Anyone going to E3?

[AnthemAudio]

I know GDC is more useful to an indie than E3 is, but is anyone here going?

I'll be going on a 'Media' pass because I work for music4games.net so I'll definitely be making the rounds.

Tony

Though music4games is a large "commercial game" music site, ever since I've been brought on I've been pushing to cover both Mods and Indie titles. We'll see!

[DanMarshall]

What's an E3?

[Drake]

I'm going; I enjoy the spectacle.

In case anyone has forgotten, today's the last day for free registration.

[PoV]

Naw, once was enough. Then again, I never cared to sweet talk my way in to any of the parties. Of course, flaunting my porfolio of kid/girl games wouldn't get me far. ;) And saying I was part of the Battlefield Veitnam team just wouldn't have felt right.

[James C. Smith]

Last year after E3 I said wasn’t worth it anymore and I wasn't going back again. Then they invited me to speak ( http://www.e3expo.com/conference-program/workshop-details.aspx?ID=2) at it this year and on top of that, the Casual Games Association (CGA (http://www.casualgamesassociation.org/)) is putting together a Minna Mingle ( http://mingle.minnamedia.com/) during E3 so now there a few good reasons to go.

[_6_]

It depends, whats the situation with the E3 girls :D

[vjvj]

For the first time in like 7 years it looks like I'm finally NOT GOING. THANK GOD.

[AnthemAudio]

Heard booth babes were canned. Which is too bad because my wife was really counting on me bringing home some hot pics.

Where's the sarcasm emoticon?

See ya there!

[Jim Buck]

Yeah, I think the conference will levy fines ($5k?) on anyone who has "booth babes" in the traditional sense, and it's based on the judgment of the conference-fine-giving employees.

We'll be at E3.

[jessycat]

Hey Everyone,

The RSVP system for the minna mingle is now up! If you are going to be in town for E3, please stop by the party.

While we don't expect to break the 678 record attendance for the event in San Jose – we have more drink tickets so we are sure to have some fun!


You can go here: www.minnamingle.com to RSVP.


See you all soon,

Jessica

For more information about Casual Games Association Events, visit: http://www.casualgamesassociation.org/ and then click on the "events" heading.

[terin]

I will be at E3 this year, as I stated. However, my calendar is pretty booked solid already. I don't even have time for lunch on Wed. :(

I'll be at the Minna Mingle though. Assuming Russel is going to be there I will probably be hanging out with him mocking the various people who are not dressed as nice as we ;-) (That's a joke for anyone who's seen what I and he wear to these kinds of things- its like a game of 'pimp your site' : Him in his Reflexive Shirt and me in my VGSmart getup)

Alternatively I will be hitting on the total babe, Jessiecat (Married, but hey, so am I!) while I try to con a few extra drink tickets out of her... for myself.

As usual, drop me an e-mail at JoeL @ Trisynergy.com if you have a business reason to see me at the show. Otherwise, drop me an e-mail and we'll set up a non-business time to meet up and hang out!

-Joe

[Batley]

Him in his Reflexive Shirt and me in my VGSmart getup

Do you have any pictures?, lol.

[Tom Ohle]

Yep, I'll be there... however, I'll be firmly lodged in the depths of Kentia Hall for the duration of the show. Considering I've never been down there, I can only base my anticipation on urban legends :)

[Drake]

Kentia Hall is the best place to be to avoid hearing damage, epileptic seizures, and the smell of millions of dollars being set on fire.

I will be in Kentia, too. (http://forums.indiegamer.com/showthread.php?t=6103) Everyone, please come by booth #6453 for a demo and/or some exclusive Rabidlab schwag. :)

[terin]

Yep, I will be in Kentia hall. If I ever got a break I would probably swing by and say hi to Drake.... and play some games.

-Joe

[AnthemAudio]

Soooooo...I just had a big first day here but I didn't make it down to Kentia quite yet. Is anyone else here right now as well? I didn't bring a laptop so I have to rely on the rare open seat in the Press Room...that's fun.

Generally...less booth babes, free mountain dew, should have brought earplugs, should have brought water, nice weather, there's a Nintendo DS or PSP everywhere you look (if you sit down anywhere you're likely to sit on at least two of them) annnnnnnnndddddddd handouts!

I'll try to make sense of it tomorrow but looking around I have this weird feeling of....should I be in a line somewhere?

Enjoying it though!

Tony

[Davaris]

So why were booth babes banned anyway?

[HairyTroll]

So why were booth babes banned anyway?

Because E3 was turning more into a showcase for T&A and less for games.

[Davaris]

Damn shame...

Imagine the Grand Prix or the Football without the plastic babes? It wouldn't be the same. :)

[AnthemAudio]

Oh there were plenty there but they were for the most part pretty stationary and had at least an inkling to do with whatever product they were pushing.

When those SIN babes hung out to take some pics in the middle of the aisle there was quite a ruckus. Ruckus is latin for "dorks watching sexy girls" blocking the pathways for people to pass by. That was an awesome ruckus we made!

As an audio cat, getting to meet a ton of game composers (because of my work at music4games.net) was the best part for me. Got to hang out and drink with Jesper Kyd (Hitman games, Freedom Fighters), Tom Salta (Ghost Recon, Red Steel), Lennie Moore (Outcast, LOTR games) and a bunch of other heroes of mine. Nice bunch of guys, real supportive.

Oh and I did swing by the ECD systems indie game competition and put my vote in for Rabidlabs!

Any other questions about E3? Anyone?

[Drake]

Oh and I did swing by the ECD systems indie game competition and put my vote in for Rabidlabs!
Thanks, man!

I took 3rd, Flashbang got 2nd, and 21-6 won the prize. It was pretty close, less than 10 votes between 1st and 3rd. Matt and I were at Nintendo's booth Friday morning when we could have been getting last minute votes, so we can both blame the Wii, I think. ;)

It was fun just to be exhibiting at E3. I made some new contacts, and gave away 1500 stickers (http://www.rabidlab.com/img/sticker.html) with my URL on them - that was good enough for me.

[Matthew]

E3 was more useful than I expected this year. I made some contacts and had a really good time playtesting/demoing Potion Motion on the show floor. We made a concerted effort to snare bored-looking women walking by to try the game out. Plus, it was great to meet the other finalists on a more personal level. I did a terrible job with that at the IGF, but it was a lot easier with the smaller number of finalists with this (and the free wine-filled dinner helped, too).

The actual competition--determined by audience votes--went to TubeTwist by a half dozen votes or so. Props to them, though, they definitely earned it. By my calculation they managed 20+ votes in a little over an hour on Friday morning. A sweet computer is their well-won prize.

I did manage to get terrifically sick immediately after the show. Being stuck at LAX until 3am due to mechanical troubles with my flight was also rather dismal.

All in all it was a very good time. I believe ECD Systems is planning to do the showcase again next year, so keep an eye out for that. It was definitely worth the trip!

As for the actual show, all I managed to see was the Wii. I probably spent more time playing Drake's game than anything else there--I beat both demo levels and earned a sporty new t-shirt as my reward.

[AnthemAudio]

It was fun just to be exhibiting at E3. I made some new contacts, and gave away 1500 stickers (http://www.rabidlab.com/img/sticker.html) with my URL on them - that was good enough for me.

Yeah, I thought that was a sticker. It doesn't have an adhesive part though, does it? I thought it's one where it'll stick to most glass surfaces and whatnot since I couldn't peel it apart. Any suggestions where I would put it?

[Drake]

Yeah, I thought that was a sticker. It doesn't have an adhesive part though, does it? I thought it's one where it'll stick to most glass surfaces and whatnot since I couldn't peel it apart. Any suggestions where I would put it?
Yeah, it's a little unusual because of the transparency, but it's not a static cling. You can peel off the backing and use it like a normal sticker. Looks coolest on windows and bright surfaces. :)

[Drake]

I did manage to get terrifically sick immediately after the show. Being stuck at LAX until 3am due to mechanical troubles with my flight was also rather dismal.
Damn, sorry to hear that man, that sucks! You probably could have driven home by then, too. :(
As for the actual show, all I managed to see was the Wii. I probably spent more time playing Drake's game than anything else there--I beat both demo levels and earned a sporty new t-shirt as my reward.Well earned. It's not a real journey until you've got your lousy T-shirt.