If you’ve only ever dipped your toe into the world of gaming, there is no way you could have done so without having heard of E3! It is for lack of a better description, Christmas time for Gamers except it’s usually in the summer and (I was going to make a joke about a fat guy in a red suit here but it seemed kind of obvious!) the presents come in the form of huge news items, releases and products that we fill us with joy.
E3 or the Electronics Entertainment Expo (get it?) is a trade fair organised annually by the Entertainment Software Association. It is running for it’s 17th year having kicked off way back in 1995. It was at the show in 1995 that Sony revealed it’s very first console and gave rise to legions of PlayStation owners and fans all over the world, the Virutal Boy also made it’s debut at the show but was a failure and the less said about that the better Nintendo feel!
So what exactly happens at E3?
Well, a lot happens but at it’s most basic level the event is used as a platform for video game developers and publishers to launch their new games and products. In a show that is watched by millions worldwide and attended by thousands every year, where else is better to demonstrate, promote and display your work! The big difference between E3 and other Expos like Gamescom is that E3 is an invitation only event closed off the public, journalists, bloggers and moguls from the video game industry are invited to attend each year (seriously…if anyone from E3 is reading this…we’re not impressed this year and NEXT year we’d like some tickets please!) but the entire event is streamed online and every year dozens of videos find their way online from different launches so the gaming community isn’t entirely locked out.
Is it really a big deal?
Yes! Yes it is! E3 is one of the prime events in the Gaming calendar, it provides gamers of all types from casual to professional as well journalists and industry professionals a detailed insight into any and all forthcoming products be they brand spanking new games, consoles and hardware. The event is taken very seriously by the three giants with a sort of competition having developed between Nintendo, Microsoft and Sony to pull out the stops every year and host the biggest panel with even bigger news.
As mentioned above, in it’s first E3 was the event chosen by Sony where they revealed the PS1 and since then the Expo has been the ground on which some of the biggest changes in the gaming world have been broken! Don’t believe us…just look at this tiny timeline of just some of the big things (we can’t cover it all!):
- 1995 – Sony announce the PlayStation
- 1997 – Metal Gear Solid unveiled (so was Superman for the N64… lol!)
- 1999 – Dreamcast featured and Project Dolphin announced by Nintendo
- 2000 – The PS2 made it’s debut
- 2001 – Gamecube and Xbox are launched
- 2005 – All current generation consoles were revealed in some form!
- 2011 – Tomb Raider reboot revealed, Skyrim, Uncharted 3 and Mass Effect 3 all also revealed.
So from just those few examples above, it should be clear that E3 really is a big deal!
What can we expect from E3 2012?
Like every year, expect a hell of a lot of new games! E3 is running from June 5th to the 7th and we promise to keep you up to date as much as possible right here on the Arcade so make sure you are connected with us on our Facebook and Twitter accounts to get the news straight to your phone!
In the meantime, here are some videos from companies teasing us with details of their news pieces…
Editor-in-Chief, part-time super villain and hoarder of cats. If you can’t find me writing, I’m probably in the kitchen!
