With the theme of "Technology, Future and Innovation", the First Beijing International Game Conference (BIGC) will be held in Haidian, Beijing from September 25 to 27. With the overall goal of building an international online game center, the conference will develop grand events in the gaming industry, which are high-end and leading, cutting-edge, high-tech, innovative and international. These events will allow Beijing to become the center of online games globally.

BIGC will give full play to the various advantages that Beijing possesses. In terms of resources, Beijing has advantages in technology, talents and other innovative elements. In terms of industry, Beijing has strength in game content production, channel building, innovation and creativity. In terms of international exchanges, Beijing has many international corporate headquarters and is experienced in international collaboration. BIGC has invited research institutions in the gaming industry, scholars, heads of game distribution platforms, famous game producers, heads of game technology, representatives of game hardware manufacturers etc., to discuss topics of common concerns. The shared ideas and solutions will promote the innovative development of the gaming industry.

At the press conference, Wang Yefei, Deputy Director of the Publicity Department of the CPC Beijing Municipal Committee and Director of the Beijing Municipal Bureau of Press and Publication, introduced that BIGC will include main events as well as side events. The main events adopt the "1+N+1" model: the opening ceremony of BIGC, namely the gaming industry innovation summit, will officially release the 2020 China Game Innovation and Development Trend Report. Leading figures from top game companies at home and abroad such as Tencent, NetEase, Blizzard, Microsoft, Sony, etc. will attend the summit. "N" stands for multiple workshops about content innovation, game engines, hardware development, distribution platforms, producer and integration + marketing. A total of 125 workshops will be held. In addition, 6 companies, including Tencent, NetEase, Microsoft, Sony, Unity, and WeGame, will hold their own corporate workshops. Research institutions such as the Beijing Normal University and the Communication University of China will invite game theorists at home and abroad to organize game theory research forums.

At the closing ceremony of BIGC, outstanding games of 2020 will be recommended in 9 categories, including game music of the year, game art of the year, game plot of the year, game technology performance of the year, innovative game instruction of the year, overseas game of the year, game producer of the year, game of the year and annual special contribution games. Based on the list provided in the closing ceremony, top domestic game companies, platforms, associations and producers will vote to create the nomination list. Then, the expert committee of the conference will vote to determine the final list of each category.

The side events of BIGC include an exhibition of cutting-edge game technology and exchange activities hosted by companies. The exhibition will display the latest technological achievements and products in the game field, such as a game motion capture system, graphics rendering technology and Unity engine, cloud gaming technology from Tencent, artificial intelligence technology from NetEase Fuxi Lab, VR virtual equipment from HTC, the latest technological achievements from Microsoft Lab, 5G+8K game display, etc. At the same time, 15 world-renowned companies such as Sony, Nintendo, Perfect World, and Seasun Games etc., will present the latest gaming experience.

The first BIGC has four features. First, it focuses on R&D and creates a platform for industrial exchange and collaboration. It aims to shift the domestic focus from game release to game R&D, and increase competitiveness of product content, so as to comprehensively improve the quality and taste of games. Second, it's innovation-driven, and it will display and share the latest industry achievements, especially the latest scientific and technological achievements in the gaming industry. Third, it has an international vision, aiming to serve the global market. BIGC provides a platform for global game exchange and collaboration in R&D and division of labor. It also gives full play to the advantages of Beijing, the center of international exchange, enabling more game companies at home and abroad to form partnerships. Fourth, it plays a guiding role and sets an example for the industry. It guides domestic game R&D in developing high-quality and high-end products, so that the current R&D pattern, which only emphasizes traffic and income, will be gradually changed. Consequently, the quality of game products will be improved comprehensively in the aspects of game playability, artistic expression and cultural connotation.

Zhang Jinglin, member of the Standing Committee and Director of the Publicity Department of the CPC Haidian District Committee, said that the CPC Haidian District Committee and Haidian District People's Government attached great importance to the digital culture industry represented by games, and regarded the gaming industry as a new driving force for the integrated development of culture, science and technology. From 2020, a special fund of RMB 60 million will be allocated to systematically support the development of the game and e-sports industry.

Ao Ran, Executive Vice Director and Secretary General of China Audio-video and Digital Publishing Association, said that online games, as a highly integrated product of culture and Internet technology, had ushered in an important stage of rapid development in recent years, playing an important role in promoting the development of China's Internet economy, stimulating cultural innovation and creativity, as well as resonating with the spiritual and cultural needs of the masses. The development of this industry should always follow the spirit of the CPC Central Committee, be in line with the publishing requirements and respect the market rules. China Audio-video and Digital Publishing Association will wholeheartedly serve and respect enterprises, mobilize the enthusiasm of enterprises, and support this event to play its due role. The holding of BIGC is a measure to cater to the actual needs of the gaming industry's development, to promote industry exchange and collaboration, and to create a suitable business environment for the development of enterprises.

Zhang Wei, Vice President of Tencent Games, said that Tencent Games had been committed to the exploration of science and technology development and social values for many years, and constantly strove to innovate in order to create a better future. This inner spirit is highly consistent with the theme of BIGC. Tencent Games considers this innovation conference a precious platform, and would like to take this opportunity to communicate with gaming industry professionals as well as all sectors of the society. With joint efforts, they can contribute to the building of the international online game center in Beijing, and greatly promote the development of the gaming industry.

Shao Ying, Marketing Director of Unity Greater China, said that with a huge game market, China's gaming industry was also facing changes, such as the disappearing demographic dividend and the changing game market demand. So, it comes down to the question about how to maintain strong momentum of innovation in China's gaming industry. BIGC is building such a sharing platform, where science and technology can inspire creativity, and service and operation ecology can be further improved. Thus, excellent game products could quickly realize benefits, and the whole industry will be able to enter into a more benign development phase. Xiao Erqiang, Game Director of Microsoft Asia, said that Microsoft would fully support BIGC, and would share the following content in BIGC: Application of Graphics (Photorealistic Rendering / Facial Animation, etc.) in Games, Microsoft Azure's global low latency architecture helping games enter into the overseas market, Application of AI in Games, and PlayFab, A tool for the real-time operation of games.

(Note: Content source is from People's Daily.)