After an earlier story on Next Generation, that the big games expo E3 was being cancelled for next year, ars technica is reporting that the show is not being cancelled but downsized. Much of the reason for this was described as the show being too expensive for companies and not really being a place to get any serious business done. These are certainly valid points, but I think that they are missing the much larger value of the show for the electronic entertainment industry.
The games industry does not currently have any awards shows that compare in stature to the Oscars of the movie industry or the Grammys of the music industry. These award extravaganza’s are opportunities for these industries to promote their best and brightest to the public. Right now E3 in the marketing and hype-fest it has become, serves that very purpose. E3 is what puts the games industry on the map for the public. And at a time when games are striving to be on equal footing with other entertainment media, killing or downsizing E3 would be a mistake. It would also be a mistake for the big players to pull out muttering about costs. The publicity they can get is well worth the cost, as long as they bring their A-game. And while it is a long shot in the best of times, there’s always the chance that one of the little guys will break through and get noticed.
E3 needs to love and embrace the hype, not try to run from it. Open it up wide to the public and charge an admission price that can help bring down the exhibitor costs. Bring back the booth babes in all their glory and just enjoy the love fest that will launch a million consoles into the homes of the adoring public.