The Gaming Industry REALLY needs an E3 right about now...

Well for many people school is out and it is getting warmer where they live meaning SUMMER is here! But is that a good thing for gamers? There is nothing really exciting going on in the world of gaming and many of our next generation systems are starting to collect dust. What does this normally mean? E3 is coming!!.... only... its not this year.

 With all the depressing news being released about the Ps3, no real killer apps for Wii, and the 360 just going on with business as usual, the industry in my opinion feels a little bit on the dulldrums. Usually this is the time of year when the industry's equivalent of a Church revival comes in the form of E3. No matter what system you own, E3 was something that got you pumped up for the coming year.

 Without this pep-rally event taking place its going to be difficult getting through the summer. E3 made games sophisticated and produced enough hype for casuals and hardcore gamers alike to remember their systems during the dulldrums of summer.

 I'm sure sales will still be great for killer apps but I wonder with the lack of E3 will have on smaller gems. The hardcore gamer may follow gamespot everyday looking for news about new games but the casual gamer usually only pays attention to "whats coming" during E3. All these little "press days" that are happening are difficult to follow and I am sure many of them will go unnoticed by the general public.

 Are you feeling that something is missing during this month of May?

So they push the show back by two months. So what? There's still a ton of new news coming out about games. It's as if nothing has changed really. Sony's show just finished and stuff is still coming out.
gqman2121_basic

e3 is going to suck...so bad this year...since they are cuting cost...makeing it non..public..and so on.dorklance

e3 should be publicdorklance

[QUOTE="dorklance"]e3 is going to suck...so bad this year...since they are cuting cost...makeing it non..public..and so on.Skylock00

I think there's a significant difference, and the topic poster has a point (although I don't completely agree with everything he said).

Thing is, it's very rare to have big-name blockbuster titles during the first three or four months of the year, and a big E3 show in May was always like a wake-up call to both industry professionals and gamers. It was as if the whole business of games was almost in hibernation since the holidays, but busts out with a ton of info and details to make everyone excited. Without the E3 in May, it just seems as if the hibernation is continuing, and ultimately, it doesn't help the industry. Let's face it, when sweet new games are previewed or unveiled at E3, people immediately consider console purchases. That will happen in July, of course, but that's simply losing two months of excitement. Nobody is jazzed. Side note- hardcore gamers care about substance over flash, but flash sells. It was an important PR part of E3, I believe.

Furthermore, with the smaller, "more intimate" setting, I don't think this year's E3 will generate anywhere near as much interest or hype. That's another problem. Despite all its faults, E3 was good for the industry, and I think the stagnant sales wouldn't be quite as bad right now if E3 was upon us.

While you have some good points, Fathoms, I think the current set up will be overall better, especially considering that there would be three main industry-wide based events in the US  over the course of the year, relatively evenly spaced apart from eachother: GCD in March, E3 in July, and E for All in October, each a different kind of event with a different sort of focus.

While you have some good points, Fathoms, I think the current set up will be overall better, especially considering that there would be three main industry-wide based events in the US over the course of the year, relatively evenly spaced apart from eachother: GCD in March, E3 in July, and E for All in October, each a different kind of event with a different sort of focus.

Skylock00

I won't dispute that the three evenly spaced shows could be good for the industry. I guess I'm just suffering from a bout of nostalgia... Back in the day, E3 was the event gamers waited for every year. It was the event that dictated 90% of the hype for the next several months, and that hype would often carry through the rest of the year into the holidays. It was just huge. Yeah, it had too much useless glitz, but that was part of the appeal, IMO. If you ask anybody who went to E3 in the mid-to-late 90s, they'll tell you they had the time of their life, and they're being honest about it. Now, I just don't see that from any of the three shows, you know? We have a couple guys from our site heading out to E3 in July, but neither is even all that excited, and I think it's understandable.

It just seems like a major part of the industry is missing without the E3 I remember from a decade ago.

E3 was never a particularly big deal IMO, except for members of the gaming media being mostly a showcase of fluff. Perhaps I just stopped caring ever since the infamous Halo 2 "Mombasa" trailer. Besides which, I cannot think of any big summer game releases that have come out the past few years, save for the glut of RPGs that came out last August.

I actually think no E3 is great, not having big name releases is great. It gives a bit more stage time so-to-speak for lower tier releases that would otherwise be overlooked.

E3 was never a particularly big deal IMO, except for members of the gaming media being mostly a showcase of fluff. Perhaps I just stopped caring ever since the infamous Halo 2 "Mombasa" trailer. Besides which, I cannot think of any big summer game releases that have come out the past few years, save for the glut of RPGs that came out last August.

I actually think no E3 is great, not having big name releases is great. It gives a bit more stage time so-to-speak for lower tier releases that would otherwise be overlooked.

MarcusAntonius

E3 started being very different around the turn of the century, which is why I mentioned mid-to-late '90s.  Halo 2 was after the show started going downhill. 

With the loss of the great booth babes I have taken it upon myself to give back to the gaming community. I will wear miniskirts and dress up as teh sexy and post pictures for everyone.GodModeEnabled

RIP Booth Babes, you will be missed.

E3 started being very different around the turn of the century, which is why I mentioned mid-to-late '90s. Halo 2 was after the show started going downhill. fathoms_basic

[QUOTE="fathoms_basic"]E3 started being very different around the turn of the century, which is why I mentioned mid-to-late '90s. Halo 2 was after the show started going downhill. Skylock00

Well, like I said, I don't doubt the appeal of the newer shows.  But per my previous post, I think it's more of a nostalgia thing for me. 

[QUOTE="Skylock00"][QUOTE="fathoms_basic"]E3 started being very different around the turn of the century, which is why I mentioned mid-to-late '90s. Halo 2 was after the show started going downhill. fathoms_basic

Well, like I said, I don't doubt the appeal of the newer shows. But per my previous post, I think it's more of a nostalgia thing for me.

Also, the main draw it has for me is both the networking, as well as the high volume of panels/lectures/roundtables that one can attend/participate in to get more knowledge about the industry through the developers themselves.

[QUOTE="fathoms_basic"]

[QUOTE="Skylock00"][QUOTE="fathoms_basic"]E3 started being very different around the turn of the century, which is why I mentioned mid-to-late '90s. Halo 2 was after the show started going downhill. Skylock00

Well, like I said, I don't doubt the appeal of the newer shows. But per my previous post, I think it's more of a nostalgia thing for me.

Also, the main draw it has for me is both the networking, as well as the high volume of panels/lectures/roundtables that one can attend/participate in to get more knowledge about the industry through the developers themselves.

I know the GDC is older, but it never had the same impact as E3 in the '90s.  And I understand the rest, but that's not the kind of thing that appealed to the mainstream or casual gamer.  It's great for the hardcore, but it's not what got the industry noticed.  Perhaps now it doesn't need "noticing," but it was a crucial by-product of E3 at the time, IMO.