Even before I managed to go to Dreamhack, it renamed itself this year and launched as Gamevasion. The eSports trade fair consists of a large LAN party and an attached visitor area where everything revolves around the topic of eSports.
At least that's what I thought when my boss told me that I should go to the trade fair. Or actually, I feared so. Because even though I got involved with eSports as a budding writer a few years ago, it never really clicked. Anyone who is a little involved with eSports knows that it is closer to sports than playing video games, and anyone who is familiar with sports knows that it is not enough to be a professional basketball player to know handball.
What put me off about eSports is the extremely broad field it covers. Fortnite, DOTA, Rocket League, CS:GO and FIFA – er, EA Sports FC. And of course that's just a small selection. In addition, there are the players who are all very involved in their topics, and in case of doubt you can't have a say if you don't play the respective title at the appropriate level.
But to my relief, Gamevasion wasn't full of snooty players; it was quite the opposite. Instead of competition, it was about togetherness and everyone wanted to share their favorite hobby with the rest of the community.
A fair also for offline gamers
In the trading card area I was first invited to play Magic and then Star Wars: Unlimited To play, just give me decks I don't know and forgive me for every mistake. Where there was streaming, the influencers didn't isolate themselves, but waved cheerfully and chatted with people. And in the LAN area I got stuck with a guy who had created a retro corner with an inflatable sofa and a tube TV. The whole spectacle is never about competition and rivalry, but always about games and togetherness.
I would even go so far as to say that Gamevasion was one of my favorite trade shows I have ever attended. At Gamescom, most of my time is spent standing in queues and not getting in anyone's way. It's better at Polaris, but if you're not a big Japan fan, then the Hamburg trade fair is a bit too sneezy. The German branch of the EGX didn't survive Corona anyway, but right from the start it relied too much on stars and too little on video games with influencers and big faces.
The future of knives
But after the hymn of praise for the Gamevasion, there must of course be a “but”. This has less to do with the structure and content of the trade fair and more to do with the future of the event. That's not entirely clear yet. The organizers of Freaks 4U want to continue, but the question remains until the end of January: Where will that be?
The contract with the Hanover Trade Fair was only designed for three years. This could mean that the Gamevasion will soon have a new home after a new name.
Source: PC Games
Another construction site: the number of visitors to the trade fair was smaller than last year. Officially there are many small reasons for this, but it is largely due to the fact that the ESL has taken a different course since merging with Faceit and no longer holds a tournament at the trade fair. Last year, the Electronic Sports League announced that there would no longer be any competitions at the national level would give. While at the previous trade fair of the Gamevasion there was also the finale of the Counter-Strike 2 autumn tournament was held, there was nothing like that to be seen this year. Also a repeat of the 100,000 euro Escape from Tarkov tournament didn't take place.
A new approach
Instead, the Gamevasion focused more on serious topics such as politics, youth protection and the recognition of eSports as a sport. A superficially not particularly exciting topic, but incredibly important considering how much depends on these aspects.
With official recognition, eSports clubs could register as non-profit organizations, more funds would be available and youth work could also progress. A path that is already being taken with Gamevasion, as the co-founder of Freaks 4U tells me, says Matthias “Knochen” Remmert in an interview. He hopes that school classes and more families will also arrive next year and that we can help break down the prejudices that surround gaming. His dream is for parents and children to go through the retro area and then to the modern play stations, from tabletop to trading card games, to take away only the best of the Gamevasion. The love for the nerd scene and the fun of celebrating and sharing this passion with others.
