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Questioning the New E3
This year's E3 is substantially different than events of the past, with an easily navigated show floor just one of the signs of the changing times. There are a number of questions up in the air as to what the new face of E3 means. Hideo Kojima (creator of the Metal Gear series) went on record at the Konami conference saying that he considers the new format a waste of time. Game|Life's Chris Kohler has a piece up on this subject, and he says that the new E3 is all about the status quo: "Yes, there were press conferences. But when Nintendo, Microsoft, and Sony all decide to only show their 2007 games (for the most part) and hold back on announcing huge news (entirely), you know something's up with the venue. At any rate, gamers hoping for some kind of shift in momentum, no matter which direction, didn't get their wish. This year's E3 is all about maintaining the status quo. Typically, it's been the 'battle of the press conferences' to see who 'wins E3.' This year, everybody surrendered."
PAX
E3 is meant to accomplish two things:
1) Publishers and developers to all be in one place to have meetings, sign or work on deals, and all the other face to face work that goes on to get projects in motion
2) A concentrated press event for companies to show off their stuff
Over time E3 became a magnet for fanboys to find a way in to the show to get free promotional material, lamely try to pick up on the local LA strippers working as models, and in general just clog up the place.
E3 is perfect now. I don't know of anyone who actually is involved with game development who doesn't love the new format.
IGN has a video from a Madden 08 event. Now, naturally, football players are present. By all means, that makes at least some sort of sense. However, this event is held in Hollywood, with almost nothing but actors and stuff present apart from the players themselves. IGN even interviews one of them who admits he doesn't even FOLLOW SPORTS!
Generating hype around your product appears to be more important than delivering on content. E3 appeared to be just that. I, personally, prefer like you suggest to simply download some trailers and preferrably trailers that show in-game footage and footage of someone playing the game, as well as downloading demos.
I won't cry much if E3 goes away and companies rely more on the internet like you suggest.
http://ms.nintendo-europe.com/e32007/enGB/index.ht ml?feature=4Qs_Rj-SZwwItyhbXcTIfqhPN_a3EmxF
This page has the info from ninty about the E3 show, sure I guess a lot of it we might have heard of before, but Wii Fitness was a new one to me. The work out board looks pretty cool too, if they make a way to make it higher then you could do step exercises with it as well. All in all I'm glad I've got a wii/DS combo.
*''I can't believe it's not a hyperlink.''
Have you seen anything new lately? What's new about the 2 millionth first person shooter or the n-th RTS game? Or the "08" sequel of a sports game?
It's really braindead. Basically the most minuscle change in an interface is hyped as if it was the pinnacle of development (wow, in Supreme Commander you can now zoom in and out all the way, what innovation! This will change the world of RTS forever!), and a few new units that do essentially the same they did in earlier incarnations, just with different animations, are enough to make a game "totally new and improved".
Or the "new" MMORPGs? Where is the big innovation?
Wake me up when a game company comes up with something REALLY new. Basically I think that's why E3 and other "game conventions" are failing. Why bother going there to see the same old shit in new graphics? And now even without boobies...
We used to have a Bill of Rights. Now, with the rights gone, all we have left is the bill.
became worthless after everyone got the internet and gets the latest news constantly, there's no real surprises anymore. 10 years ago it was a more exciting event that most people were reading about in gaming magazines only.
Previous posts have alluded to this, but here's a bit of history to explain what's happening. IDG didn't kill E3 to replace it with this new format. The exhibitors did... Sony, Microsoft, EA, etc. The only way trade shows succeed is if they make money by serving as a marketing tool connecting the manufacturers with the industry buyers. There's much more effective methods of reaching the gamer community than buying an expensive booth and hiring large-breasted women.
The top exhibitors at E3 banded together and vowed to not return after last year, effectively killing the show. IDG scrambled to react, and came up with this new format in an attempt to woo exhibitors back, and continue the event. This year was something of a test. If the top companies decide the new format was an effective way to reach wholesale buyers and network with other people in their creative and supply chains, it will probably continue. If they decide it was not, E3 is most likely dead for all time.
As wild an event as it used to be, there's no return on investment for companies to slug it out in front of a seething mass of gamers who wiggled their way in to grab bagfuls of booth swag and monopolize the demo units. It's supposed to be an industry event -- not a public event -- and the new format more strongly reflects that. Actual industry insiders apparently DO like the new format much better, though I think the jury is out on whether they liked it enough to continue. Especially in light of the emergence of other, more focused gaming conferences like the Sandbox Symposium coming up in August.
It's not the big flashy public event it once was... but then again, it was never supposed to be that in the first place. It had to change into this, or it would no longer exist at all.
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The fact that e3 has become televised, and also streamed live over the internet allows thousands to enjoy the conference without actually attending. Making it perfect to communicate to the consumer on a large scale level, while also catering to the gaming business by allowing hands on demos to a select group. It's evolved, sure, but what hasn't?