My triumphant return to E3 was an exhausting affair. I skipped the past two years, but with the expo back to its former format (almost) and client work to do, I had a valid reason to bask in the neon glow of the LA Convention Center.
Admittedly, attending E3 in past years (as IGDA guy) was a relaxed situation compared to this year. In four nights and three days, I covered 27 meetings and about a dozen social functions and parties (including a visit to the Canadian Consul’s house) and a lecture at the collocated Game Education Summit. Sadly, this left little time to check out the expo floor itself – probably less than an hour total in both halls. But after a dozen E3s, you start to realize that the game news sites and blogs, etc, do a better job of covering the games/news than you possibly can. So, I just check out all the highlights once I get back ;)
From a personal work-process point of view, this is the first event where I never had to boot up my laptop (to do email, check meeting info, scheduling, etc). I’ve been getting more and more proficient/confident with my Android phone, and it enabled me to do everything that was needed (though, wow, they so have to work on battery life). Also, quick note that only 1 one the 27 meetings got canceled – which is quite impressive for the always frantic E3.
Regarding E3 itself, I have mixed emotions – just as I always have had. One the one hand, it’s great to see all the action in one place, garnering massive amounts of attention and enabling ancillary activities to flourish (lamprey style) around the big show. Plus getting business done, meeting with industry friends, etc, is all good. But, on the other hand, all of the glam and fanfare (booth babes, super star appearances, etc) largely comes across as inauthentic and just a ruse to get (wasted ephemeral) attention. And while the event is not quite as big as it was before the previous implosion, you get the sense that the budgets and marketing spend to “do” E3 is right back where it used to be.
Here’s what caught my eye:

Deputy Consul General of Canada, Marcy Grossman, kicks off the Canadian sponsored networking breakfast.

Super cool life-sized Halo Reach statues/diorama.

Ooh, can’t wait to kill more zombies in Dead Rising 2! This guy clearly wanted to eat my brain.

Always nice to see IndieCade giving indie/experimental games a presence at the big show.

An odd sight, hairstyling game including in-booth make-overs…

Cute go-cart style “holder” for your Wii-mote.

One of the few examples of the exploding free-to-play/social gaming market, tucked away in the SOE booth. With 10million users, FreeRealms currently enjoys more success than the vast majority of the games at E3 will ever hope to achieve…

The acclaimed USC School of Cinematic Arts, host of the 2010 Game Education Summit.

Bill Shribman (WGBH Education Foundation) and Nina Walia (PBS Kids) discuss lessons learned with kids/educational games for iPhone at the Game Education Summit.

EA CEO John Riccitiello gets “attacked” by WWE athlete (and game blogger) Gerard Williams at the Wedbush/EEDAR party.

Fire eaters at the Nexon party. Reminds me of similar performances at the old Sony parties…

My favorite piece in this year’s Into the Pixel collection: “Knight March” by Richard Anderson from ArenaNet’s Guild Wars 2.

Driveway up to the Canadian Consul’s house.

Chris Swain (USC) and Emma Westecott (OCAD) enjoying a cocktail, thanks to Canadian taxpayers ;)

The path to The EP.

Even at such a Hollywood-style party as The EP, the gamers can’t keep from gaming! FYI, Nicola totally whipped my butt.

Epic Mickey got a lot of attention. Kudos to Warren.

As did AC: Brotherhood. I bet the Ubi PR folks got really tired of answering why Patrice left…

Obligatory fast car shot!

Billy Cain (Sneaky Games) belting it out on Rock Band 3.

Folks were raving about Dance Central as a great Kinect game. I didn’t watch long enough to get past giggling over the goofiness of seeing the folks gyrate with less-than-Britney skill ;)