Wednesday, June 16th, 2010

Freyburg at E3

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E3, the Electronic Entertainment Expo, is the biggest industry celebration of video games on the planet, and I’m currently in the thick of it. I’ve never been to E3 before, and the sheer amount of games and gaming related content is a little overwhelming.

I was able to attend both the EA and the Sony press conferences, and seeing them on streaming video (as I’ve done in previous years) is nothing compared to being there on the broadcast riser watching thousands of game fans go nuts as new titles are announced. Though I don’t own a PS3 and I’m not much of a Sony cheerleader, even I got a little excited when Gabe Newell of Valve walked out onto the stage and announced Portal 2 for the PS3. 3D gaming seems to be the big thing this year, with showcase games like Killzone and Crysis 2 both being shown in 3D. I personally think it’s a bit of a gimmick and I’m not willing to part with $2,500 for a new 3D TV, but time will tell. Nintendo probably has the right idea with a small, relatively cheap 3D system that doesn’t require glasses.

The show floor is pretty crazy, with a million nerds million around gawk-eyed at the spectacle while booth babes saunter past and actors drenched in sweat labor under costumes based on whatever new game is being touted.

One thing I’ve noticed is that there are a lot of video cameras at this conference, and not just the usual media suspects. Many, many websites have quite decent rigs (equal to or better than my own fairly expensive beast) which says to me that either a lot of rich kids have a very cool hobby or there’s actual money to be made in the business of covering gaming, even for the little guy. I certainly hope that’s the case, at any rate.

Warren Frey is a journalist, freelance writer, podcaster, video producer, and all-around media consultant currently based in Vancouver, Canada. His written work has appeared in such publications as Metro Vancouver, the Westender, Mac | Life and the Japan Times.

One Response to “ Freyburg at E3 ”

The last goldfish says:

I TOTALLY agree, I think 3d is a useless gimmick. Hopefully it will eventually die through lack of support. Great article btw

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