this year's GTI Asia Taipei Expo held at the Taipei World Trade Center has grown to be an important industry event that cannot be missed.  This year the global economy is influenced by the American subprime mortgage crisis and even Las Vegas also cannot avoid the impact of economic slowdown and has experienced revenue declines.  However, looking at the overall global market, Asia's gaming market has taken off over recent years and the sectors of industrial PC, electronic game, and game software all expect to prosper with the tremendous opportunities in the gaming market.  GTI Expo will work together with game developers and take the responsibility of promoting the Taiwan game industry to upgrade and helping industry associates to gain more export orders.  Not only focused on promoting networking and technical exchanges among industry associates, more importantly GTI Expo is dedicated to inspiring industry associates and facilitating cooperation among them in hopes of breaking through tough challenges and moving up to higher level.

The 16th GTI Asia Taipei Expo will be held on May 7th-9th, 2009.  For further information about the event, please pay attention to GTI Magazine's upcoming reports or visit www.gtiexpo.com.tw or call +886-2-2760-7407 ext 205 for the latest news.