Help me, Chris…
Help me, Chris…
Jul 11…you’re my only hope.
(Or anyone else who has more than a passing interest in video games today.)
E3–it’s still an event? But it’s not a circus of babes and giveaways?
What’s the deal?
(I notice Nintendo’s presser starts in a few hours; though a now-dormant gamer, I remain curious as to their next move…)
UPDATE (1:51 PM EST): Nintendo presser is over. Super Mario Galaxy has a date: November 12. I think I need a Wii for Xmas.
The super-simplified overview is that E3 started as a business oriented meeting, that over the years turned into a giant marketing spectacle. Even worse, according to the organizers, was that it was becoming a nerd haven, as more and more non-developer, non-press, non-industry fanboys started showing up.
I went last year and they cracked down hard on the fanboys, and to be honest, the event lost some of its shine because of it. And after that show, they basically pulled an “E3 is dead, long live E3!”
The new E3 is smaller, happens at least twice a year, may happen in different places, and is invite only – which is to say a lot of publishers and developers aren’t in attendance.
The secret however is that nobody really seems to care – I’ve talked to a lot of people across the board, industry-wise, and E3 has dropped considerably from their radar. A lot are looking at GDC more or the massive shows in Germany and the UK, which are becoming the new E3.
Should you still pay attention – yes. There will still be announcements and information of interest, but it’s not the same beast it used to be.
Here’s a question (and maybe we should save it for the next podcast): Why doesn’t gaming have its SDCC? Is the PAX convention around Penny Arcade the closest thing/true heir to this?
I guess for comics and other genre stuff, it’s a small community of passionate fans who attend these events as a social experience, among other reasons; maybe gamers don’t need that. however, the websites and message boards devoted to gaming have proved one thing if nothing else: there is a substantial audience of gamers eager to have that social experience based around the stuffy they love.