You already know the deal with E3 2008, it sucked. You can read stories of its suckiness almost anywhere you look. It's a dinosaur, its format is out of date and no one - not publishers, not developers not journalists - enjoys attending anymore. So the end of E3 as we know it is here, right? It can't be saved, so lets just write it off. Wrong! Its not too late for it to still be relevant. All E3 needs are some simple changes and it would be exciting again. Here are 4 suggestions, free of charge.
Make Press Conferences Useful - Listening to a standard gaming presser is like sitting through a lecture in school; you take notes, hear one or two interesting things, and then fall asleep. So make pressers short, get to the point and give us something to get excited about. We know you can't hold all of your info for E3, but keep 2-3 things secret so we don't hear things we've already heard before. And one more thing, pay a professional to host these things. It doesn't have to be a "name" celebrity or even a local TV weatherman, but at least have someone with some personality, charisma and polish. No one should be forced to sit through an exec's nervous enthusiasm, fake laughter and Keanu Reeves-esque wooden acting.
Quit being so damn elusive - There's nothing more annoying than talking to someone from a gaming company and being told absolutely nothing. Producers, PR people, executives, it doesn't really matter who it is, they all hint at something that may or may not be in a game and then give you a knowing grin. Its infuriating. Either say yes or no when asked a question, or don't let people ask questions at all. You're not building suspense or interest in a game, you're just being annoying.
Include the fans - Like Adam Sessler said during our sit down last week, "they don't make games for the press, the make games for the gamers out there". So why not invite the people who actually buy the games and get them excited about upcoming releases? Of course its going to be crowded with press and fans all in one place. Three years ago one of the biggest problems with E3 was journalists having to fight their way through fans to get hands on time with new titles, but E3 already has the solution to this problem in place. Publishers and developers have two areas at E3 to showcase their games, the show floor and private suites. Just keep the show floor open to everyone, and have the suites as press only.
Change the location - Why have E3 in only one place? Mix things up a bit and change its location, kind of like the MLB All-Star game. The press (especially TV) would have a field day showcasing the interesting parts of the host city, and gaming fans wouldn't always have to travel to LA to experience E3. Las Vegas, Orlando, Austin, San Diego, Tampa and Seattle would all be great locations.
