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E3 Morphs into E3 Media Festival

Posted Aug 1, 2006 at 5:17AM EST by QJ Staff

Listed in: Tags: ESA, Los Angeles, Olympics, World Cup

E3 2006 E3 2006

Yeah, by now, every person that has seriously embraced video gaming as part of his/her life is aware of the sudden changes that'll prompt him/her to bid farewell to the E3 as he/she knew it. The Halls of QJ has been ringing with dead silence every single time the matter is brought up (it's happening right now). But we all have to move on as E3, arguably gamers' own version of World Cup and Winter Olympics, undergoes some major tweaks that'll indirectly affect all of us.

Entertainment Software Association president Doug Lowenstein, in an interview with Wall Street Journal, has revealed what exactly those "major tweaks" will be - a new name, a new venue and a new date. According to him, the event will be dubbed as the E3 Media Festival starting next year, cementing thoughts that the affair will now only be joined by members of the press from various media.

From last E3's groundbreaking attendance of 60,000 visitors, next year's event will have a toned-down population of around 5000 people. In fact, Lowenstein has cited that the huge number of participants is primarily the reason why all the changes are being made, saying that "some companies were frustrated because E3 was such a huge, sweeping event it became increasingly difficult to get their messages out."

Instead of the traditional May affair, the next E3 (if we could still call it that) will be held on July to give publishers more time to develop their projects and to strategically bring it nearer to Christmas where most games are usually released. The event will also say goodbye to the Los Angeles Convention Center as the ESA divulged plans to use two hotels, holding press events and meetings in suites and conference rooms - there goes our booths and the booth babes along with it.

As much as we want to present this news as an objective one, it's really hard not to choke out some disappointments while tackling the matter. The gamer in us conquers the inner writer/reporter as it cry for the game demos open for civilians, promos for the attendees, E3 booth babes, lost opportunities for smaller developers, and the shed "people image" of the event we used to know as E3...

Via Games Industry

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Remember the lines for demos as long as 8 hours? Those lines were caused by all you s*** faced gamestop employees, and dumb kids with a stupid fansite. Now they are only allowing people that actually matter, blame yourselves. This change is good, now the press that actually matters will be able to attend the press event without battling thousands of nobodys to get their take on a demo.

# Time for everyone to get a new hobby — Guest 2006-08-01 06:46

Well I think I better get a new hobby now. Screw video games, I'm going to play some sports or some other ****.

# @ #2 You might not be a hardcore gamer, — Guest 2006-08-01 06:47

But the rest of us are. We like getting to know games up close and personal, and just because your content with playing Madden NFL and movie games, doesn't mean the rest of the world is.

This is pathetic. Every single person who approved this, should be shamed. This is for money. Nothing else.

People are always throwing out things that mean alot nowadays for a quick buck. They will be ruining a long standing gaming tradition, and destroying many gamers dreams of going to E3 so they can save a few thousand dollars every year, which probably won't even show up on their end-year profit quotas. The people who would do that are soulless, heartless, shallow people who gamers everywhere should look down on.

The only hope I have is if the whole of the gaming population finally stands up to this. The gaming industry in the past few years has gone completely downhill. I, for one, will NOT consider E3 affiliated with gaming at all in this form.

Shame, ESA, shame.

# flop — Guest 2006-08-01 06:53

This idea will flop and developers will have no interest in E3 anymore.

Thats fine, they can destroy themselves if they wish.

# Blah — Rehevkor 2006-08-01 06:53

Maybe we would like objective reporting on upcoming games, provided by actual gamers who actually played the games. If you think sites like IGN and publications like EGM are going to be objective, you might want to look at who buys their ad space.

# kinda show — Guest 2006-08-01 07:13

Imo this just shows how much weight EA can really throw around. Ea was the first company to complain that the cost to attend the show far outweighs what they think there recieving from it. If EA would just make there main booth far smaller and have/help some of devs make a showing at a sub-booth they would probably found it much more reasonable. As for gamestop people attending E3, whats wrong with that? In actualty a gamestop manager going there might get some more good/bad press directly to the consumer compared to some of the internet based media groups(IGN GAMESPOT). After all ALOT of people who shop at those stores (eb GS) dont follow the web based media so when they show up to buy a new 360 game and the managers tells him his opinion of what he saw at e3 that person is very likely to get what the employee suggested. I personally think the change could turn out to be really good Devs such as valve will be able to show there ***** and now be overshadowed by the blonde with dual revolvers:). AHH booth babes they shall be missed.

# There is always TGS...i guess — Guest 2006-08-01 07:14

E3 was the orginal all video gaming convention...And we down sized to two hotel confence rooms and suites. there will always be TGS but WTF. They killed everything..this was like my christmas, hannuka, (yes i celebrate both) and anyday worth remembering. They got rid of the Booth babes. Those hours of waiting to try the wii were worth it. This is a dark day in the history of video gaming.

# ... — Guest 2006-08-01 07:23

To Jesus, it is these stupid kids that will eventually buy these crappy games, not the press they are trying so hard to impress. The thousand of nobody's you talk about are the ones that keep these companies afloat.

# ... — Guest 2006-08-01 07:26

To Jesus, it is these stupid kids that are the ones that will eventually buy these crappy games, not the press that they are trying so hard to impress. The thousand nobody's you refer to are the ones that keep these gaming companies afloat.

# ... — Guest 2006-08-01 07:30

Double post, damn this website and it's html problems, Lol.

# maaaaaaan... — Dragoon 2006-08-01 07:39

This is sooo crappy.. I was really looking forward to an E3 visit on my 18th.. I've got connections and everything, oh wel..

# LOL — Guest 2006-08-01 07:40

Don't know why his name is Lowenstein, lowing the E3 attractions.

# Get Over It!!! — Guest 2006-08-01 08:25

E3 was never meant for the masses of whiny, pimply-faced, wannabes and fanboys who overtook the show for the last couple of years. From the beginning, E3 was meant for industry insiders. Why the hell else do you guys think it took "connections" to get in?

From the beginning, however, the high geekdom of gaming has found a way in to the show (I attended the very first three with passes I got by begging them off of the guy at my local video games shop). But that didn't mean that the gamers were supposed to be there, the show wasn't meant for us gamers.

If you were to actually take the time to read the press release from the people at E3, you'd see that what they're doing is simply enforcing the rules of the show, and limiting it to REAL insdustry people, not a bunch of kids.

Think about this, too - even with 60,000 fanboys in the room, even if every one of them buys three games and a console when they're released, you're only talking about 3 to 5 million dollars for the industry as a whole. Then offset that by the costs to set up a huge display, have hundreds of consoles, develop demos so that they're playable at the show, and the amazing amounts of giveaway goodies that every stinking kid that comes just has to have, plus all of the travel and hotels and the cost of renting the convention center and paying everybody who works for the companies and the center and it really is a monumental waste of money.

Nintendo, Sony, Microsoft, and everyone else is still going to be doing their own shows for gamers so that all of the fanboys can drool and feel "leet" about getting a Mario keychain, they just don't want to do it at the show where they're supposed to be talking to fellow industry professionals that has been overtaken by a bunch of fanboys.

Finally, there are so many arguments about how E3 and the gaming industry have betrayed gamers. But, just look at how quick gamers have been to jump ship over a show that wasn't ever even meant for them. Hell, 90% of the people complaining have never even been to the E3 and they're all pissed off like E3 came and personally kicked them in the face. Gamers are way more disloyal to the gaming companies than the companies have ever been.

All that said, the real reason that E3 is gone as we know it is the gamers themselves. It kind of sucks that the show is gone, but it wasn't really doing what it was originally meant to do anymore. The industry knows this and is doing what it needs to to bring the show back to it's roots. Gamers whining and complaining that something was taken from them that was never really theirs are just showing their true colors as selfish and ungrateful little kids who feel they deserve everything without doing anything to earn it first.

# Better media? — CHUCKINGROCKSATSPACESHIPS 2006-08-01 08:34

nocomment

# OH — hush404 2006-08-01 08:39

F_CK BANANAS

# no booth babes? — senjutsu 2006-08-01 12:45

then that's no good....

and anyway the big E3 is kinda cool, it's the big video game party, now the video games won't have a party anymore? :(

# yeah 14... — anonymous stranger 2006-08-01 15:17

so? they created a gaming phenomon, they can simply completely let E3 be a game convention place and create a new conference stuff.. they don't have to reduce E3 to allow themselves to have more space to discuss games... Just make another convention where only business officials go there and discussion only. E3 should remain a sort of show!Gamers love it!

# re:god media — Guest 2006-08-01 15:18

word.. im sure they will come up with another gaming 'party' for the kids to play at.

# Nobody cares about the little f---ing media thingy. — Guest 2006-08-01 16:24

Worldwide coverage on TV and in magazines , specially in media that has nothing to do with gaming ?

Forget it.

It will become a footnote on page f---ing sixty.

Nobody will care if a few insiders meet in Bates Motel , to discuss gaming.

They want "The Big Fuzz" that gathers 60000 people.

Time to cancel my Gamespot account.

# Geezus F_cking christ — Guest 2006-08-01 19:51

You know, everybody who's complaining about this seems to resound one big plea:

"But I wanted to go to E3!!!!! Oh NOES I'm almost old enough!! DAMM THEM AND THOSE SELFISH MONEY GRUBBERS taking away MY SELFISH NEEDS, arghstfugoddamm mutherfack!!!11!"

Dayum. Why does that sounds so selfish?

Oh wait. It sounds selfish because it IS selfish.

My god. There are too many articles here at QJ about the "E3 media festival" to properly comment on all of them. And I don't feel like repeating myself for the third time.

Alls I got to say is that too many of you are overly blinded by your selfish wants that you completely overlook the benefits of change.

# YOU IDIOT @ 22 — Guest 2006-08-01 21:36

GAMES ARE FOR EVERYONE. So we as gamers can't go to these game expos like E3? WTF YOU FAIL

# F minus — Guest 2006-08-02 02:03

I never said you can't go, or that you shouldn't be allowed to.

I just said all you whiny SOBs should really STFU about your own selfish wants.

You still haven't even addressed why this change could be good, like level headed individuals.

All you guys do is whine whine whine. GodDAMM.

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