CES Gaming Presence Up By More Than Half In 2010

Organizers of International CES, the massive electronics trade show held annually in Las Vegas, say next year's event will feature more game-related exhibitors than ever before, with exhibitor square footage up more than 50 percent over last year. Likely just as exciting to show attendees -- and journalists on the game beat -- is the centralized Gaming Showcase, which collects game and game technology exhibitors in one location in the North Hall of the Las Vegas Convention Center. Many past CES shows have seen game-related content scattered throughout the multi-venue event. Game companies slated to appear at CES 2010, which runs January 7 to 10, include Sony, Microsoft (particularly its Games for Windows initiative, apparently), the PC Gaming Alliance, Konami's Dance Dance Revolution, Gazillion and NetDevil's Lego Universe, and others. CES, seen as the major trade show for the consumer electronics industry, has run for over 40 years. It faced a significant drop in attendance in 2009, with the total number of attendees at roughly 110,000 -- 22 percent lower than in 2008. "We are thrilled to add the PC Gaming Alliance and Lego Universe to the 2010 Gaming Showcase, allowing 2010 CES attendees to experience cutting-edge products changing the gaming market. CES is the global hub for the latest gaming trends," said Karen Chupka of the Consumer Electronics Association, which produces CES.