The 2011 China Games Industry Annual Conference is being held now in Xi'an China. This annual event is sponsored by the China Games Industry Association (CGIA), which loosely falls under the GAPP. The event is an occasion for lots of awards to be handed out for best games, most anticipated games, loveliest games, and so many more categories - seems most leading games and game operators get awards. The CGIA annual conference is also when the CGIA releases its "own" data on the industry from the prior year. The CGIA says that the 2011 online games revenue, including mobile games, was 42.85 billion RMB ($6.8 billion @ 6.3 RMB = $1). There are 600 attendees at the conference that runs January 8-10th. Deputy Director of the GAPP Mr. Sun Shoushan presided with the keynote speech. Mr. Kou Xiaowei, who held the most power of any regulator over the games industry in China for 10 years, left the GAPP in late 2011.

The most anticipated games for 2012, per the CGIA, include Dragon Ball Online, Continent of the 9th (C9), Swordsman Online, Battlefield Online, and Dungeon and Keeper Online. Ten privately held game developers were given the status of "cutting edge game companies." The biggest publicly traded companies were awarded for being the most prominent Chinese games brands, and the chief executives were awarded for being the most influential people in the Chinese games industry.

It is a way for the Chinese games industry leaders to start 2012. This year Chinese New Year falls early and most will celebrate it on January 23 with the two-week+ vacation period beginning mid-week next week. During that period many people will find time to play online games, but no real business will be conducted in the country. You can find more information about the CGIA conference online on the DoNews Games channel.