Report on "Tokyo eSports Festa 2023" where you can learn and experience how to start eSports and eSports related professions.

Tokyo eSports Festa 2023" was held at Tokyo Big Sight, South Halls 1 and 2, from January 27 to 29, 2023. Tokyo eSports Festa" was the fourth such event, the first of which was held in January 2020 under the auspices of the Tokyo Metropolitan Government, with the aim of promoting eSports, which is still little known in Japan, and reviving related industries,

At the venue, there will be actual competitions using existing games, exhibitions by related companies, seminars, learning projects, and other events.

The venue consisted of a main stage where actual competitions were held, a sub-stage where company presentations and talk shows with voice actors and others were held, and an area between these stages where companies exhibited and where visitors could try out various e-sports related game titles.

In this article, we will report on the exhibits and stages that particularly caught our attention at the venue, which was crowded with many visitors.

In the experience area, visitors could try their hand at games used in competitions and learn what e-sports is all about.

At the corporate booths, e-sports and gaming-related companies in Tokyo exhibited and sold their products and services. In addition to the real venue, an online venue was also prepared for this hybrid event, allowing visitors to participate in various events from the comfort of their own homes.

Some companies exhibited interactive games that combined projection mapping with games, allowing visitors to actually move their bodies and have fun.

These games were in line with the event's theme of "enjoyment that transcends barriers such as age, disability, and gender.

Even the 50-year-old author was able to enjoy the games with the support of the companion girls.

The sub-stages included sessions on the future prospects of e-sports, such as "e-sports business possibilities" and "prospects of e-sports for the disabled," as well as talk sessions held by Oto Tanaka, Yuki Tsurumi, and Mayu Sagara, all members of the Seiyu e-Sports Club, in a relaxed atmosphere, The event was filled with a lot of excitement.

Seiyu eSports Club" Stage

The highlight of the event was the e-sports competition held on the main stage.

The winner will receive the Governor of Tokyo's Cup, a prize, and a professional license, and the competition was heated and exciting.

In the "Senior & Junior High School Student Two-Generation Pair Competition," elementary and junior high school students and their parents paired up to compete against each other using "Taiko Drum Master DONDAFUL FESTIVAL." Contrary to most expectations of a heated battle between elementary school students, the final game featured a heated battle between the mothers, with a close margin of victory and defeat. The audience was thrilled by such scenes.

Taiko Drum Master DONDAFURU FESTIVAL" Final: Senior and elementary/junior high school student pairs competing against each other

In the general division finals that followed, the two teams engaged in a full combo battle, with the winner being decided by a narrow margin of 500 points based on "consecutive hits.

Taiko Drum Master DONDAFUL FESTIVAL" Final, General Division

In the "Pazudora" final, the semi-finals were filled with a series of godlike plays that drew cheers and groans from the audience.

The final of "Pazudora

Female gamers also made it to the semi-finals, and although they narrowly missed out on the championship, their efforts alongside the men embodied the fact that e-sports is truly a gender-free sport.

In addition, the play of these strong players, all of whom aspire to become professionals, provided a level of excitement and excitement that rivals that of the actual sport.

In the finals, Mr. cstk won the championship, narrowly defeating an array of strong players. He was awarded the Governor's Cup and a professional license.

e-sports is becoming increasingly well known in Japan. Although there are still many issues to be solved, including legal regulations, I felt that I could see the future of e-sports becoming a major sport in Japan through this event.

（Shun Gori)