Slashdot Mirror
There Is No Point To E3
Modesitt writes "Corpnews offers some thoughts on how E3 has changed for the worse. Several factors are mentioned, but the increased number of people sporting 'Exhibits Only' badges courtesy of Best Buy, CompUSA, and EB Games is focused on as a cause of the descent of E3." From the article: "The only legitimate purpose to E3 is as a media event, for companies to show off their products to the public via the media (after all, such a tiny sliver of the gaming public could go to E3, even if it was open to the public, that the press must inevitably mediate this process), and it is failing terribly at that. Companies are no longer courting the press, or even attempting to develop new contacts among them; now, it is an established siege war between giant website network and shitty magazines, and arrogant companies who divulge the merest crumbs and act as if this were a thunderous pronouncement from Yahweh."
The feeling I get from R'ing TFA is that the writer is bitter about people not blowing him as soon as he steps near a booth.
"Worse yet, the private hallways are becoming more and more hostile to media they are 'unfamiliar' with- and by that, I do not mean small, nor do I mean only to Corp writers. Corpnews is a medium-large website in the videogame industry now, and I am not the only media badge to have experienced outright hostility at my inability to name-drop at the front entrance to this or that booth. Companies like Vivendi and EA will ask for a name right off the bat before admitting you to their corporate Shangri La, Blizzard was running World of Warcraft media demos on the noisy show floor, and Nintendo did not even have enough press kits for all media, saying "We only give these out to major media outlets". Well, fantastic, I'll be sure to tell ABC's crack video game department to saunter on by and hear how you plan on not eating #3 dust in the next round of the console wars, smart guys."
The guy's got an inflated opinion of his Blog (that I've never heard of) and he's crying about it.
Not a Twitter sockpuppet... but I wish I was.
I've gone to a few E3's. There's honestly no point to E3. Publishers aren't really there, at least, not accessible. The people you see out there are promoters, hired to generate hype. They are promotion and PR firms. If a developer is there and willing to talk to you not as part of hype-generation, you're extremely lucky. Don't get me wrong, its an 'impressive' show, but its not really a trade show. Its more like walking down advertizement lane than any actual trade.
Yes, I went to E3 as an "Entertainment Industry Professional", but the whole thing felt like a big joke. You could stand in line for 1-2h to see a demo of some new technology or game or to get some freebee, like a t-shirt.
The press get treated really well, they get all kind of vip treatments and benefits.
Boy, why'd they have to go and ruin all the fun of a group of nerds in business suits by bringing in all those boring scantily-clad females? Boy, do I hate it when that happens... On a serious note, I understand the author's point that it's changed from a proper "trade show" to a media circus, but that's the nature of things in the entertainment industry; To say it serves no purpose is rather self-centered, and doesn't give the event enough credit for what it does for the gaming public; it's still a place where big announcements are made regarding the future of the gaming industry, and for that I say it serves plenty of purpose (in any event, he's free to mail me his passes for next year at any time...)
Booth Babes, need I say more?
I do find that allowing companies like Best Buy, EBGames, Gamestop, etc. to be givin badges is a bit over due for a cut off. They sell the games. They aren't reporting on them, trying to learn new technologies or education's about them(Besides personal use). I think for media it's great, the games get more exposure and things can be reported to many parts of the world live from the show. But I believe the reason E3 is not a public show is because it was or should be geared more towards the people in it's industry trying to impress, or show off whats new and whats up and coming in the gaming world. I've been to E3 2004, and it was very much a zoo. You have the people who beg and run(literally) to get as much free stuff as possible(And maybe even to sell it on eBay). You have the people there to test out new technologies, ask questions directly to the producers and some team members, and find out what they themselves can do to improve the gaming world. You also have the game hogs who never get off of big name titles, and those who love to record every little bit of everything(even the earwax of booth babes). You also have the students who wish to join the industry soon. The ones who are learning whatever technology they wish to accel in to gain a career out of it. I fall into this catagory. I went to E3 because i'm a distance student at UAT and UAT gets passes to go because of the Game Multimedia program they offer, and their connections from teachers. So I ask this, who is E3 really for? The every day consumer, the industry watchdogs, or the industry itself(including those on the path to it)? I'd believe it's part watchdog part industry itself. The every day consumer will eventually find out whats going on and coming soon. But I think E3 should be geared more towards those people there already(or coming). (Ok i'm done =D )
Flat Screen TV for F
Also, something that the author forgot to mention, there are a lot of little developers there, making games that might not have distributors yet or need investors in order to continue making their game.
If you don't care about the huge companies, and actually want to see something, then don't head to the big main area: They're only courting the IGN's and GameSpots and EGM's out there, the news outlets with millions of readers (or at least a few hundred thou), because they're just showing off.
The little guys need as much press as they can get, and they will probably be more than willing to show you their game if it means an article on any kind of gaming news site.
Over a thousand games at the con. Look for the 90% that people don't know about if you want to do news!
Beyond the Polygons : Because 50,000 polygo
How is E3 being used a marketing tool pointless? It sells the technology, and get's the public excited before the product is released.
It's the same fucking thing as every other trade show, Apple's expos, Microsoft's, everybody's.
Corpwho?
Ah, E3. Just about the only place where you (and when I say 'you,' I mean us) can see the most awesomest audio hardware ever on one day and witness geeks lining up in a restroom to shake piss-soaked hands with a famous Japanese game designer on the next day. Quite a motherfucking experience. Between avoiding 40 year old boothbabes trying to score a free lunch and running the slalom through stupid fucks that paid $250 a pop to attend, we saw some pretty cool stuff this year.
Make up your damn mind.
Wow. You don't see the word "shitty" on the frontpage of slashdot a lot.
...and why should I care?
Aw, don't feel bad. Nobody at E3 cared about you, either.
He is right to some extent; even as someone who simply follows the games industry from an outisder's perspective, I feel like I get less and less real information from E3 as the years go by. We get specs that may or may not have been created in an alternate universe where teraflops are something wholly different than they are here, dummied up tech demos that aren't even close to realistic, and game demos that are more smoke and mirrors than they are gameplay. That being said, he doesn't really get to any of these issues. The whole thing reads like self-important whining. He complains "the assholes in the Best Buy, or EB Games, or CompUSA badges, retail monkeys who are the industry equivalent of burger flippers, are as thick as flies." What, exactly, makes him so much better than these so-called "burger flippers"? His electronic soapbox? Rather than get to the actual meat of the issue- dishonesty, hype, and a general lack of a critical voice from the gaming media (none of which he seems to mind, he seems more interestred in professionalism than the facts)- he whines and complains like a child about not getting what he wants.
The whole point of E3 is to show games to retailers so they can place orders for the holiday buying season. It's all about marketing. Fanboys and media are secondary.
Okay, so he's whining because:
A) On the one hand, the retailers are running along the exhibition floor. These are the lowest level of marketing: the geek in the store who moves the product.
B) On the other, blogging and those with "media" access have skyrocketed, so that developers are limiting the access to the "good stuff" to media sources that are likely to have a major impact (=broad readership)
So E3 is and has been for some time, a media frenzy. In pseudocapitalistic terms, you've got developers with a limited supply of "hot marketin information" and a huge demand from members of the media, who want exclusive access to that info.
Now, we all know what sort of information software developers can give, and what sort of information they shouldn't; and they usually end up giving out the info they shouldn't: on features that aren't ready to ship, products that are half-baked, and things that may very well not bel. So effectively E3 becomes a celebration of vaporware and empty promises. Each year, we see the "best of E3" reviews and votes, and many of the things touted there reach their ontological peak in some back room upstairs, only to fade back into nothingness.
a) this sounds a lot like E3 has become the new Comdex
b) E3 in the late 90s (I used to go when I could) wasn't much better
w00p.
It is more productive to voice thoughtful opinions (reply) than to judge (moderate) others.
E3 is mainly to show off products to merchants and vendors, stores that stock and sell the products.
There is still plenty to see and do at E3. People talk about it like it's all about the booth babes and the swag. If you get hung up on that and don't go any furthur then of course you're not going to get anything out of it. Should Sony run up to me and hand me a PS3 when I walk in the door? You have to work a little, man!
When I went to E3, I talked to developers that worked on Age Of Empires, Kinetic (for Sony Eyetoy), and others. I saw very informative, very accessible presentations on the Unreal 2007 engine and others. By the way, after the presentation on the Unreal engine (which will undoubtedly be used in a pile of new games), I was the only person to respond when they said 'any questions?'
That was without any real agenda, without lying to get in to any private offices.
I also got to talk to some people developing some innovative games and technology that haven't taken off, Kentia hall is full of good ideas (and some bad ones) that can't afford the space and flashing lights that Nvidia can.
I didn't get the inflatable Conan Sword and they were out of flashy Logitech things when I got there, but I did get what I went there for: information about upcoming Electronic Entertainment. You have to get out of the two-hour line ups for trailers that will be on the internet next week and go talk to some people.
more of the same on Twitter.
The purpose of E3 is to show games that are about to be released. For example, I still remember seeing demos for games like Duke Nukem Forever.
I went to E3 this year, and it was my first E3, so I can't really compare first-hand, but I've talked to people who've been to previous E3s, and this guy is right. Having gone as media, I can say that I was treated pretty shabbily. Considering the sheer ratio of "exhibits only" badges to media badges, you'd think we could have received better treatment. You had to strain to find a purple media badge anywhere; it was green "exhibits only" badges as far as the eye could see. The sad thing is, a lot of them were not GameStop or EB or any retailer. Most of them get in either through someone they know, or by some distant connection to the industry. One of our friends somehow got in because he worked network security for Cox Communications, a CABLE company. Cox's relationship with G4 allowed them to send whoever they wanted to the show. And since I didn't have "appointments" with any exhibitors, I didn't get near as many press kits as I could have. Name dropping also appears to be the norm there. If you're not a big name, you're small shit. Since I didn't have "appointments" with any exhibitors, I didn't get near as many press kits as I could have. On top of that, we waited 4 1/2 hours in line to play the new Zelda, and when we were inside, we say Gabe & Tycho from Penny Arcade walk in. I asked them if they'd waited in line, to which Tycho replied "Hell no, we just flashed our badges and they let us right in." Incidentally, they were wearing purple media badges. If the E3 exhibitors don't clean up their act, there'll be a backlash from the smaller media outlets, including myself. I know our website didn't have much good to say about Nintendo in their poor handling of the Zelda line and their unwillingness to let media have priveldged access. My partner has already stated that she never wants to go to E3 again, due to our treatment. The E3 people could fix this really easy by doing one thing differently: if they just opened the show floor an hour or two early or closed it a little late for media only, all our problems would be solved. When I talked to the E3 representatives, though, they didn't seem too open to the idea. Maybe a petition is in order or something...
E3 is not about the inner workings of games. If you want to learn about technology go to SigGraph. E3 is about marketting and sales, it is not career day for college students. It is more appropriate to have manager Joe Bob from Best Buy there than a talented aspiring programmer asking about a game's implementation details. Sorry, but E3 is the wrong venue for that. E3 is about sales not development.
Well, that's not entirely true. Suffice it to say i'd be hard pressed to name more news that came out of E3 than out of last years PAX. Over time distributors and 'serious' media will eventually shift to these less inflated, less over promoted venues that target their niche audiences within the video game industry.
And Yes, I do make video games for a living.
I was at last years E3, as were many of my co-workers. In addition to being a media function, it also lets developers get a look at the competition. E3 serves the following purposes.
1) It shows up new games and hardware to the gaming media.
2) It gets alot of developers and publishers together in the same place, allowing for deal making.
3) It gets alot of publishers and retailers together, giving the retailers an idea of whats coming out, and helps them decide what to put on the shelves.
4) It lets developers see what other developers are up to, and serves as a reality check for your own game. It also gets the delopers out from behind their desks to do something resembling a vactation. It also lets you catch up with friends working for other companies, allowing us to network a bit, let each other know if a given employer sucks or not, etc.
I went to E3 as a develper, and was handed an Exhibits Only badge. The booth babes are getting a bit over done, but they are there more for the retailers then anything else. The booth babe gets the retailer to walk over to the display, and perhaps even see the game.
END COMMUNICATION
No wonder publishers and developers won't give these children free stuff at E3. Slashdot, stop linking to places that advocate piracy.
Is where he assumes that he's the only one who's ever had this notion. He should have put "I DRIVE A DODGE STRATUS!" in there somewhere.
I think many people, including the writer of the original article, have missed the main point of E3.
The Game Developer's Conference is for the actual developers to get together and share their knowledge and experience. E3 is for the business people to get together, network and make connections.
Of course, it serves some other purposes as well:
Recruiting: since many developers get a chance to attend, what better time than to walk over to the booth of a company you have always wanted to work at and try and make some connection.
Media attention: A chance to show off your new projects and generate some buzz.
The sheer fact that anyone under 18 is not allowed in (though rarely enforced) should show you that this show is not intended to give the gamer a chance to play that new game/console.
As a business conference, it works great; business development has meetings and considers new projects, presidents of companies that wouldn't normally contact each other get a chance to meet and the meeting rooms upstairs are usually booked weeks before the show actually starts.
There are lots of fun and cool things to see at E3, but the show and flash are mostly just marketing's aim at the media, not the end consumer.
16 years of going to trade shows as an industry pro, and seeing last years show, I finally decided not go this year, for many of the reasons people are stating. Everyone thinks they deserve specail treatment and you cant get into the sony party even if you work there, and have generated millions of dollars for thier console, makes me sad. EA has a after show get together for the media where they get treated very well, called Camp EA, they talk directly to the producers, and sometimes the designers of the products, this has been so successful for them they have mentioned several times that they might not go to E3 at some point, and MS and Sony could easly put the same thing together, EA employees (developers) are discourged from going to the show, people were told several times Larry dosen't like E3 so if you want to go pay your own way or maybe if you are lucky they will allow you to be a booth monkey. I am holding out hope that this show, along with GDC will end and be reformed back into a industry show again, they were fun, and you could learn, very doubtful as the industry has become main strean,16 years of going to trade shows as an industry pro, and seeing last years show, I finally decided not go this year, for many of the reasons people are stating. Everyone thinks they deserve special treatment and you cannot get into the Sony party even if you work there, and have generated millions of dollars for their console, makes me sad. EA has an after show get together for the media where they get treated very well, called Camp EA, they talk directly to the producers, and sometimes the designers of the products, this has been so successful for them they have mentioned several times that they might not go to E3, MS and Sony could easily put the same thing together, EA employees (developers) are discouraged from going to the show, people were told several times Larry doesn't like E3 so if you want to go pay your own way or maybe if you are lucky they will allow you to be a booth monkey. I am holding out hope that E3 along with GDC will end and be reformed back into an industry show again, they were fun, and you could learn, very doubtful as the industry has become mainstream.
> are promoters... If a developer is there
The whole / large part of the Development team
of PlanetSide was at E3, inside the "SOE castle".
E3 should use the same plan that the Tokyo Game Show does. Day 1: media only. Days 2 and 3: open to the public.
V O T E F O R M O G
That's right... all of you posting seem to be clueless about the true purpose of E3. Media coverage is a nice side-effect, and yes the bigger media will get catered to, but the real purpose of E3 is for publishers to show their stuff to RETAILERS.
Buyers from Walmart, Toys R Us, Target, EB Games, etc, etc, etc are walking the show floor getting an impression of what titles they should be buying and in what kind of quanities. In fact, if you are a retailer, you get different information from publishers than anyone else, even the media would. You get fact sheets on the publishers projected advertising spending per title, where they will advertise, in what manner, etc, etc. I know this because I used to work for a publisher.
In the end that's all publishers care about. 1. Exposure to the BIG chain buyers. 2. Big name media to help generate supporting buzz that will reach the ears of those buyers. I seriously doubt the head buyer at Walmart bothers to read small-time gamer blogs!
A few years ago, I was filling out a webform for a ticket to ECTS.
I got to the part where you had to tell them your job title. Now, there were about a million slightly different ways of saying you were a marketer, distributor, retail buyer, till jockey, etc, but the jobs Programmer, Engineer or even the more generic Developer did not feature in the drop-down list.
I emailed the organisers to say "Hello? You remember us? We're the guys who actually write the games? You know..?" and their reply was basically "Meh."
It was about then that I figured something was rotten in the state of Denmark.
I believe the job titles Artist and Designer were still available, but I figured that was an oversight.
(Sometimes I wonder if it was a test - like if I was a real programmer, I would have edited the html input tag to allow programmer as a job title, and used that version of the form...)
http://games.slashdot.org/comments.pl?sid=149480&c id=12529898
I agree with a lot of the points the article poses. E3 nowadays is more about the glitz of the upcoming deluge than the deluge itself. Booth Babes (and hey admittedly I check out the pics just like most guys do) are entirely superfluous. It's like if I took a bunch of cheerleaders to a shortlist presentation.
Yet, I can't blame the developers from being picky about letting in some grassroots media types, such as bloggers, from the insider information. In this day and age, it's tough for the industry to keep trade secrets until the time they choose to reveal them. It's all nice to be in there getting the info on a new piece of hardware, but when you surreptiously photoblog something you shouldn't, expect next year's security to be a bit tighter.
"I'm a leaf on the wind. Watch how I soar."
-Hoban Washburn