Comments on: E3 2007: This is Progress? http://oracle.gamerstemple.com/2007/07/09/8/ The weblog of the Executive Editor of The Gamers' Temple Fri, 29 Aug 2008 20:00:41 +0000 http://wordpress.org/?v=1.5.2 Comment on E3 2007: This is Progress? by: The Oracle http://oracle.gamerstemple.com/2007/07/09/8/#comment-4 Fri, 13 Jul 2007 15:46:10 +0000 http://oracle.gamerstemple.com/2007/07/09/8/#comment-4 Now that I'm in the middle of E3 I can tell you that it's every bit the logistical nightmare that I suspected it would be. In previous years I had seen almost everything going into the last day of the show and used the last day to get second looks at the interesting games and to make sure that I hadn't missed anything. This year I'll spend the whole last day running around Santa Monica in a mad dash to try and get more first looks at games before the show closes. I've long since given up all hope of seeing everything at the show this year. E3 has managed to shrink the show size while simulataneously making it harder to see as high a percentage of the games on display as in prior years. I estimate that I spent over two hours on shuttles yesterday, which is over 20% of the time during which the show is open. The shuttle ride to the Barker Hangar can take up to a half hour on its own - one way. Press riding on the shuttles compare the number of appoinments they've missed instead of sharing observations on the games on display. Making matters worse is that it can even be difficult to find a company's demo room once you reach the right hotel. A sign in the lobby will let you know which companies are in the hotel, but it doesn't always list the room and you never see any information on how to find the room. It took me fifteen minutes at one hotel to find someone who knew that the company was in an unmarked hotel room on an upper floor. Game companies wanted to spend less money to get their messages and games out to the press, but they probably got a lot more bang for their buck last year. I hope that this failed experiment ends this year and that E3 is re-re-imagined for the 2008 show. Now that I’m in the middle of E3 I can tell you that it’s every bit the logistical nightmare that I suspected it would be. In previous years I had seen almost everything going into the last day of the show and used the last day to get second looks at the interesting games and to make sure that I hadn’t missed anything. This year I’ll spend the whole last day running around Santa Monica in a mad dash to try and get more first looks at games before the show closes. I’ve long since given up all hope of seeing everything at the show this year. E3 has managed to shrink the show size while simulataneously making it harder to see as high a percentage of the games on display as in prior years. I estimate that I spent over two hours on shuttles yesterday, which is over 20% of the time during which the show is open. The shuttle ride to the Barker Hangar can take up to a half hour on its own - one way. Press riding on the shuttles compare the number of appoinments they’ve missed instead of sharing observations on the games on display. Making matters worse is that it can even be difficult to find a company’s demo room once you reach the right hotel. A sign in the lobby will let you know which companies are in the hotel, but it doesn’t always list the room and you never see any information on how to find the room. It took me fifteen minutes at one hotel to find someone who knew that the company was in an unmarked hotel room on an upper floor.

Game companies wanted to spend less money to get their messages and games out to the press, but they probably got a lot more bang for their buck last year. I hope that this failed experiment ends this year and that E3 is re-re-imagined for the 2008 show.

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