So gone are the days of the over the top, crazy booth-babe schwag filled show we’ve come to know (and in my case love). I’d say go read the news at Next-Gen, but they’re too busy gloating about being right (more like half right), so go read it at Joystiq.

So here’s my take on the whole shebang (A pre-emptive eulogy for E3, warts and all):

Each year we went along for the ride. By the time it’s over, we’re left used and abused. And as we stumble back to reality, we realize promises were made that won’t be kept, things that looked too good to be real probably were, and next time we see her she’ll pretend like it never happened. We forget all about how she treated us last time, and we’re right back where we started. It’s like a one-night stand that lasts 2 days too long. I’m gonna miss her.

A good amount of the better blogs out there make a good case as to why the convention’s been dead for a few years now. But how bad is was it really? Let’s take a look at the most cited reasons for hating E3.

-Too many people attend that don’t belong, which raises a whole crop of problems. When the floors are too busy, the real gems get pushed behind closed doors (Gears of War is a good example). In addition, the show floor is PACKED and every line is long, with the cherry exhibits filling up moments after the show floor opens. 6 hour waits aren’t uncommon.
-Not allowing the general public, and by extension gamers-at-large, to come join the party. This of course would lead to more problems above, but the fans themselves make excellent mouthpieces for the companies. Fanboys of the game industry are like few others, treat them right they’ll do a lot of your work for you.
-Too much hyperbole and over-hyped crap. Last year we all got a load of the Killzone “footage” for the PS3 and were knocked on our collective asses. Obviously the truth turns out to be very different. Every company at E3 tries to outdo each other and it ends up being lies. Or junk. Turok and HAZE from the 06 show come to mind.
-Paris Hilton.
-Too much information packed into those days (this complaint mostly coming from journalists). I get it, OK? It’s a busy few days. As press, you’re job is bogged down and packed from sun-up to sun-down. And? You’ve got a job most of us gamers would kill for, and if you don’t like what you do quit so one of us can have your job.

I agree with most of the list above, I really do. But for all i’s problems, I still loved it.
I had the good fortune to finally get a job that let me attend a few years back, and I went to the 2005 and 2006 shows. For all it’s crazy, non-stop, exhausting 3 day onslaught, as a gamer it doesn’t get any better.

After attending E3 for the 1st time, I was able to look at from both sides, and I decided that the people that don’t like E3 went for the wrong reasons, or missed the point. For every blogger or journalist that spent time writing about who was winning E3, or buying into the hype of this or that, I was playing Okami. For all the people worried about swag and press parties, I was playing The Legend of Zelda: Twilight Princess. What I’m trying to say is this, it’s not about the tertiary events, it’s about the games. We needn’t concern ourselves with the other nonsense.

To put it simply, It’s about the games, stupid.

Is it a waste of money for the companies? yes and no. Few other events get mainstream press coverage in the game world. The Tokyo Game Show and Game Developers Conference get tons of coverage in the video game press, but nary a mention on CNN or MSNBC. But E3 raises awareness to those outside the industry scope. Of course telling Microsoft it needs to spend millions to be part of something that pushes games in general can be a hard sell. But I really believe it’s an important part of an overall strategy.
At E3 ‘05 Tecmo and Rockstar had booths set-up with no games being shown, an obvious waste of money.

So where does that leave us? E3 will exist in some form or another, but probably never again be like it was. The need for a trade show is dwindling, there are so many avenues out there to get the word out. Company specific events will play a bigger role. And things like the Penny Arcade Expo will be as important as ever.

Of course E3 has been down this road before, it vanished when it tried to move to a different city every year, so in time things may change.

I wish I could just write it off as well, but something is stopping me from joining the choir. Now that I’m older it’s hard to get excited about surprises. But for a week every May, I felt like a kid on Christmas morning. I never knew what I was going to see, but I couldnâ’t wait to find out.
For my initial reaction after I got back from this year’s E3, please read my story
10-way Tetris DS or: My time at E3 as an industry outsider