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[E3 community blogging contest winner:Tamz takes a look at the aftertaste that E3 2008 left and figures out why this year's E3 wasn't anywhere as exciting as E3 of the past.]
For those attending E3 today (Editor's note: this was originally posted on 07/17) marks the end of a week filled with announcements, press conferences and for many ambitious journalists - frantic live blogging. Those watching at home facilitated via the numerous live streams and gaming Web sites enjoy a luxury not available to journalists caught up in the week long news-storm and media-blitz; the time to absorb all the information, formulate their own opinions and then take to the Internet and troll forums pledging their allegiance to a single company whilst attempting to quantify how much ‘win’ each press conference contained.
It’s been an interesting week despite the fact that E3 was largely uneventful with the exception of one bombshell dropped by Microsoft courtesy of Square-Enix president Yoichi Wada. Like many UK based videogame enthusiasts, I’ve never had the pleasure of attending E3, neither as a fat guy collecting free swag and adding to line congestion in the ‘glory days’ of E3 or as a journalist covering the E3 that some are now describing as a ‘shadow of its former self’, but I’ve always watched from the comfort of my home, so in my own way, I’ve been there for all the important bits.
For someone watching a live stream of the event, it’s near impossible to gauge excitement or to experience the general atmosphere around the convention hall. In the E3’s of yesteryear, you could always rely on the Sony, Nintendo and the Microsoft conferences to get the average gamers excited and work the fanboys up into a frenzy. This year, though, the big three conferences were a tamed affair, despite numerous high profile announcement and a number of great game demonstrations. In comparison to the previous years, they were pretty boring, but why?
It’s no secret that the videogame industry is adversarial. Whether the console manufacturers want it or not, the fans will inevitably compare each console and claim their console of choice to be the superior one. During the year, the majority of these pissing contests we’ve lovingly come to call ‘the console wars’ are confined to Internet message boards. Once a year, it spills over into E3, whether people admit or not. For some, E3 serves as an opportunity to stock up on ammo as well as an opportunity for the big three to give the world a glimpse into the future of their console. This got me thinking, could the absence of the insanely dedicated fanboys and people using E3 as their own real life loot collecting playground be the reason that this E3 seemed lackluster?
We’ve come to know E3 as the place where the proverbial ‘gaming bombshells’ are dropped and in past years E3 has lived up to its name. Since the exodus of the average Joe gamer, it's gone from the gaming event of the year to just another in a long line of gaming events, and it could be the loss of once reviled fanboys and loot gatherers that has caused this. In my opinion, their presence served as a rationale for the big three to engage in their own little pissing contest by trying to one up each other through making the biggest announcements of the show, which in turn generated buzz around the convention as well on the message boards. The winning company becomes the talk of the industry and the fanboys get their ammo – it was a win-win situation.
Without them, the big three have adapted their approach to aid the aims of the journalists who are being given more time with games and are therefore able to provide in-depth previews and impressions. While this is ultimately a huge benefit for consumers, it shifts the focus away from attempting to surpass the competition in terms of new and exciting announcements and moves it to announcements and further information being given on existing games and other services that are already in the general gaming consciousness. And we all know which one was more fun.
Even though many people are arguing the view that E3 is no longer necessary because of the various gamers days and other events, such as TGS and Comic-con, have basically taken over the duties of E3. I still think the convention serves a purpose but recently I’ve felt that there has been something missing – think of this as my attempt at figuring out what.
Its easy to see what was missing its the Booth Babes. Now mind you Nyko did have a couple but that is no were enough to satisfy the gaming public. Like you your self have said other conventions have taken the cause to spread information and there are no booth babes. Sure there are cosplayers but ask yourself this are cosplayers paid to talk to you? I think not.
Though inevitably times change there are much more female gamers and press could the blooming of the Booth Hunk have been swatted from its god given right by these selfish moves by the ESA. Think of the jobless models in California its a damn shame.
I sure hope they read it an follow up on it :D I hate knowing that I'll prolly never get there, that's why PAX is becoming more interesting every year since we can at least get in there :D
I think you hit it dead on. Wasn't the last E in E3 for Expo? Whoever heard of an expo that journal invites only? That's a press conference. I think if they had a sci-fi convention (as an example, I've never actually gone to one) that was setup the same way with no outside fans, it would end up being just as lame as this but with a sci-fi theme. And seeing all the flack from developers, if they don't change it next year it's going to end up being a rep from each of the three console makers giving a speech at a podium.
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The announcements were lackluster because E3 is now too late in the year to announce new unannounced winter titles. That's really all.
Its easy to see what was missing its the Booth Babes. Now mind you Nyko did have a couple but that is no were enough to satisfy the gaming public. Like you your self have said other conventions have taken the cause to spread information and there are no booth babes. Sure there are cosplayers but ask yourself this are cosplayers paid to talk to you? I think not.
Though inevitably times change there are much more female gamers and press could the blooming of the Booth Hunk have been swatted from its god given right by these selfish moves by the ESA. Think of the jobless models in California its a damn shame.
Good stuff man, never really thought about the convention like this, congrats on the win!
Do these guys not read user feedback or search the forums or game sites?
great insightful writeup man :)
I sure hope they read it an follow up on it :D I hate knowing that I'll prolly never get there, that's why PAX is becoming more interesting every year since we can at least get in there :D
That's what i call "gammer journalism"!
Pretty Good Job and the second pic is epic jaja
congrats!
This is dead right, giving the fanboys [and the more sensible hardcore] something to shout about is what we need.
We're the ones that stand out in the cold buying what ever they sell us to keep our hobby[and their companies] going.
As to the booth babes, i could never support that sort of female objectivization.........no really
I think you hit it dead on. Wasn't the last E in E3 for Expo? Whoever heard of an expo that journal invites only? That's a press conference. I think if they had a sci-fi convention (as an example, I've never actually gone to one) that was setup the same way with no outside fans, it would end up being just as lame as this but with a sci-fi theme. And seeing all the flack from developers, if they don't change it next year it's going to end up being a rep from each of the three console makers giving a speech at a podium.
don't make it so exclusive..!
yes, make it so that not every joe or jane can get in but atleast let bloggers and non-uber elite journalists in.
i'd love to go for my blogging company.
plus, weren't the best things about E3 the craziness of it?? really, untame that $h1t!
This E3 sucked.
The Big 3 hardly showed anything and nobody other then a few Jornos went.
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