Very true. The smaller developers, like NCSoft and Turbine, treated us very well, while bigger fish like Nintendo and Blizzard dismissed us or just scraped us off their collective shoes. Really makes me want to support those big fish, eh?
Actually, I do have an honest-to-God press website and not just a blog. Please don't be so cynical that you automatically assume I don't have the credentials I'd need to get into E3... Which I do... Seeing as how I got in.
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...
Slashdot Mirror
Very true. The smaller developers, like NCSoft and Turbine, treated us very well, while bigger fish like Nintendo and Blizzard dismissed us or just scraped us off their collective shoes. Really makes me want to support those big fish, eh?
Actually, I do have an honest-to-God press website and not just a blog. Please don't be so cynical that you automatically assume I don't have the credentials I'd need to get into E3... Which I do... Seeing as how I got in.
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...