STFUAJPG: IDG 'thrilled' with E For All attendance

by Nick Chester on 10.21.2007

Poke around on the Internet, and you'll see a lot of videogaming Web sites throwing a negative spin on E for All's inaugural year. A few bloggers and journalists snapped a few photos of what appeared to be an empty Los Angeles convention center and declared E for All a dud. They said things like "No one is here," and "Besides Metal Gear Solid 4 and Smash Bros. Brawl there's nothing to play." You'd think the show was a miserable, herpes inducing failure.

Well, in a press release issued earlier today, IDG says they're "thrilled with the attendance," and that "the mood was always fun and energetic." Over four days, they've estimated that over 18,000 gamers, developers, retailers, and media were in attendance. And like IDG's Carolyn Rausch mentioned earlier this month, they "can't wait to see you back at the Los Angeles Convention Center next year at E For All's 2008 show."

I say good for them. While I wasn't able to attend this year, by all accounts (even the negative ones, usually coming from the drooling mouths of cynical gaming journalists) the show looked like it would have been a good time for anyone interested in videogames. Sure, there weren't many demos and new builds of anything we (the press) haven't already seen. But for the average gamer (who spends most of their time looking from the outside in, as the media gets their hands on these titles at Tokyo Game Show, E3, and the 477 other private press events held this year alone), this was probably a dream come true.

And that said, to the media who had their arms twisted to attend E for All this year: Get over yourselves, and try to put the show into perspective for your readers before publicly throwing it to the wolves. If someone wants to put together an event where gamers can come together and "just shut the f**k up and play games," they have my blessing. And why wouldn't they -- this is about having fun, isn't it? We're still allowed to do that, right?

E for All Celebrates a Successful Inaugural Year

New video game expo attracted thousands of video game fans; organizers look ahead to 2008

FRAMINGHAM, Mass.--(BUSINESS WIRE)--Oct. 21, 2007--IDG World Expo wrapped up its first Entertainment for All(TM) Expo (E for All(TM)) (www.eforallexpo.com) video game event on Sunday, attracting thousands of video game fans to the Los Angeles Convention Center for the ultimate entertainment experience for anyone with a passion for video games. Over the course of four days, an estimated 18,000 hardcore and casual gamers, developers, retailers, media and other members of the game community were able to test-drive the latest video games and gadgets, attend competitive gaming tournaments, participate in gaming fan and celebrity events, sit in on developer sessions, and more.

"We are thrilled with the attendance, and we are pleased that we delivered the event we aimed for, which was a celebration that trulywas for the entire game community," said Mary Dolaher, CEO, IDG World Expo. "With over 18,000 attendees on the show floor, from gamers and exhibitors, to developers, retailers and families, the mood was always fun and energetic. The response to the event was overwhelmingly positive, and we want to thank everyone for their tremendous supportof E for All. We can't wait to see you back at the Los Angeles Convention Center next year at E for All's 2008 show."

More than 70 leading interactive entertainment companies were on hand for the game event, as well as more than 1,100 members of themedia. Other event participants included competitive gaming organization Major League Gaming, the Video Games Live concert, the "Into the Pixel" art exhibit, and the Game Developers Conference andits Game Careers Seminar series. The show also played host to a number of other events, including Target and Activision's Guitar Hero II competition, a Los Angeles pro basketball player showdown between Corey Maggette and Derek Fisher, appearances by professional gamers Johnathan "Fatal1ty" Wendel, and MTV Games and Electronic Arts' Rock Band mobile tour, among others.

31 comments

teknohed: Right On! I got some passes for this from work and I took some of my friends and my girlfriend. None of them are "professional gamers" and they all loved it. The look on their face when they g... more

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STFUAJPG

There are 30 comments about this post:

FuriousGeorge says:
10/21/2007 21:37

yea.... more pictures please

Raidensolid says:
10/21/2007 21:42

Of course attendance is going to seem sparce. E for All isnt nearly as huge as say E3 or even non-video game cons like Comicon.

Chris Taran says:
10/21/2007 21:43

The show looked like ass and I'm sure all the negativity was well waranted. If you want a consumer show that everyone can agree is great (including press and regular Joe's) go to PAX.

E For All will be lucky to service another year at best.

And what kind of press release do you expect IDG to put out? A negative one? A press release from the show organizers is about as biased as anything could ever get.

Aerox says:
10/21/2007 21:45

I went, and while it was fun, the people saying it was sparsely attended weren't really wrong. I only went Saturday, but it seemed fairly empty, and almost everyone was gathered around the Nintendo booth, the Warhammer/TF2 area, or the Rock Band stage. A good time, but definitely not a massive event.

Nick Chester says:
10/21/2007 21:46

Chris:

What about it looked like ass, exactly? I'm confused. What sucked about E For All? There were more people at PAX and it had more support, yes. We get that.

Not everyone went to PAX. Not everyone can go to PAX. Chris, did you go to PAX?

Lethal Dosage says:
10/21/2007 21:47

I think Meagan has successfully cloned herself. She seems to be at every event even remotely gaming related. It's quite impressive.

JonDarkwood says:
10/21/2007 21:49

I'm sure it's fun, game shows don't have to be GIGANTOR to be fun, and not everyone has to show up for it to be a good time. If it gets some good publicity from the companies that were there I think more companies will get involved. Game journalists aren't always the final word.

MechaMonkey says:
10/21/2007 21:50

Well said, Mr. Chester. Cheers to you.

BlackDove says:
10/21/2007 21:52

Don't know, shilling products in exchange to play a few demo's...

Meh. Who cares? The more the merrier.

Nick Chester says:
10/21/2007 21:55

MY BAD.

http://www.urbandictionary.com/define.php?term=STFUAJPG

Cheeburga says:
10/21/2007 21:55

Damn straight Nick.

vishusdelishus says:
10/21/2007 22:10

It seems the issue is that this show is less valued due to the lack of crazy, surprise announcements. Don't forget a lot of these same game journalists have been spoiled by the bragging fat kid on the block known as E3.

It was an experimental format, one that I think makes sense for the show promoters and companies alike. Besides we gamers get to play all kinds of stuff not released yet - seems like a win-win to me.

Of course it's all moot if you don't live anywhere near where they host the show. Dammit!

rabidkeebler says:
10/21/2007 22:13

From my perspective it is a good thing. It was always my dream to attend E3 after I graduate college. Unfortunately here I am in my last semester with E3 barred from me.

Now this doesn't mean I'm going to pack my bags and attend E for Everyone. But atleast they are offering a public event.

MrBabyMan says:
10/21/2007 22:19

More pics (and a little commentary) here!: http://thedrilldown.com/?p=30

NihonTiger90 says:
10/21/2007 22:22

Wish I could've made it, but good for the E for All people. It might not always give us a whole lot of new info, but it lets the public get to feel like the media for a day or two, and heck, why not give them a chance to check out these new games and build even more buzz for your console or games? Sounds like a no brainer to me, unless you're too afraid people will see your games as the crap they might very well be

*shifty eyes at all the developers skipping E for All*

Dexter345 says:
10/21/2007 22:25

Eh, Nick, I think the thing I take most issue with is the price. Four days for $90, when one of those days is a Thursday so you probably can't go anyway because you actually have obligations? Bleh. But then, you could just go for Saturday and Sunday, for the low low price of $75! Couple that with the fact that PAX was more fun while being cheaper (and stayed open longer), I think it deserves the negativity. I'm not saying I didn't have a good time there (meeting up with Destructoid people is always great), but objectively, it is just not as good as other conventions.

At any rate, I think it's also good that it's getting this bad press, because lord knows IDG is reading it (or at least, they SHOULD be), so maybe they can improve things for next year. We'll see.

Nick Chester says:
10/21/2007 22:34

@ Dexter:

I'll agree with the pricing being a bit miserable, but that's not where the expo is getting knocked. It sounds like a valid complaint to me.

Dexter345 says:
10/21/2007 23:16

Yeah, actually, I have no right to complain about the price anyway. Mr. Destructoid is paying for my passes. ~whistle~

joepaniic says:
10/21/2007 23:24

somebody please add STFUAJPG to wikipedia..... for some reason its not listed, and just incase anyone here wnts to add it but does not know what stfuajpg means its Shut The Fu*k Up And Just Play Games.

Mxyzptlk says:
10/21/2007 23:57

I think the biggest blow to it was that a lot of companies passed on the con... If they continue it, it's likely those companies will eventually come around and make a showing. And those ticket prices really need to drop.

CRA says:
10/22/2007 00:11

Amen on this post! I think that people just enjoy bashing stuff, I know I do. I can't imagine the very first E3 was as super or amazing as the last one, so give E for All a chance to come into it's own!

Azereki says:
10/22/2007 02:28

It was fun and I got to meet a lot of really cool people, that's really all I could have asked for. It was a good show. Considering that it was the first E for ALL, I don't know what people honestly expected. I bet next year will be much better if IDG feels that it was a success. I'll be going back next year if I have the opportunity.

Volcanon says:
10/22/2007 02:39

Damn I wish I could've gone.

Wedge says:
10/22/2007 03:06

The entire thing fails because of the annoying booth babe commentators for SSBB. Also because I'm never going within 50 miles of LA.

JayVander says:
10/22/2007 03:08

The price is horrendous.

I just feel that with the hype they were trying to build up they spent more time in trying to get people into the show and not enough things AT the show.

I think I saw about 3 vendors selling stuff on-site. And two of those were for Wholesale only.

You have to feel that this thing was trotted out before it had any reason to. Only to capitalize on the fact that E3 was no longer the E3 it had once been.

I wanted it to be good but once being there it didn't feel like a gaming convention. More like a gaming carnival.

And not the good kind of carnival either. If there is such a thing.

At least Video Games Live put on a good show.

And as much as people want to deny it, PAX is the only real Gamers convention that wasn't birthed with the idea of making money but instead having fun with your buddies.

Something I didn't really feel at E for All.

mid3vol says:
10/22/2007 06:46

it sounds like it would have been fun at least.

and lol@ megan looking like she's squeezing mr. destructoid's ass.

Lord The Night Knight says:
10/22/2007 07:47

"And as much as people want to deny it, PAX is the only real Gamers convention that wasn't birthed with the idea of making money but instead having fun with your buddies."

People AREN'T denying that, at least not that I've seen. What gave you the impression this expo was supposed to be like that? Your comments seem to imply what was what you were hoping for.

Holyetheline says:
10/22/2007 08:34

Destructoid always understands.

DJTyrant says:
10/22/2007 09:51

You can't expect something to be perfect/amazing the first year of its existence, I'm sure it will improve.

teknohed says:
10/22/2007 16:40

Right On! I got some passes for this from work and I took some of my friends and my girlfriend. None of them are "professional gamers" and they all loved it. The look on their face when they got to see Mario Galaxy up close was priceless.

I felt a little sad that the place seemed so empty. I mean I think compared to E3 (which it is hard not to compare it to since it was held in the same Hall for so long) it was DEAD.

But you're totally right for the PUBLIC I think it was great.

No one has talked about the HP booth...but I spent a lot of time playing Unreal III and having a blast with everybody.

We even got to play MGS4 in ENGLISH. I'm not a huge fan, but that still aint nothing to sniff at.

I hope they do it again next year.

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