Comments on: Three strikes for Electronic Entertainment Expo?

After two lackluster years of tiny audiences and slashed budgets, E3 is trying to recapture some of its past luster--but it may be too little, too late.

[Tod Smith]

They waited too late. I expect this E3 to be marginal at best!

[ag2311]

I think this years E3 will be pretty good considering companies have many blockbuster titles coming out in this next year.

[sting7k]

E3 isn't going anywhere until the gaming industry dies.

[Random_Walk]

I'm thinking a lot of it has to do with popular sentiment towards gaming more than anything else.

Seriously, 10 years ago gaming was sexy, gaming online in real-time was new, and there were mountains of interest as consoles and PCs merged into one enormous and dynamic community. It was exciting to drag your computer out to a rented hall or auditorium, and hash it out against people you never met. It was a blast to learn about new MODs and to try them out. It was awesome to try out new games. People would --no kidding-- plan road trips cross-country to meet up at a LAN party with folks they only knew online.

Back then, E3 was the gamer's version of attending Easter Mass at the Vatican, or being in Mecca during Ramadan... you went out of your way to get there if you could. It was the chance to play new games before they came out, or to get good and deep glimpses at what was in the pipeline.

--

Thing is, all that waned out over time. The 20/30-somethings who were once able to waste untold hours and cash on LAN parties and on tweaking their gaming rigs, or were able to latch a console onto a huge plasma screen?

Nowadays, they're all finding time (and in this economy, money) to be scarce.

Nowadays, the bulk of the gaming demographic is once again... kids. As in, teenagers and younger.

Little wonder that E3 has suffered along with it.

But... there's more. The hardcore gamers (console or PC) nowadays see E3 for what it is nowadays - a great big advertisement, with little substance and mountains of fluff. Those who still get into gaming hard, and have the resources, tend to go to PAX, or to smaller regional events that cater more towards the gamer (and less towards watching gaming companies perform perpetual acts of marketing masturbation).

At least, this is just MHO...

[selfkill]

Though a bit cynical and dispiriting, I'd have to agree with your comment. Times have changed, and gaming (especially all the energy and hype) seems weaker or at least different from the days when the gaming community was much more interested and had a wider attention span. Perhaps the golden days are behind us now.

[pentest]

I would say it was a good thing if the game companies were funneling the money saved into games that are actually fun and creative, instead of cookie cutter games with good graphics.

Of course they are not, so why would people care how glitzy their trade show is?

Start making games that people will care about and then maybe people will start caring about the event used to announce them. It doesn't matter how much or how little glitz you use now, all of your games suck.

[iamrta]

I agree with pentest. Been gaming since the 80s and I say they just make some friggin games THAT WORK and quit spending money on banners and booth "babes" and worthless G4 TV advertising events like E3. These publishers can't fix the crap they have out now...who cares if their 2nd installment is in the works? If you don't know what I'm talking about then you aren't a gamer.

Cry a river E3...nobody cares.

[rhetrx]

Could it be that the real fun has moved over to the Penny Arcade Expo, leaving little but marketing hype to gnaw on itself at E3?

[RWilsonBAS]

I feel that going back to the old format for E3 will bring it back to an all-inclusive event, like it used to be.

Gaming has surpassed the movie industry, sports industries, etc. Video gaming has become the official American pasttime, baseball is dying a slow death in comparison.

Everyone still looks to E3 to be the place for big game announcements, to be the place the "earth-shattering" announcement to be delivered. Nothing comes in comparison. Many events tried to take over the excitement factor when E3 became a business-only event, but haven't been able to.

[cvaldes1831]

E3 really needs to be folded back into CES. After all, when you're talking about consumer electronics, videogames is a dominant force. E3 is the bastard child of the long-deceased Summer CES. The prodigal son is ready to return to the January event and dominate.