It won't be the same ever again.

31 Jul 06

Whatever I had planned to write about today got scooped by today's big story. Yes, times and E3 they are a changing. I posted the ESA press release and some of the related links in the News section. In my little E3 poll, I forgot to add the option to scrap the thing and start over.

I guess the first thing that surprised me was the whole "wicked witch is dead" song and dance so many did on news of the previous incarnation's demise. I didn't realize how many people hated what E3 had become. From the outside, it looked like a chance for the whole world to revel in games. I guess it was a little darker inside.

I could have gone the last two years, but I never found sufficient reason to spend that kind of money. Had I known an era was ending, I probably would have gone this year. Next year, with the invitation only format, I'm pretty much guaranteed to be excluded. Even if this site continues to grow greatly, I'm not going to crack that top ten percent. It's not much of a heartache. There certainly are a lot of people I would have liked to have met, but perhaps there will be other opportunities.

In fact, it's possible that opportunities will abound. There's a chance that each publisher and hardware manufacturer will have their own media event. That seems to be part of what drove this change. The big players felt their shaped messages weren't getting out through the din of E3. Some sites have even suggested that with all the money the companies will save not having to put up the huge displays at E3 they will be able to fly the media to their event and put them up in hotels. I'm sure I won't make that cut either. Though if there are publishers out there who want to pay my expenses for me to visit them, just let me know. We can work something out.

I do like the general idea of E3 turning into a media event. After all, it was only in the last couple of events that any effort was made to support the media. It was largely impossible to report from the floor. No one saw everything they wanted to. It wasn't that long ago that direct feeds weren't even made available to the media. The goal of focusing on the media should improve information flow.

The two things that worry me are limited access and controlled access. By limiting who covers E3, we run the risk of institutionalizing current market leaders. We also open up a means of punishment for unflattering coverage. Media on the bubble will be looking over their shoulders. Controlled access could go both ways. It's important to meet developers to get a sense of their vision and enthusiasm. However, personalization and tightly controlled interaction can limit the objective reporting we've come to expect.

I do feel bad for the bloggers. They brought a breath of fresh air to this year's E3. People beholden to no one shared their unvarnished impressions of what they experienced. That even had an impact on the rest of the media covering the event. Now that's all gone. I can see why that would be good for publishers, but it doesn't do anything for us gamers. Let me hear your thoughts.

Jason