Why E3 Matters
E3, to me, has always been a big deal. I remember the early days of trying to download small clips from gaming websites before high speed internet and streaming were actually things. I remember speculating with my brother long before we even thought about starting a podcast. I remember the excitement, the hype, the ups and the downs. E3 has changed over the years, but no matter what, I still find myself getting hyped and excited for what we might see. E3 isn’t perfect, but it still matters.
After E3 disappeared last year, I was hoping something would fill the void and maybe breathe some new life in to this kind of gaming celebration. Geoff Keighley’s Summer Game Fest didn’t quite cut it for me. It was a great attempt, but a little too spread out and lacklustre in execution to replace the big show. We needed something cohesive and tight-knit to maintain hype levels. The more gaming events there are, the better! I’m always happy to see a Nintendo Direct or a Playstation deep dive, or some sort of showcase of a game or a handful of new titles, but for maximum hype I think we need something big and concentrated. We game together, we hype together.
SO MUCH HYPE!
With E3 back this year, and Summer Game Fest kicking off at the same time, it felt kind of like a return to form. I was feeling the hype again! Now that E3 is over, I wanted to look back and share some thoughts in writing, as a companion piece to Episode 64 of Co-op Mode, featuring Brock McLaughlin, which you should definitely go check out, and share why I think this approach is the best thing for the industry and for video game fans.
Let’s start off by recapping what I was expecting from E3 this year. When it boiled down to it, I really wanted Xbox to come out swinging. More than anyone else, I felt like Xbox had the potential to be the most interesting show of them all after all of their acquisitions and the momentum they seems to have gotten on Game Pass over the last year or two. To me, it was Xbox’s show to lose. From Nintendo, I wanted Metroid, more Breath of the Wild 2 info, and of course, Wave Race to make a triumphant return. Sony seemed to be content sitting this year out, so my expectations for seeing something to sell me on a PS5 were pretty low. Ratchet & Clank looks amazing though, so I’m still kind of watching on the sidelines and getting excited for my PS5-owning brother when something new pops up for that console.
Bring it back, you COWARDS!
Being digital only again this year, I expected some things from each conference that skipping a live show allow. I expected things to be well-rehearsed, well edited, smooth and fast-paced. Keep things snappy! One nice thing about a digital event is you have some time to remove and edit those awkward moments that are bound to happen in a live demo. I miss the hype of a live crowd (even when watching from home) but I enjoy digital events for what they are, as long as they are well done. The thought of a live event returning next year has me excited though!
With those expectations set, I can happily say I was pleased with E3 overall this year. I didn’t watch every conference or presentation, but what I saw was mostly pretty great and covered the interests of many types of gamers. My biggest hype moments included Metroid Dread, Mario + Rabbids 2, Sea of Thieves + Pirates of the Caribbean, and even Avatar got me excited, especially considering Disney gave Ubisoft the keys to making a Star Wars game after they were so impressed with what they saw from Avatar. Now I want to learn about that Star Wars game! Ubisoft really came out swinging all around, to be fair. What a show! Their lineup is spectacular! I was absolutely right about Xbox too. They came out swinging with an amazing showing of Halo multiplayer, some great exclusives, many reasons to subscribe to Game Pass immediately, and lots to look forward to.
Have I mentioned that Game Pass gives a you access to over 100 quality games and you can get your first 3 months for only $1?
This is why I think E3 matters, or at least this type of event. Whether it’s E3 or something else with the same kind of week-long format, I think it’s important to showcase the amazing things that game developers are doing. It’s exciting to talk to other fans about everything going on, whether you can keep up with it or not. It’s important to put it all on the table all at once in a big way so other industries and mainstream outlets look over to see what all the excitement and noise is about. E3 helps us by bringing us together, by hyping us up and (sometimes) disappointing us. Even in disappointment, it’s a shared experience that can bring communities closer. I think after the last year (and then some) one thing we’re all holding a little closer is our communities. Whether that’s your family and friends or an online community who you’ve never met in person, our communities are important. When those communities can come together for something big, it’s awesome! For gamers, I haven’t seen much bigger than the best of E3.
Mark Carabin