What is E3? A casual video game fan's guide to the massive industry event in Los Angeles
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Loading... - Bruna Rayes
- 18 Jun 2021
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The Electronic Entertainment Expo (E3) is running for the next three days in Los Angeles, bringing together the great and the good in the world of video games.
While most industry events are drab affairs filled with jetlagged businessmen in crumpled suits, E3 is popping with colour, flair and monstrously decorated stands that fill the 720,000-square foot (67,000-metre squared) of exhibition space at the gigantic Los Angeles Convention Center.
It takes 3,000 people to set up the show, which has taken place in California every year since 1995. Organisers recently started admitting members of the public who pay $250 (£187) for an entry ticket and spend up to five hours queuing up for a chance to play the latest games.
The actual event is only open for three weekdays in June, with many announcements being made at special invite-only conferences hosted by the big video game companies in the days before the show.
On the show floor, exhibitors try to out-do each other with stands populated with characters from various games. Lined up on each one are rows and rows of kiosks where fans can play early demos of video games before they're released.
The 2017 event welcomed 68,400 attendees over the course of the three days and it's expected that 2018 will eclipse that. More than 2,000 products were showcased by 293 exhibitors last year - that has been increased to 3,250 products in 2018.
But rather than showcase brand new hardware (new games consoles are often revealed at E3) or new games, this year has focused on providing further information on games the public are already aware of.
For Sony's PlayStation, that meant an extended look at post-apocalyptic thriller The Last of Us Part 2 and the mysterious Death Stranding from superstar video game developer Hideo Kojima.
Meanwhile, Nintendo revealed that the popular smartphone game Fortnite would be available on its handheld Switch console and Microsoft's Xbox showcased a new entry in the Forza racing series and gave a brief look at an upcoming Halo game.
Other well-known video game franchises such as Tomb Raider and Call of Duty are also getting new games that are being advertised around the conference center with gigantic posters and an array of t-shirts, caps and other merchandise.
Collectively, the global video game industry is now valued at $116 billion and is larger than the film industry. Top-tier games have development teams numbering into the hundreds and can make millions of pounds in revenue if they're a hit.
The video game Grand Theft Auto 5, developed by British company Rockstar Games has sold over 90 million units and amassed a revenue of $6 billion (£4.2 billion) making it the highest grossing media title in the history of entertainment. It has made more money than Titantic or Gone with the Wind - even when adjusted for inflation.
“Gamers are the heart of E3, whether they are on the show floor playing just-announced titles, watching from home, or participating in E3 Coliseum panels with their favorite industry creators,” said Michael D. Gallagher, president and CEO of the Entertainment Software Association (ESA), which owns and produces E3 every year.
“E3 is a celebration of the gamer and a showcase for the companies and entrepreneurs that work every day to surprise and delight the passionate fans who drive the innovation, creativity, and momentum of a global industry projected to surpass $138 billion in 2018," he said.
As journalists, industry executives and members of the public descend on the conference, the amount of information produced and disseminated can be mind-boggling.
The show uses more internet bandwidth over three days than most US cities use in a year. If you were print out all the data moved across the internet during the show onto standard A4 paper, the resulting stack would be higher than the Empire State Building.
Each year there are around 35,000 video monitors, 10 miles of extension cords and cables and two tonnes of ethernet cables.
And the entire E3 event shows no sign of slowing down - preparations will already be underway for 2019's event here in twelve months' time.
