Around 200 product unveilings are slated to take place at this year's Games Convention in Leipzig, eastern Germany, where 368 exhibitors have set up stands.

That number is up some 30 percent from last year's 280 exhibitors, reflecting the massive overall growth in the sector over the past five years.

The number of visitors is expected to rise to 150,000 from 136,000 last year, despite the fact that gaming was basically stagnant in the first half of this year.

Soccer, heat wave blamed for slow growth

In Germany, sales in the computer gaming sector grew just 1 percent in the first six months of the year, according to the German Interactive Gaming Association (BIU).

BIU chief Olaf Wolters cited the World Cup soccer championship that had riveted the German public throughout the summer, and a heat wave that kept people from spending too much time indoors, as reasons for the slow growth.

"It was not a good environment for home entertainment," Wolters told dpa news agency. The market is also waiting for next-generation consoles by Nintento and Sony. In the meantime, they are holding off from buying more games.

Yet the industry expects double-digit growth after the new consoles are on the market, next year, Wolters said.

Seeking new markets

No market weakness was evident when the doors of the fair opened on Thursday morning and thousands of eager visitors, mostly young and male, flooded through the gates.

They had a chance to get a look at Nintendo's Wii game console, which allows a tennis racket or sword, actually held in the player's hand, to be replicated and used on the screen.

For its part, Microsoft has said it will release an additional HD-DVD player for its Xbox 360 console, prior to Christmas. The add-on will allow users to watch high-definition quality films on their televisions.

An important topic at this year's trade fair is promoting games that appeal to women and older players. "Around a quarter of users are female; we have to catch up in that area," Wolters told dpa.