Last January I claimed to have
found the nerdiest place on earth,
Modern
Electronics City. I am sorry, my
friends. Last weekend I visited a
convention that made Modern Electronics City look like the popular kid in
class. In an effort to learn more about
Chinese culture, I visited the China Digital Entertainment Expo &
Conference.
According to Time Out Shanghai, the China Digital Entertainment
Expo & Conference (aka ChinaJoy) is Southeast Asia’s largest electronic entertainment
expo. For 100 RMB, visitors could see
the latest and greatest video games.
Mind you, I had no interest in seeing the video games. I wanted to go see the Cosers! For those of you who don’t know, Cosers
(short for Cosplayers), are people who dress up as their favorite Manga, video
game, and cartoon characters. So, a few
of us crunched in a cab and headed to the Shanghai New International Expo
Center.
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| Cosplayers pose for the smartphone paparazzi. |
I was surprised that we didn’t see
many people in costumes when we first entered the center. After we wound through 5 hot, vacant
warehouses we were greeted by what I like to call techno mayhem. Thousands of male video game lovers were
shoving their way to stages to check out the barely dressed booth babes. Hordes of costumed fans were posing for
pictures while advertising their favorite games. Emcees were hosting different contests and
variety shows. Fans were testing the
latest and greatest games on jumbotron sized displays. The combination of heat,
Chinese barking, and costumes made for a fascinating time. Here are my highlights from the
expo.
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| I thought about buying one of these wigs for about 30 seconds. The heat convinced me to pass. |
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| I was loving the blue hair! |
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| This guy had the right idea. |
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| Many game companies broadcast their games on jumbotrons. Notice the real life characters posing with the game. |
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| The purple reapers really creeped me out. I had no idea My Little Pony met the Grim Reaper. |
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| So many souvenirs, such little time! |
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| A Fruit Ninja fan struts her stuff on the jumbotron. |
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| A couple of characters take a break from the madness. |
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| Many fans were very eager to get their pictures with the booth babes. |
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| The fruit ninja chops me on the head. |
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| Black Gold had quite an impressive display! |
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| The Black Gold folks brought in a Chinese heavy metal band to promote their games. |
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| Who needs a booth babe when you can have a zombie? |
After spending a couple hours at
ChinaJoy, I was completely exhausted. I
went home, and was asleep on the couch by 6pm.
I had a great time, but I don’t think I will be a Coser anytime soon.
