If you enjoy long lines, cramped conditions, and you don't really want to play any video games, E3 2010 was the place for you. As for me, This is my job, and I actually want to play video games at a video games convention. This is something that E3 2010 didn't do very well. As a result, I'm asking the ESA to bring back the E3 from 2008.
No, I don't want them to bring back the same games (though much of what we saw this year is just sequels to 2008 titles). I want the show format to return. Small booths, no South and West halls, no big-ass, expensive light-and-sound displays, no friggin' wrestling matches or fashion shows -- just games. Was it flashy? No. Was it an effective way to show the media new games? Absolutely. The smaller show floor, attendees that truly needed to be there, plenty of hands-on time with the games... it sounds crazy, but I was actually able to do my job with relatively little hassle in 2008.
Who the hell are you in people and where did you get all of this free time?
But no, people whined, the ESA listened, and now we're back with this monstrosity of a show -- a relic of a bygone era where publishers didn't seem to mind spending millions of dollars on a temporary booth and Sony booked bands like the Foo Fighters and Outkast to play their private parties. Clearly this return to the old isn't the best use of money for publishers and developers, and it's certainly not the best use of my time, either.
You know how many games I played on the show floor this year? One. It was Rock Band 3. Harmonix had a short, informative presentation, and then they turned us loose with the game. It was a piece of cake, though I'm not sure what the process would have been had I not had a booth tour scheduled. And that's the big issue: Unless you have a booth tour, you must spend copious amounts of time in line to play any high-profile game.
I don't have an extra hour to wait in line to play a game, and I can tell you right now, anyone who does, doesn't need to be covering the show at the same time as people who actually do this for a living. I was once one of those people; I'd go to the show, collect swag, and take pictures of hot chicks -- I was there because writing about games was my hobby. That's all well and good, but perhaps those folks could come to the show on Thursday, while the rest of us get our work done on Tuesday and Wednesday.
Hands-on time with the biggest games at the show? Welcome to Nintendo's secret private booth. Look how happy our little Brett Bates is. That's what E3's all about, people!
Or we could just go back to 2008's format, where only people that needed to be at the show were in attendance. The same show where I could walk into Sony's booth and play all of their AAA titles with no more than a five-minute wait. The same show where a developer -- not a mildly informed PR person -- seemed to be standing next to every game, waiting and willing to answer my questions. The same show where I had all of my assignments done in two days.
Look, I love spending hours in line for a chance to spend ten minutes with a game (lie). I think it's a great use of time to queue up to see the hot chick from Avatar pose with Leonard Nimoy (also a lie). And I really believe every minute I spend on the show floor should be a struggle to navigate throngs of people who work at GameStop, Best Buy, and WeReallyLoveThePokemonAndMadeASiteAboutIt.com (again, a lie). All I'm asking for is a chance -- just a day or two -- to do my job and perhaps play a few video games at this so-called video game convention.
Long live E3 2008.
