GameCore

E3 Left Us Dazed And Confused

By William Vitka

May 24, 2005 / 9:39 PM EDT / CBS

GameCore is a weekly column by CBSNews.com's William Vitka and Chad Chamberlain that focuses on gamers and gaming.

The best way to describe E3 is by saying that it was like a larger version of Times Square with fewer tourists. It was bright, noisy, over-priced but definitely charged with energy. It was lively, I can't argue with that.

Unfortunately, it was impossible for a two-man crew to cover everything. Apologies to everyone we missed. We tried, though marred with technical difficulties, and did manage to cover a bit of ground.

Now back home in New York City, we'll go through our cortex index and try to figure out what the heck just happened. Expect fresh columns throughout the week about what we liked and hated.

But first, post-E3 impressions:

Saying I was ill prepared for the convention would be an understatement rivaling any man's assertion that space is "kinda big." I wasn't even prepared for L.A., let alone the insanity of E3.

A working man should bring extra batteries for his laptop and a wireless networking card that can punch into whatever WiFi signal is available and hold onto it.

For meetings, I can't stress how important an audio recorder is. There is a lot of talk and it's all very fast. The latest in analog technology – a pen and reporter's pad – just isn't going to cut it.

If you've got a digital camera, find someone tall who can take pictures over people. Moving around quickly to find a good angle isn't always an option.

And boy, oh boy, make sure you've got all your connection cables with you if you intend to file from the convention center itself.

Water, sunglasses, light clothes, and a high tolerance for liars are required. Watch your back because we are, after all, very close to Hollywood and those streets are filled with strays.

I've heard from many journalists that E3 2005 was both the best and the worst yet. But overall, there's been a sense of disappointment. One primary gripe seems to be that there were few, if any, really exemplary titles showcased. Not for the current generation of consoles, anyway.

This is most likely due to the fact that the expo was all about the hardware. For example, developers have barely capitalized on the full power of the first Xbox and suddenly they're all being told to design games for Microsoft's spooky Big Brother "HD Era" Xbox 360 where everyone you know on Xbox Live knows exactly what you're doing.

Which brings me to my next point.

Attending Sony and Microsoft's press conferences led me to believe that I was the only human being in existence who didn't have a High Definition TV. Sony's even gone so far as to allow for dual HD support on their PS3.

Which effectively turns their next-gen console into a giant, overpriced Nintendo DS.

And it doesn't have a touch screen.

But gamers are all being told that if they really want to be "gamers" and not just some jerk that plays games, they have to move into the High Definition clan.

That, in and of itself, should worry anyone wary of Microsoft's partnering with Samsung.

Peter Moore, Corporate Vice President of Worldwide Marketing and Publishing for Xbox at Microsoft, has been asserting that only through Samsung's HD TV's can one experience real gaming.

Yessir, just sell a limb and you can be rocking out with your Xbox 360 like a real gamer. Those HD TVs are expensive, but do you really need two kidneys?

This deal must be a dream come true for Samsung. Sales of their high-priced idiot boxes might actually pick up.

Ah, the decadence and depravity of E3 parties. We'll have a bit more on those, as they're extremely interesting through a critical eye, but briefly:

Many are saying that video game industry parties are like the music and movie industry parties from ten years ago before they started their downward spiral into a savage mediocrity.

If that's the case, where will we be in ten years?

The video game industry believes that it is being taken more seriously, but it is not. The money that gaming makes is garnering recognition, but the crucial lesson developers and publishers need to learn is that money does not equal maturity.

All we've gotten from the moneymaking is MTV specials and businessmen thinking that they understand what video games are about.

If the game industry wants to sit at the adult table, it needs to act like a grown-up and not a speed-freak teenager. Obsessions with sex and violence do not exemplify time-told experience. At the same time, pandering to such obsessions shows nothing but a childish plea for attention.

By William Vitka