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.
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.
Attendance was down due to coronavirus, but the show still drew around 400 exhibitors spread over an area of 125,000 square meters.
Parts of the show floor did look very crowded!
Doesn’t look like social distancing is possible near the Bilibili booth.
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.