Journalists, developers, publishers, celebrities, and individuals with job titles too long for most 3.5″ x 2″ business cards (and some with none), descend upon the Electronic Entertainment Expo in Los Angeles this week to slather one another with the frothiest luster the. videogame industry can muster. Again. Maybe.
“E3′s back,” you might hear a journalist say or write in an article. Or maybe “this is the REAL E3.” Their elevated expectations make perfect sense. In 2006, attendance at the convention hit a record high of 60,000. Shortly after, the organizers themselves criticized the event’s commercialization and decided to whittle it down to its most basic essence: an opportunity for two sides of the industry, press and development, to communicate, face-to-face. As a result, 2,000 to 5,000 people attended 2007 and 2008′s invite-only incarnations.
The changes drew mixed responses from attendees. Most developers and PR-folks preferred the new format, lauding the intimacy and personable experience. Journalists and the like, on the other hand, almost universally panned the absence of glitz, glam, free stuff, and booth babes (scantily clad women hired to promote product/s).
As last year marked my first pilgrimage to the gaming Mecca, I can’t really say which version I prefer. But if E3 really is “back,” expect a full comparison sometime next week, complete with unfiltered observations of my “journo” peers, as well as accounts of how my own fanboy excitement manifests when and if a few key titles are revealed. (My armor’s strong, but not impenetrable.) Meanwhile, interested parties enjoy all kinds of real-time (or close) coverage options. If I couldn’t go, I’d be tracking the ones below.
“alright, I’m starting to turn in . 22 hours live starts tomorrow at 10:00 a.m. PST. If I wasn’t working, i’d be watching…me work…” wrote Adam Sessler on his twitter account. The host of G4TV’s daily videogame program also dedicated his latest soapbox video rant to the convention, saying at one point that he’s busting his buns trying to get everyone at home the best coverage. Dude’s a nice guy, and his sincerity shone through. When he reiterates that if he wasn’t hosting the program, he’d be at home watching, you believe him not because he’s egotistical, but because he has genuine passion for the industry and the people and products who populate it.
X-Play‘s a quality program. One of the best of its kind, in fact, despite the broadcast cheese that invariably seeps through. If you have cable TV and the channel, just leave it on all day every day during E3. Walking to your blank television or remote to turn the device “on” might result in missed content. Although most of it will inevitably appear on G4tv.com, there’s no guaranteed timeframe.
Spike TV and Gametrailers.com are the Starsky and Hutch of videogame coverage. Individually alone, they’re effective and undeniably some of the best at what they do, but together they’re absurdly efficient at reeling in the coverage and exclusives not found anywhere else (on top of all that, their current cheeseball corporate attitude rivals even Owen Wilson and Ben Stiller’s take on the classic series). I’m not sure what kind of coverage Spike will have, but most of the videos and trailers shown only to the press will more than likely appear minutes later on Gametrailers.com.
“The Kurt Loder of videogames,” Geoff Keighley, hosts most of the prominent programming on the site and network, including the always entertaining Bonus Round, where industry icons discuss any and all topics.
Additional video coverage
G4′s live video feed on Justin.tv.
Press conferences:
Microsoft
Nintendo
Sony
For news, I admit, with great reluctance, that everyone should keep a close eye on Kotaku. The news blog sometimes posts rumors as fact, and doesn’t feature standout writing, but excels at getting breaking news up fast.
Other notable sites include:
Gamasutra
Gamesindustry.biz
1up
G4
And of course twitter.
Journalists:
Kyle Stallock – ME!
Brendon Lindsey – Chief Editor of the MMO Life Network
Robert Ashley – Host of A Life Well Wasted
Patrick Klepek – Former reporter for MTV Multiplayer, MTV News, 1up.com, now at G4
Phillip Kollar – Online Producer for www.current.com/gaming
Garnett Lee – Show host and executive producer at 1up
John Davison – Former EIC of 1up.com. Founder of What They Play
Eddie Inzauto – Gamernode.com Director and TheGameReviews Editorial and Features Director
Development side:
David Jaffe – One of the lead designers behind Twisted Metal, God of War, and Calling All Cars
Nick Suttner – Former reviews editor at 1up. Now at Sony
Other:
Alex Albrecht – Co-host of Totally Rad Show and Diggnation
Tommy Tallarico – Composer and co-creator of Video Games Live
Chris Paladino – Ex-Xbox Community Team member
