Tokyo, Sep 22 (IANS): Social networking games installed on smartphones are the rage at a game show in Tokyo.

The Tokyo Game Show, one of the world's biggest games industry fairs, is being held at the Makuhari Messe Convention complex in Chiba, east of Tokyo, reported Xinhua.

The displays by leading social game company Gree Inc. and industry giant Sony Computer Entertainment Inc. are taking the centre stage, drawing a large crowd that tries some of the latest games.

Other social game firms such as Bushiroad and Gloops, are also boasting a larger display space than the past.

Of more than 1,000 software items on show, 407 games, or about 40 percent, are played on smartphones, marking a big boost from about 20 percent last year.

Industry professionals note that the market of games sold through discs and other media has been on a downward trend.

In Japan, most online games are intended for smartphones and cellular phones.