China Just Held Its Biggest Gaming Expo In Person

While E3 and the Tokyo Game Show have been canceled, China just held its biggest game expo, China Joy, complete with booths, demo stations, and cosplayers.

Oh, yes, people were told to mask up.

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China Joy kicked off on July 31. When preregistering, visitors had to submit their health codes to show they were covid-free. The codes, tracked via app, tell whether an individual has tested positive for novel coronavirus. Upon entering the show, there were also temperature checks and hand sanitizing stations. Security guards patrolled the floor, reminding people to wear masks.

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Attendance was down due to coronavirus, but the show still drew around 400 exhibitors spread over an area of 125,000 square meters.

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Some quick footage from the show floor at ChinaJoy 2020 in Shanghai.

It is one of the only game exhibitions to go ahead in the real world this year, as the situation in Shanghai improves. Masks are required.

Doesn't look very social distancy though pic.twitter.com/cPfuiuYyFu

— Daniel Ahmad (@ZhugeEX) August 1, 2020

More pics from ChinaJoy in Shanghai. People said it only has 20% of the normal traffic. pic.twitter.com/Q10rfGLvXP

— Josh Ye (@ByJoshYe) August 3, 2020

Parts of the show floor did look very crowded!

哔哩哔哩のイベント開幕中。知り合いがモーメンツに写真アップしてたので、行ったのか聞いたらこの写真見て行く気無くしたそうですw
流石にこの密度は怖い。というか政府がこの規模を許すという事は、相当コロナ対策に自信が有るのだなーと。 pic.twitter.com/qHcXX1g6kl

— // ダイスケ // 上海16年目 // (@DAISUKE_is_Here) August 1, 2020

The 18th ChinaJoy was declared open at Shanghai New International Expo Centre on July 31. The exhibition includes 10 pavillions, covering an area of 12,5000 square meters. All visitors are required to wear face masks. Check the awesome photos from the event! #chinajoy2020 pic.twitter.com/ZkIHVm00Js

— ShanghaiEye🚀official (@ShanghaiEye) August 1, 2020

Doesn’t look like social distancing is possible near the Bilibili booth.

Asia's biggest #GameFair, #ChinaJoy, features online and offline activities amid #COVID19 in Shanghai. https://t.co/oDUGYoixnI pic.twitter.com/PL4CFgdOdx

— Global Times (@globaltimesnews) July 31, 2020

There were cosplayers—and not all of them were in masks, which, to be honest, does make me nervous. But on July 31, when China Joy 2020 opened its doors, the entire country of China says it reported 105 new covid cases.

So while a cancelled Comic-Con means people are remembering cosplaying good times, at China Joy this weekend, folks experienced it live.

Les cosers sur #ChinaJoy, le plus grand événement dédié aux jeux en Asie, qui se déroule à Shanghai. pic.twitter.com/Pl2Ww8ZGm0

— Zhen n'est pas zen (@Zhen02273792) August 1, 2020

pic.twitter.com/KPNxvC3CZr

— MiKing233 (@MiKing233) August 1, 2020

China Joy 2020，场馆又大人又多，走得我有点儿累。 pic.twitter.com/V0EJieb4aF

— Halvor28 (@wuhaofan28) August 2, 2020

A 66-year-old cosplayer wearing a #Japanese JK uniform draws netizens' attention through her lively dance and winsome smile at the #China Joy, the 18th China Digital Entertainment Expo and Conference. #cosplay pic.twitter.com/v85G9unoA1

— CGTN (@CGTNOfficial) August 2, 2020

https://twitter.com/embed/status/1290109537777643522

逛China Joy太累了，我现在只想瘫在床上休息。 pic.twitter.com/ctqHT8F14m

— Halvor28 (@wuhaofan28) August 2, 2020

Great to seeing China Joy 2020, large-scale digital entertainment con, still being held this year, all attendees adopting required safety measures, even cosplayers are wearing masks. #game pic.twitter.com/jW6wtYPb1L

— Xueting C. Ni (she, ta) (@xuetingni) August 1, 2020