The Electronic Entertainment Expo is something of a mecca for gamers. Every May, the world would watch the Los Angeles Convention Center. What would happen inside those walls would determine the fate of the gaming world, at least for the next 6-12 months. That is the greatest stregth, and greatest weakness, of the E3.
Last month, the Entertainment Software Association broke the bad news. The E3 as we knew it, would be forever changed. In an official press release, President Douglas Lowenstein said, "Over the years, it has become clear that we need a more intimate program, including higher quality, more personal dialogue with the worldwide media, developers, retailers and other key industry audiences."
What does that mean?!
What the 2007 E3 will look like is still not entirely clear. Yet, it seems fairly obvious that the emphasis won't be on loud music and scantly clad booth babes. For many gamers, it was the glitter and glam that made the gaming event. For years and years, that's what worked. Gamers love the E3. Why change things now?
Lowenstein said, "It is no longer necessary or efficient to have a single industry ‘mega-show’. By refocusing on a highly-targeted event, we think we can do a better job serving our members and the industry as a whole, and our members are energized about creating this new E3."
In the 2006 E3, there were obvious signs of breakdown. The curvy vixens were told to tone down their wardrobes or face fines. I also noticed the prices. An "exhibit only" entry was $650. That's a lot of money. Yet, the true signs of fatigue happened at NCsoft's booth. They were fined for being too loud.
Fred Schmidt did not take kindly to the fine. He had some harsh words for their booth neighbor (Sega) and the ESA. Fred suggested that NCsoft might not return for 2007, opting to throw their own expo instead. Soon after this incident, I spotted a web comic at GUcomics.com. It basically mocked Fred. I also surfed some gaming forums. It was tough to find sympathy for NCsoft. Yet, I felt Fred was right to be angry.
Game publishers pay a lot of money to participate in the E3. It's a very stressful time. The success or failure of multi-million dollar projects are decided in just a few days. Imagine working years on a project, only to be snubbed by big breasted women? Your polygon count and Frames Per Second means nothing next to a perky young woman.
That's pretty much what happened to Guild Wars. In 2004, ArenaNet did the unthinkable. They opened their game to the entire world - and they did it at the E3. A game only in alpha was played by 200,000 gamers. The graphics were amazing, the gameplay was unthinkable. It had finally arrived - a no monthly fees MMORPG. The unveiling of Guild Wars was one of the coolest things that I've ever seen a game company do. It was a way for gamers to attend the E3 virtually.
This move by ArenaNet was also incredibly risky. Did it pay off? It was a big risk, but it didn't seem like a big reward. Where were the awards? Where was the fanfare? Despite all the time, money and energy invested, Guild Wars was still fairly unknown after the 2004 E3. When the game was ultimately released, I had trouble finding a retail store clerk that even recognize the name of the game. "Guilt Warts?!"
The main objective of the E3 is to increase the understanding and visibility of the gaming industry. In that respect, the E3 has been successful. Compared to when the E3 was started, the media does give more coverage to video games. Yet, it seems that a saturation point has been reached. The E3 is at breaking point. The party could be over.
There's only so much press coverage that a week long event can get. That leaves game companies vying for the spotlight.
The ultimate example was with the Nintendo Wii. They "WTF PWNED" the 2006 E3. Sony is currently dominating the console market with their PS2. Yet, the PS3 seemed to be no match for the Wii. There were long lines to see Nintendo's next console. At the Sony camp, all you could see were flaws. "Why does it cost so much? What's with the controller?"
Years of research and development, and tons of money, it doesn't matter if your greatest competitor cuts your throat. The E3 has evolved into a gladiatorial competition, where only the strongest game developers can survive. With so much on the line, it's not surprising that the focus of the E3 will change.
What does this mean for gamers? I'm not sure. It's hard to imagine that the E3 will ever be boring. It's about video games! As much as I like music and hourglass shaped women, there's more to the industry than the best booths. I believe that the E3 does need to be refocused. The game companies can still get crazy by hosting their own expos... like Blizzard does with Blizzcon. Instead of one colossal event, let's see lots of fun events throughout the year.
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