Gamescom opens to political intrigue

German Chancellor Angela Merkel helped launch the event on Tuesday alongside her Minecraft avatar. Computer games are "cultural assets, innovation engines and economic factors of the utmost importance," Merkel said, calling the industry "a strong pillar of the German economy." She was intrigued by some offerings. particularly virtual reality applications as well as a natural science simulation.

The five-day event has taken a strong political bent. Major political parties will attend a special election forum, while many of the games on show have strong political messages including tackling radical right-wing groups. The average German gamer is 35 years old - a key demographic for political hopefuls ahead of this September's election.

So-called cosplayers were out in force at the fair. There is a contest for the best-dressed cosplayer as well as a stage for people to strut their stuff. Snapped a horn? No problem - there is even an emergency repair shop for cosplay malfunctions.

Video games are being announced en masse and promoted at Gamescom. Some of the most exciting titles include a new version of Age of Empires, Pizza Connection 3, Playerunknown's Battlegrounds, Assassin's Creed: Origins, Forza Motorsport 7, Super Mario Odyssey, Fifa 18, Farcry 5, Shenmue III and Anno 1800. A list clearly dominated by sequels.

Virtual reality is now a major force in the development of new games and this was on display at Gamescom. Sony pushed some of its biggest brands into VR including its Gran Turismo series while Bethesda showed off the new Elder Scrolls V: Skyrim VR edition. The announcements weren't as big as people had hoped after E3's relative lackluster display, but there were plenty of chances to nerd out.