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Even though one of the
10 Commandments of E3 this year was to "not decide that the show sucketh before the show even begins" -- let's face it. People were already dropping their pants to crap all over this show once they got to L.A. But while this year's E3 still had remnants of last year's debacle in its bloodstream and failed to shock and awe as the show did in its heyday, to say that E3 should just roll over and die is just plain silly. The industry benefits all around from this show -- or, it used to.
It's obvious that E3 in its current form is broken. While the ESA is off asking publishers what they need to do to improve the show, we've got them covered. We're only asking for a few slight improvements...
Sorry folks, Park's closed. Moose outside shoulda told ya.
• Lighten up, tight-asses! Stop being so nitpicky and let industry people into the show. Granted, we're not saying open the floodgates to anyone who farts out a fake Web site to get a badge or jockies a register at a game store part-time, but come on. Not only do people who run legitimate editorial outlets or Web sites -- or who even have been going to E3 for years prior -- have a hard time getting in, we ran into a number of players in the development world who had a difficult time gaining access to the show. We understand trimming the fat, but the Los Angeles Convention Center is a pretty big place.
• It's fairly unorganized. Shuttles to events don't show up on time, or sometimes don't show up at all. Events regularly overlap each other, not really enabling attendees to be able to see everything that's important. How about putting maps and directories all over the place to help people get around? The Web site was sort of helpful, but not as accessible as it could have been. Is it too much to ask for Wi-Fi everywhere? You want people to get the message out, but people either have to mooch off some company's network or truck all the way back to the press center. CES, GDC and Leipzig all have Wi-Fi. And we want QuakeCon-like speeds, too.
Nintendo's booth is on the left, and Capcom's booth is on the right.
• Why have official press conferences and keynotes during the time when the meeting rooms and show floor are open? The convention center was a ghost town on Tuesday until about 3 p.m. Why? Because Nintendo and Sony were holding their press conferences. Would it be so wrong to dedicate two days to press conferences before the show? It's the way it used to be, and it worked. Not only that, but companies seemed to show better stuff during those conferences. And this can be made even easier by...
• ...having a true central location for everything. A number of companies who had off-site events or meetings during the show. Did we really need to truck all over Los Angeles to see Nintendo, Sony, Activision and EA? Microsoft had its press conference right at the convention center, and it was convenient. Why not do two days of conferences with meals to break up the days, with cocktail receptions after? GDC keeps everything in one place, and it's great.