Girls a big attraction at game event

Chinajoy, China's biggest gaming show, opened in Shanghai yesterday on one of the hottest days of the year so far.

And temperatures inside the Shanghai New International Expo Center were rising too as the show's famous scantily clad models posed for crowds of amateur photographers.

They were among the main attractions at the show in the Pudong New Area that also included film stars, video games and high-tech gadgets.

Scalpers were selling tickets for 110 yuan (US$17.5), more than double the 50 yuan face value.

"It's an impressive party," said David Kim, senior game designer of Blizzard Entertainment who was visiting ChinaJoy for the first time.

"There are so many game fans and booth girls here," he said.

More than 450 companies were in attendance, with 700 of the latest games, specially designed hardware and peripheral products, a record high since the first ChinaJoy in 2003.

But the girls were still the biggest attraction. They danced and posed in bras and hotpants at the booths of top game vendors such as Giant, Tencent, Perfect World and Blizzard Entertainment.

Each booth had 10 to 20 showgirls on average, attracting male visitors who captured the action on devices ranging from mobile phones to professional cameras. Some visitors even brought tripods and portable flash units.

Daniella Wang, star of "Due West: Our Sex Journey," was much in demand. She had been invited by Giant to promote its latest game, Changchun 2.

Gadgets designed for games from keyboards, memory cards, headphones and graphic and CPU chips were also on display.

AMD and Samsung displayed their latest computers designed with game fans and professional players in mind.

To provide a better environment for visitors, buffer zones were set up in all the halls at the venue for the first time, making the environment less crowded and noisy compared to previous events.

And there were security guards and aid workers helping to ensure that people could enter and exit smoothly. Some exits of the Huamu Road Metro Station, the closest station to the exhibition center, were temporarily closed in the afternoon to better control the crowds.

The show closes on Sunday.

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