15 September 2014
I am currently studying for a Diploma in Information Technology (
DIT). I have chosen Game Development as my specialisation. Japan was a place that I had always wanted to visit, as it had has a strong influence on the gaming world. When the school informed us about the trip to the Tokyo Game Show, I leapt at this rare opportunity to broaden my perspective – and I do not regret it. The trip to Japan was packed with many interesting events that formed an overall amazing experience for me.
The TGS 2014
The most notable event was the Tokyo Game Show, which took up our first two days in Japan. We walked around countless booths of many companies showcasing their latest games, and were also able to try them out. It was exciting to see so many companies in Japan’s game industry – whether big or small – demonstrating their unique games on various platforms. Some of the games were not even released yet, so it was even more thrilling. Language barriers posed a problem, of course. However, in that convention, everyone had gathered together to appreciate the same thing.
Lecture at Digital Hollywood University
The Tokyo Game Show was not the only educational experience, however, for we also visited the Digital Hollywood University, Namco Bandai, and DeNA. In each of these places, the professionals spoke to us about planning a game, designing game mechanics and how to generate ideas for gameplay as well as the popular trends in game play observed in their games, and proudly showed some of their works to us. Looking at the development of large-scale projects up close, I could tell their standard is really a cut above everything we’ve ever done.
Throughout the trip, we were deeply immersed in Japanese culture. We visited the Ghibli museum, based on the animation studio of the same name. Personally, I was amazed by the series of movies, such as Spirited Away, that had earned itself a museum. It wasn’t any ordinary museum either. The entire structure was based off different scenes of the various movies that they produced. We also visited iconic Japanese locations such as the Asakusa Kannon Temple and Mt. Fuji. Enjoying favourable weather conditions, we were even lucky enough to reach the fifth station of Mt. Fuji. The view was breath-taking, when it wasn’t completely covered by clouds or fog. The high altitude made it really cold, though, but it was a unique experience that we would not be able to find in Singapore.
About PARAGRAPH (BRINGS CONTEXT to THE CONTENT)
The Tokyo Game Show (???????? Tokyo Gemu Sho?) which is also known as TGS, is a video game convention held annually in the Makuhari Messe, in Chiba, Japan. The main focus of the show is on Japanese games, but some international video game developers use it to showcase upcoming releases and also related gaming hardware.
A Group Photo just outside the campus of DHU
General Environment in DHU
Ghibili Museum from the outside
A cultural experience, Asakusa Temple
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