Every year, gamers get to enjoy the largest convention dedicated to video games, Electronic Entertainment Expo – or E3. E3 lasts for about 5 days, as the major gaming companies such as Sony and Microsoft have their own press conferences to announce upcoming games. Trailers and gameplay footage dominate the first two days of the expo, while the last three are reserved for for demos on the showroom floor that journalists and game testers can try. The question here is: Is E3 worth it after the first 2 days?
Beyond The Press Conference
Having a year’s worth of anticipation blown in the first 2 days quite frankly ruins the experience for those at home.
The press conferences are the most watched events during the entire expo, and for good reason. Each company has a unique press conference showcasing their new consoles, accessories, games, etc. that will be released sometime in the near future. These are the highlights of E3 for the viewers at home who aren’t fortunate enough to make it to the expo in person.
When the press conferences are over and done with, all that is left is for journalists to play the demos and give their opinions on the gameplay or upload footage to media outlets such as YouTube. But there really isn’t a need to keep watching the live feeds of gameplay on the showroom floor, because it serves no purpose to those at home. Sure, it’s nice to see what a game actually looks like, but when the gameplay videos are uploaded, they are usually accompanied by commentary and notes that aren’t present during the live feed.
E3: The Decline
With the climax of the expo taking place during the beginning, the rest seems like a steady decline, as all the hype has dispersed by that time. Demos are great and all, but it is not satisfying to those at home. Viewers aren’t able to feel the excitement and anticipation of playing a game that wont be out for at least a year, as the journalists and testers do. That in it of itself is what undermines the hype of E3. 
Having a year’s worth of anticipation blown in the first 2 days quite frankly ruins the experience for those at home. Those who attend the expo are able to have fun, experience everything, and report it all to us. But it just isn’t the same if you can’t experience it firsthand.
How can E3 Change?
One thought is to spread the company and developer press conferences out among the first 3 days. For example, have Microsoft’s press conference on Monday, Nintendo’s on Tuesday and Sony’s on Wednesday. Leave day 4 for testing the demos as usual and on day 5 to close the expo out with a bang – each company and developer should save their biggest reveals for last. This will effectively keep the audience at home and in person filled with excitement, anticipation and keep the hype going throughout the expo.
E3 could also be open to the general public for those who either won a lottery ticket to enter or booked in advance or by some other means. To be fair, some parts of the expo (such as the press conferences) should be closed off, but the floor should be open to us all. Hopefully this can change E3 and have the hype last for more than 48 hours.
So what are your thoughts on it? Is E3 still worth watching after days 1 & 2 for you?
