PSP World

Resurrecting E3

It is the 15th year anniversary for the Electronic Entertainment Expo (E3). Things have been looking grim for the renowned video games convention these past few years. The games press has been complaining for a while now about how bloated E3 had become over the years. They complained about how the infestation of the normal public into what is supposed to be a trade show has hindered their ability to effectively cover the news and press conferences.

It's hard to blame the public for wanting to partake in the spectacle that is E3 when it appears on the news every year, showcasing the extravagance game companies are willing to go to in decorating their booths by hiring luscious booth babes and designing elaborate recreations of movie sets for movie tie-in games like Scarface. The public were enticed to find a way into E3 whichever way they could. Attendance skyrocketed to a mind-numbing 80,000 back in E3 2005 and made it hard for attendees to navigate the crowded show floors, find a seat in conferences, or even get hands-on time with demos.

The tenth anniversary of E3 in 2004

E3 has and continues to change with each successive incarnation, as a response to complaints from the industry and press, in order to better serve their exhibitors and facilitate the needs of the news media. Controversial booth babes were removed from the show floor over dress code violations. Game companies toned down the extravagance a great deal due to frivolous spending on booths that gave little return on the business end other than attracting publicity.

It seems like E3 organizers are getting more things wrong than right with each year's changes. The organizers tried holding press conferences in various hotels and scattered conference rooms, which only compounded the frustration with already frantic schedules. Attendees were required to hoof it from one hotel to another, causing tardiness to meetings. The move to Santa Monica was met with overwhelming disappointment which prompted a move back to the familiar LA Convention Center.

Last year's E3 was the biggest disappointment in years, prompting speculation over whether or not the venerable convention would continue on. The public was barred entirely from attendance and even attention from mainstream news media seemed to wane in reaction to the dull presentation and loss of the former glitz and glamor of E3s past. Their move to become an invitation-only event in 2007 had adversely reduced attendance from tens of thousands to a scant few thousand.

The upside was demo lines were short and sweet, but even the enthusiasts press, who ironically were the loudest in their complaints of overcrowding, lamented the loss of spectacle that made up the spirit of E3 --- something with which they've grown to love-to-hate.

In the void of a truly successful E3 these past years, the opportunity for upstart conventions emerged. And boy did they sprout up vigorously in that short span. The fan-favorite seems to be the Penny Arcade Expo (PAX), which garnered record attendance last year with 58,500 attendees in 2008, nearly doubling 2007's numbers and almost equaling the heyday of the old trade-show version of E3.

Penny Arcade representative Mike Fehlauer had this to say on the success of PAX, "On the whole though, the show was a huge success. The exhibitors loved it. A bunch said it was their favorite show of the year... the most often-heard comment I heard from exhibitors was that they had a blast just meeting and talking to players."

Other conventions like Leipzig in Germany stole the spotlight from E3 in many respects. The German con balanced spectacle with expert crowd management and allowed the public, press, and game companies to all enjoy the show while each accomplishing their set goals.

In recent years, as the spectacle nature of E3 became less and less emphasized, game companies felt less of a need to invest in floor exhibitions. There was a definite trend with companies moving towards holding their own press events to announce big news, with some events rivaling the scale of old E3. Success with their own press conferences had some game companies questioning the relevance of E3.

E3 organizers must take note of all these factors in planning this year's convention. If they hope to resurrect their former stature, there has to be greater care put into tailoring the convention to meet both industry and public satisfaction. One of the most important decisions made this year was to open up the convention to the public. PAX and Leipzig are both publicly attended conventions and enjoyed great success from the heightened attention, accessibility, and appeal. Demand for E3 to adopt this policy has been bursting from the suggestion box for years now; and in 2009, this controversial move finally will be realized for the first time in 15 years.

E3 will be held at the L.A. Convention Center. The attendee list will be capped at 40,000 people. Doors are open on June 2nd to media and industry (credentials will be strictly enforced.), and then on Friday June 5th and Saturday June 6th to the public. If all things goes well, this might be the resurrection of a champ where E3 reemerges as the preeminent video games conference in the world.

.