USA gamer Heaven?

The time of our undoing has come again. It’s the event where the new crack of video games comes out on the street for the first taste to the US public. That is the E3 Expo (Electronic Entertainment Expo). The development of E3 has been something of an interesting beast. The first video game focused Trade show in America in 1995. It was spawned as the growth of the Console market demanded a centralized focused event compared to the backrooms game developers and console makers were typically put in at Consumer Electronics trade shows like CES or European Electronics Trade Show.

Developed by trade show / convention big wig IDG & the Interactive Digital Software Association (now the Entertainment Software Association) it was the first sign of the growing multi-billion dollar industry flexing it’s collective muscle of self acknowledgment in 1995. The new gamer generation was going through the first next generation console evolution with the release of the Saturn & the Playstation consoles. A sharp contrast to twenty years earlier from the the first video game market collapse of the late 70s / early 80s.

Many children I knew, my self included, grew up dreaming of going to E3. But the trade show has not been entirely with out it’s issues. One glaring issue with E3 is that it is still a private industry / press only event for the now four plus days it runs. The Tokyo Game Show or TGS for short, the Japanese equivalent of E3; also a four day event, opens it’s last two days of the expo / trade show to the public. TGS is particularly famous for how elaborate the die hard Japanese gamer fan base will cosplay, dress up, in video game character costumes that are on par with any commercial booth rep or Hollywood costumer from E3 in LA. Developing a level of fan community promotion for games that only demo or concept art has come out for that would make any US game developer drool.

Entertainment Software Association

For a short time during the first bubble crash the push for “AAA”/”Blockbuster” titles sent game developers to the poor house since everyone was trying to make the next big game. In recent years the celebration of smaller and more unique pocket and “casual” games has allowed a new Renaissance on the consoles. With game budgets coming down and game publishers realizing they should do just that, PUBLISH games the small art house like developer firms have started to create a new era of game development.

Particular issues that have come up among some press with E3 this year is the tight media partnerships occurring. Some events such as the Microsoft XBOX press events no longer allow photography our outsider broadcast unless your a media partner such as Viacom’s MTV network, Spike TV, or Game Trailers.com properties. And the only officially allowed live broadcaster from IDG is Comcast’s G4TV tv network, which some might remember took over the late TechTV. Other large outlets such as the Fox owned IGN have also been granted exclusive coverage rights also. How some people view this is something I will ask about during the show from fellow independent small outlet bloggers and podcasters.

But till then I will sure as hell will enjoy my second year covering this ADD riddled video game industry bacchanal. Broadway show set designed booths & press event, LA Actor hot bodies in scantily clad game character outfits, and more flashing LED monster displays than Time Square are just the tip of the iceberg that is the push from publishers, developers, console makers, peripheral manufacturers at E3.

To see examples of just what I’m talking about take a look at Plan8′s coverage from last year’s E3 Expo on our FlickR & YouTube.

Plan8 Collective Photo Cover of E3 2009

Plan8 Youtube Video Coverage of E3 2009

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