This year, the orcs and elves returned to the City of Angels. And they brought money with them -- more than $15 million in direct spending on taxi rides, hotel rooms, wine and sushi, among other things.
The Electronic Entertainment Expo, which was substantially scaled back in 2007 and 2008, came roaring back this week at the Los Angeles Convention Center, attracting more than 35,000 visitors. For Los Angeles, E3 was the biggest convention so far this year, said Mayor Antonio Villaraigosa, who welcomed the conventioneers Tuesday.
Some Angelenos may remember the video game confab for its over-the-top spectacles: soldiers rappelling from U.S. Army helicopters, models strutting in thongs and 6-inch heels, skateboarders sailing off half-pipes and celebrity-soaked parties that were more like three-ring circuses.
But the merriment came to a halt in 2007 when game companies decided enough was enough. The show, which hit peak attendance in 2005 with more than 65,000 attendees, was toned down in 2007 to a stately affair in Santa Monica with an invite-only guest list of about 4,000. It returned to the L.A. Convention Center last July but was so low-key that some in the industry lamented that it looked like a pipe fitters convention.
This year, the Entertainment Software Assn., the industry-funded group that puts on E3, screened the event's registration to keep out the "fanboys" -- people who like to play games but don't work in the game industry. Companies, sobered by the economic recession, spent less money on parties. But there was still enough glam to attract a sizable audience of gawkers and camera crews from major TV networks.
"What we've done is put together a show that is much more reflective of the high octane, high energy, innovation and excitement that is the video game industry," ESA President Mike Gallagher said.
Game companies are counting on that excitement to help drive sales, while consumers are looking for ways to save money.
Avid players plan to maintain their rate of spending on games, but women and older players plan to spend less, citing the bad economy, according to a survey released this week by media consulting firm Frank N. Magid Associates Inc.
Here are some of the industry's biggest blockbuster bets for release in the next several months:
