Why E3 Doesn't Suck

[MelFet Wart]

About at week and a half ago there was an article on GamingHorizon.com (http://articles.gaminghorizon.com/media/1128389760.60.html) that talked about all the things that suck about E3. The article read as a laundry list of complaints against overcrowding, large media outlets, and people that don't pay enough attention to the press at E3 because of all the other people at the show.

Recently, About.com posted a response article called Defending E3: Why E3 Doesn't Suck (http://nintendo.about.com/od/e32005coverage/a/defendinge3.htm) which talks about the reasons GamingHorizon got it wrong. It's a pretty direct example of one magazine publishing comments, and another responding with a different perspective. Seems like a waste for media, who gets into the show for free and gets free access to publishers and games, to spend too much time complaining about what they're not handed on a platter during the show.

[A-Team]

If you're part of the media, you don't get into E3 for free.

To add onto that, both sites make some very good points. The problem is, there's no "perfect" way to present thousands of attendees with the same information on an individual basis. For example, when both sites refer to Nintendo handing out DS versions of the Twilight Princess trailer, it was to keep people from waiting helplessly in line wondering what all the fuss was about. By getting the people out of the line who were waiting to see the trailer, they were able to get the people who had some pressing questions to the front of the line quicker.

The other thing to keep in mind is that not everyone is going to have the same experience. Sure, there's a lot that the officials could do to make the event more productive, but isn't that why E3 lasts for days at a time? Isn't that why some parties choose to disclose vital details about their upcoming products before the event in the form of press releases? I mean, if anyone could help make things easier on everyone at E3, it would be the companies themselves, not the folks running the show.

Just my $0.02.

[A-Team]

By the way, I thought this was pretty humourous:

The overpopulation at E3 forces the people working there to look at every attendee the same way, so those of us with our lovely and distinctly-colored "MEDIA" badges get dumped in the same kiddie pool as everyone else. That is, of course, unless you work for one of the GIGANTIC news outlets that keep buying each other and buying TV networks. The guys at IGN and GameSpot are all sent demos and beta copies of all the games at E3 weeks before the show starts, so they can dominate the show coverage with information they've known for days while those of us who haven't made deals with the devil try to scramble around gathering intelligence and clamoring up to the overcrowded media room to tell the public what they've already read.
Taken from GamingHorizon's article.

[TheKeck]

That first guy just struck me as a total whiner. I'm not exactly an old fogey yet, but the fact that he started the column whining about how he's barely old enough to get into this thing did nothing to help his cause.

[Liquidize105]

GamingHorizon's article didn't start it all, in fact it wasn't even that good. There was Corp's article (http://www.evilavatar.com/forums/showthread.php?t=2382) right after E3 that cut right to the chase without the obvious bitterness of GH.

[A-Team]

GamingHorizon's article didn't start it all, in fact it was even that good. There was Corp's article (http://www.evilavatar.com/forums/showthread.php?t=2382) right after E3 that cut right to the chase without the obvious bitterness of GH.
Yeah, why in the world did GH come along five months after the show ended and post something like that anyway? They must be getting desperate or something. :rolleyes:

[XxSATANxX]

A couple of things about E3.

First.. the power. WTF? Half the halls are dark and the AC is broken.
Clearly the sound levels in the certain halls has gotten WTF out of control.
Who goes to the show? I was there to see if we could build any partnerships for my silly game product. Impossible to actually speak to anyone.

My suggestions on how to fix E3.

1. Time to move it out of the LA convention center.

My pick: Las Vegas

2. Start the show a day early

(real) Press only

3. Reduce the size of some companies booth's. I'm glad Microsoft had such a great
booth but if everyone had to use space better it would work better. Atlanta's E3 still stands out as one of the better ones for this reason.

4. Shrink the press releases down to pre-show media events. Smaller pre shows as is done at CES.

It's broke folks and seeing it go away is one of the answers more then a few people have been hinting at.

[Liquidize105]

I tried to get in for E3 2005.

I pulled all the strings, including having a publisher/developer invite me to the event - still couldn't get through.

Retail monkeys waltz right in. C'mon now, if that's not wrong I wouldn't know what wrong would look like.

[drakkarim]

E3 is teh sux0r, purely for fanbois, sheep, and mouthpieces of the marketing departments.

[DirtyHippy]

I know that when i used to go to E3 as a dev (97-2001) I was under the impression from my friends at other dev houses that the only reason for E3 was to sell games to 15-20 people who represent big retail outlets. Everything else was gravy (including media coverage). Seriously, they were adamant that the important stuff was going on in the little back rooms of the booths with those 15-20 people and had nothing to do with the media glitz and bimbos outside.