ChinaJoy ended on July 30th with great enthusiasm. Compared to last year, BtoC is thriving, and I think it can be called a fair success.
In this article, I would like to introduce a little bit of China from areas other than ChinaJoy that I visited during the period.
This is a Nintendo Switch shop located in a shopping mall adjacent to the ChinaJoy venue.
It seems that Switch sales are steadily increasing in China, and I often see Switch shops in department stores around town.
However, according to my Chinese gaming friends, Switch software is expensive at regular price. Official software costs about 6,000 yen, the same as in Japan, but Chinese gamers seem to think that games can be bought for about 1,000 yen, so I feel like it will take a little longer for this difference to close. Masu.
This is an Ultraman car that I saw on the outskirts of Shanghai. This is an attraction for children to ride and play, and it seems to be very popular. Unfortunately, it wasn’t the Japanese Ultraman, but the Thai Ultraman, which is a bit complicated due to copyright issues.
For Chinese people, they are probably fine with either one because they are similar. I feel that copyright management is really important in terms of protecting the interests of the country.
This is a famous night view spot in Shanghai. Unfortunately, it was raining, so there weren’t many people.
ChinaJoy used to have a lot of parties around here until recently, but last year and this year there were fewer parties. Even if they do open, it seems that in many cases it is closed and with a small number of people.
This may be due to the economic recession in China, but it is also a matter of profit for the party host, and it is difficult to attract new clients even if you hold a party.
In fact, when I meet someone in the game industry and end up working with them, I often get introduced by someone I trust, and so far there have been almost no cases where I’ve exchanged business cards at a party and connected. It may depend on the industry and the size of the company, but I think that’s how it is in the gaming world.
I took a short trip from Shanghai and went to Chengdu, the city of pandas. Chengdu, which is located in a rural area but flourishes as the capital of Sichuan Province, was lively and full of people despite the slightly bad weather.
This is the entrance to the boutique district in the center of the student district. It was very interesting to see high-end brands from all over the world lined up, making use of the old townscape.
The weather in Chengdu is generally bad, and it was raining on and off on this day. The cityscape is very beautiful and there are many unusual buildings, and a friend of mine said, “Chengdu is far from Beijing, so you can do whatever you want without the central government’s attention.” Is that true?
I visited Chengdu because a friend of mine who runs a game company had set up a branch office here, and I heard that Chengdu’s labor costs are about 60% lower than in Beijing or Shanghai, so it’s a good idea from a cost perspective. There are also many game companies.
Apparently there is a joke in Shanghai that says, “Engineers are fired after the age of 35.” When I asked a friend about this, he told me that it wasn’t a joke, it was actually true.
It seems that engineers who can speak English and Japanese are actively going overseas, and the IT engineer workforce is becoming hollowed out.
On the other hand, the salary level in Chengdu is not high to begin with, so it seems that job opportunities are still safe.
This is a programming school I saw at a shopping mall in Chengdu. There was a Lego block Iron Man on display.
Being an engineer is said to be a coveted profession in China, and the reason for this is the high salary level. Even though you will be fired at the age of 35, the high salary is probably very attractive.
This is Shanghai again. It was an indie game party held in the west of Shanghai, quite far from the ChinaJoy venue.
There were fewer flashy, rich-style parties, but indie parties were still going strong just like last year.
I prefer this one.
When I talked to a Chinese game geek and told him that there is a group called Tokyo Indies in Japan, and that the representative from China holds an event every month in Akihabara, he was very envious.
Now, finally, this is from the linear motor car station. The end of this rail is Shanghai Pudong International Airport.
On the day we arrived in Shanghai, the weather was bad due to a typhoon, but on the day we returned it was a clear day.
Now, I would like to share some of my thoughts, but this scenery, which looks like a part of an anime, gives me a sense of China’s dreams for the future.
China is certainly in a recession, but the people of this huge country are strong and still seem to believe that the future is bright.
The area around this maglev station, which is no longer new, has many buildings still under construction, and the untouched land is lush with greenery, giving the impression that there is still a lot of room for development in the future. .
Although Japan and China have many political problems, China is still a good place to visit. At least in the game industry, Japan and China will move forward hand in hand.
China is falling into a recession, but I’m looking forward to seeing the gaming industry survive and make a comeback in a few years, and I’d like to visit China again next year.
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