It was just under three years ago that gamers learned E3 would no longer be the spectacle it had grown into. Some of the biggest vendors, such as Sony and Microsoft, had become unhappy with the exploding costs of floor space and booth setup. They desired a smaller, more intimate show where they believed it would be cheaper and easier to make their announcements.
Because of this, E3 went from 'industry only' to industry only, and attendance dropped from 60,000 to 6,000. Ironically, the bloggers that had been spoken of with such disdain were now left to follow the press conferences via live blog. The fans were out, and quiet meetings behind closed doors were in.
Everyone seems to be excited that the old E3 is back. The rumors never left, but the extravaganza seems to be back in full force. Love'em or hate'em, it even sounds like the booth babes will be making a return. The cost may have been prohibitive to development houses three years ago, but with the booming economy that is... Oh, wait.
The industry appears to have realized that this is what is best for it. Yes, the enthusiast press are fans of gaming, but they are pulled into meetings and given exclusives all year round. Look at Bethesda flying all those journalists out to Europe to announce Fallout: New Vegas. Look at week long coverage of Heavy Rain out of 1up. What is the point of an Expo that does more of the same thing that already occurs continually?
PAX is great, too, but it is more about the fans and events than news. There are panels discussions, there are industry people, but it seems to be mostly about actually playing games, not showing what we should be excited about for the next year. And who is going to be more excited than the fans? We have our normal lives in school, at the workplace, whatever it is. We don't have the opportunity to play or talk about games for a living.
I think E3 should look to ComicCon for how it can be done right. Where else can a random fan walk up to Joe Quesada and have a conversation with him? The opportunity is there to ask a simple question, comment on something they really liked, or tell him not to worry about all the hate for Spiderman's Brand New Day story arc.
This is the type of thing the gaming could use more of. Along with getting more exposure for indie developers, it will help combat stagnation in the industry. There won't be the same members of the press critiquing the next game by the same developers.
Get some new blood, some fresh views, some less jaded fans out there. Even if it means the return of booth babes, bring on the old E3.
