Slashdot Mirror

← Back to Stories (view on slashdot.org)

E3 Will 'Officially' Open To The Public this Year (engadget.com)

Posted by msmash on from the opening-up dept.

E3 has traditionally been a media-only event -- at least in theory. But starting in 2017, you won't even need a WordPress account to get access to the latest and greatest in gaming. From a report: The Entertainment Software Association, which organizes the event, announced on Wednesday that it is reserving 15,000 tickets for the general public to attend the show. Each pass will cost $250 ($150 if you buy it before next Monday, February 13th) but they'll grant you access to the show floor, panel discussions and other stuff from Tuesday to Thursday of E3. The event organizers are also offering a new class of business passes. Aimed at lawyers, analysts and other stuffed shirt types, these passes will get you into the business lounge and grant priority access to the convention center.

32 comments

  1. Horses and barns by Opportunist · · Score: 2

    You open the stable long after the horse has found greener pastures.

    --
    We used to have a Bill of Rights. Now, with the rights gone, all we have left is the bill.
    1. Re:Horses and barns by zlives · · Score: 1

      EA wants you

    2. Re:Horses and barns by zlives · · Score: 1

      i guess i should say me instead as i would stilllike to go and see so a link to the ticket info would have been nice.

    3. Re:Horses and barns by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 0

      Yeah, PAX is killing E3. Instead of making the choice and focusing on their strength (networking & business stuff), they are desperately trying to bring in foot traffic.

      Does any gamer have interest in a booth for a company that sells "community building" aka "we hire a bunch of indians/filipinos to pretend to like your game, post on the forums, and play on official servers so its never empty"?

    4. Re:Horses and barns by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 0

      PAX is still around? I don't think I heard anything about that thing since they went all SJW several years ago. (Which is ironic, because SJWs hate Penny Arcade with a passion you'd think they'd reserve for Trump.)

      E3 is dying, but that's because conventions are dead. They don't do anything useful any more. When developers want to let people play demos, they just put them up for download. Want to watch some idiot play the game for you? Youtube and Twitch have you covered. Want to see some trailer? Again, Youtube.

      There's no reason to go to any "video game" convention. The Internet has made them obsolete.

    5. Re:Horses and barns by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 0

      Found the basement dwelling virgin who can't comprehend why people would want to actually meet in person!

    6. Re: Horses and barns by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 0

      Yes, because a video game expo is clearly the only place people can meet, and not some place cheaper like a bar. Or just inviting people over to visit if that's not your thing. But there's no reason to go to a video game convention just to meet other people.

    7. Re:Horses and barns by c9brown · · Score: 1

      conventions are dead.

      Shall I fact check this for you, or would you like to take a go?

    8. Re:Horses and barns by Dogtanian · · Score: 1

      You open the stable long after the horse has found greener pastures.

      I see exactly the point you're making, but that's still a mixed metaphor that makes progressively less sense the more you think about it. (^_^)

      --
      "Slashdot - News and Chat Sites Deviant". (Click "homepage" link above for details).
    9. Re:Horses and barns by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 0

      PAX is not only still around, but tickets for PAX east still sell out minutes after they start selling them; they get an estimated 100k people to attend. And they've announced that they're adding yet another PAX this year, because PAX prime, PAX east, PAX south, and PAX Australia all sell out, so they're hoping to split the load across a fifth one.

    10. Re:Horses and barns by Opportunist · · Score: 1

      I'm fairly sure gamers would be interested to learn about this, but for all the reasons these companies fear.

      --
      We used to have a Bill of Rights. Now, with the rights gone, all we have left is the bill.
    11. Re:Horses and barns by Opportunist · · Score: 1

      Who in their right mind would want to meet people who go to a video game expo?

      --
      We used to have a Bill of Rights. Now, with the rights gone, all we have left is the bill.
    12. Re:Horses and barns by Opportunist · · Score: 1

      I actually found it very witty, sorry to be so cocky. The horses have run away and you're now opening the barn hoping they come back, but they have long found something better.

      And yes, I know that the original metaphor requires you to shut the door after the horse ran away instead of opening it. But that part of the metaphor didn't make sense, if anything, you would have to OPEN the door when you notice that the horse is gone and hope that the horse comes back home.

      --
      We used to have a Bill of Rights. Now, with the rights gone, all we have left is the bill.
    13. Re:Horses and barns by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 0

      Uh huh. Let me let you in on a little secret: all events like this "sell out." E3 is going to "sell out" too. They "sell out" to impress their real customer: the exhibitors.

      You know why they get an "estimated" attendance? Because they stopped releasing attendance figures years ago. Used to be that every year you'd get articles about how this year's PAX was the biggest ever! Then the articles stopped, and they stopped releasing attendance figures.

      You know what it means when a company won't release sales figures? It means sales are down.

      PAX tickets "sell out" because they're priced low enough that it's worth scalpers time and money to buy them all. Go check out eBay and you can find plenty of PAX tickets.

      Video game conventions are obsolete.

    14. Re:Horses and barns by kuzb · · Score: 1

      ...and yet you'll find all kinds of video footage that shows how packed these events are...

      The problem with people like you is that you have it in your head that if you don't personally like something it must follow that nobody else likes it either. Let us know when you begin to live in reality again.

      --
      BeauHD. Worst editor since kdawson.
    15. Re:Horses and barns by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 0

      You will? Because you used to always see a bunch of stories around PAX. But these days?

      E3 still generates a ton of press. I literally haven't heard a thing about PAX until this thread.

      But go ahead, tell me how packed these things are that no one bothers to report on because nothing interesting or worthwhile happens there.

    16. Re:Horses and barns by Mysticalfruit · · Score: 1

      Anonymous grousing, what the fuck ever. PAX put a stake through E3's heart years ago.

      I'm yet to go to a PAX event that isn't packed to the gills with people. Every year in Boston they need to expand the venue.

      Just keep telling yourself PAX {WEST, WEST, SOUTH, AUSTRALIA, DEV} isn't a thing... That they're not huge events with thousands of people attending.

      I'm sure it'll make you feel better to keep reading the junk press releases.

      --
      Yes Francis, the world has gone crazy.
    17. Re:Horses and barns by Dogtanian · · Score: 1

      The horses have run away and you're now opening the barn hoping they come back, but they have long found something better.

      If they've found greener pastures, that implies that they were out to pasture in the first place, i.e. not in the stable or barn. But... yeah, I knew what you meant.

      I actually found it very witty, sorry to be so cocky.

      Your original comment came over as sort of funny, albeit not quite as clever as it was obviously meant to be.

      However, if you want to be self-congratulatory, it helps not to undermine things completely...

      And yes, I know that the original metaphor requires you to shut the door after the horse ran away instead of opening it. But that part of the metaphor didn't make sense if anything, you would have to OPEN the door when you notice that the horse is gone and hope that the horse comes back home.

      That's because you've entirely missed the point of the original metaphor!

      Keeping the stable door shut (to stop the horse escaping) represents the thing that was *supposed* to have been done beforehand.

      If you fail to do that and "the horse escapes" then... there is no point in trying to remedy things or make amends by shutting the stable door. Of course it doesn't make sense any more... that's the whole point!! The horse is already gone. Shutting the stable door beforehand would have prevented this. Shutting the stable door now is too late to solve the problem.

      The point is that doing what you should have done in the first place only *after* the thing it was intended to prevent has already happened makes no sense.

      --
      "Slashdot - News and Chat Sites Deviant". (Click "homepage" link above for details).
    18. Re:Horses and barns by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 0

      Sure, whatever. That's why Slashdot still covers E3 and E3 opening to the public was big news, while PAX never generates any news and you never hear about it any more. Because PAX "put a stake through E3's heart."

      Also WTF is "PAX WEST WEST"? Last I heard there were two PAXes: East and Prime. And no one cared about East so you only got news out of Prime, as the big exhibitors just skipped East as irrelevant.

  2. Idle speculation by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 1

    But i'm guessing they are far more interested in the corporate jolly set then they are in joe public attending. Those hospitality packages can be eyewateringly expensive, and there are plenty of 30-somethings with an expenses account and a really good excuse.

  3. E3 is dead though by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 3, Interesting

    A lot of companies don't bother going, and the big ones that do will show off only a few things, if that.

    This is a cash grab and a way to make E3 feel popular again.

    1. Re:E3 is dead though by tlhIngan · · Score: 1

      Or it's more of a reaction to Trump's travel ban. They anticipate lower attendance because lots of people can't attend, but since these events are booked a minimum of a year in advance (sometimes two years or more in advance), they are stuck - even if they wanted to hold it in a more accommodating place (like say, Canada), they need to book it way in advance and it's too late for 2017. So do this and hope maybe you can find extra people while they figure out where to go next year.

      Even if the ban is revoked, it's too late and the damage has been done

    2. Re:E3 is dead though by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 0

      "Lots of people can't attend."

      Oh yeah, I'm sure there are tons of Middle Eastern game developers just clamoring to get into LA.

    3. Re:E3 is dead though by Tyrannicsupremacy · · Score: 0

      You better take a seat, because you obviously haven't heard yet:

      The travel ban has nothing to do with E3's falling attendance. Shocking, I know.

      --
      http://i.cubeupload.com/T6cyLu.png
  4. Elitism by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 0

    I have no use for elitist "closed-door" events such as this.

  5. in other words by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 0

    They have trouble finding enough companies to attend

    The usual industry conference life cycle:

    bank on a new trend
    reduce access to increase prices
    loose business
    open to public
    shut down, move on

  6. Wasn't E3 open to the public in the past? by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 0

    I thought it took on its current corporate form after complaints that exhibition costs had skyrocketed in attempts to lure foot traffic, and the organizers rebranded the event as pro-vendor and pro-media.

  7. Complete waste of money for the public by UnknownSoldier · · Score: 1

    As a game developer I've been to E3. Complete waste of time for John Q Public aside from ePenis bragging rights.

    The whole event is designed to be a glorified advertising event -- it was never intended for the public.

    Save your money and spend it on buying the game(s) you are interested instead, AFTER reading Steam or Meta-critic reviews.

  8. they'll pirate it anyways by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 0

    Except for Iran, the 6 countries are poor, and/or racked with major fighting. They won't have the money to buy video games, and will resort to piracy. Iran is probably banned from buying games because of sanctions, so it's piracy for them too.

  9. You mean like it was 10+ years ago? by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 0

    I seem to recall E3 having huge attendance numbers before like 2006 or 2007, and then they closed it off and the greater public couldn't attend.. now they're doing the reverse?

  10. Yeah, but... by thomn8r · · Score: 1

    ..will there be booth babes?