STACK J#165 Jul 2018

GAMES

FEATURE

SHOW TIME

STACK survives yet another E3 – but what did we think?

Words Paul Jones

T he most significant difference this year at E3 was that the Entertainment Software Association, the organisers of the show, clearly listened to concerns from attendees that security at the event in 2017 was totally inadequate; you could’ve practically dragged a mortar through the door last year as long as you had a valid entry pass. However, in 2018, metal detectors and bag checks were set up at every entry point and bomb detecting dogs and their avid handlers were as prevalent as esports jerseys. Given that Microsoft commandeered its own Theater – just around the corner from the show – to stage its line-up, and Take-2 moved its operations to upstairs meeting rooms, eschewing the elaborate booth set-ups we’ve become accustomed to over the years, moving around the event this year was a breeze. The choke points and bottlenecks evident last year had been eliminated, so even with the influx of attendees, the sauntering lines of round-shouldered zombies barely existed. Everybody who attends an E3 will leave with a different opinion of the show. For us, access to games – the reason we were here in the first place – was plentiful, although much of what was on offer here in 2018 was also playable last year. But the depth of playable content alone was worth the trip. Given just how seemingly impossible it is in a world where the immediacy of social media communicates a message to global audiences in a click of a button, we’re not sure whether the traditional press conference model is still valid. Leaks – and these have been getting progressively more prevalent over the years – generally mean the publisher/format holder ship is sunk even before it has left port. While Bethesda, no thanks to its Canadian retail partners, still managed to uppercut the audience with some phenomenal announcements, you can’t help but feel that this part of the E3 model needs to undergo a serious rethink.

Unsurprisingly, games-as-a-service was on the top of the list of conversation this year – every publisher wants a GTA V, right? Video gaming habits and trends continually evolve and manifest (just look at Fortnite – even a 70-year-old Uber driver we used plays it), and while gamers tend to have an allegiance to certain franchises now more than they ever have before, keeping the consumer spending after an initial game purchase is a publisher priority. For fans of these games, they probably couldn’t be happier that their favourite titles they were playing two years ago are still the focus for a continual drip feed of new content. Reflections on E3 on the long journey home are generally where the torrent of thoughts and impressions finally coagulate. E3 2018, as a public event, was infinitely better organised than last year and its slow transformation towards becoming as much of a public event as an industry institution will undoubtedly prolong its longevity and relevance. The future of the gaming industry is always a well-debated subject at the show, with buzzwords such as ‘crossroads’ and ‘on the verge of something new’ bandied around as frequently as ‘where is the toilet?’. But this console generation is now five years old, so the next year or two will reveal just exactly where the two biggest platform holders predict the future of console gaming lies, and where exactly all its current formats fit into the puzzle. We hope you enjoy our coverage this year. While there were untold numbers of games available, we have only written about the titles we saw and played. But, as is often the case, we left E3 with a positive view of the industry. With more people being reached through influencers and the ongoing rapid growth of esports, video games have never been more pervasive. If you classify yourself as a gamer, in the words of former British prime minister, Harold Macmillan:“Our people have never had it so good.”

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