The Entertainment Software Association’s move to make its annual Electronic Entertainment Expo a more intimate event is a smart one. The ESA announced yesterday it plans to alter the event during its 2007 run to make it less of a dog and pony show and more of a personalized event for gaming companies, retailers and the media.
“Over the years, it has become clear that we need a more intimate program, including higher quality, more personal dialogue with the worldwide media, developers, retailers and other key industry audiences,” said Doug Lowenstein, ESA president.
The idea is to take away the large tradeshow atmosphere and focus more on the hardware and software behind the industry. Rather than freebies, dazzling booths and lots of smoke and mirrors, it sounds like the ESA is trying to get back to the basics, which are of course the games.
While this might mean the E3 won’t be as exciting as it has been in years past with tons of activity on the floor, it also means the spotlight will be on what’s important at the E3 – the games.
By changing the formatting to put a greater emphasis on the games and the systems themselves, the ESA will allow game companies to better show off what they have to offer and what they intend to offer in the future. While this has obviously been a part of the E3 all along, the huge media circus of the past has kind of taken away from the important stuff.
Just think of the headlines from this year's expo, and the circus atmosphere becomes very clear. Microsoft, Sony and Nintendo all trying to out do each other with pre-event headlines and Paris Hilton signing autographs and touting a game whose name she couldn’t even remember doesn’t really help the consumer plan out what they’d like to watch for and buy.
An expo with more substance could prove very useful, especially considering the fierce competition on the gaming market. The only question is if the game companies themselves can get down to brass tacks and talk about their products without the fireworks and fanfare.
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