Tuesday, June 7, 2005
Monday, June 6, 2005
Bloggers vs. The Establishment -- Round Googol
That's googol, not Google.
If you pay attention to the machinations of the game journalism world, you may have observed the following sequence in the past week:
After doing a whole lot of reading on all of the above links, here's my breakdown of the arguments presented:
Old Established Media Members and Defenders: You bloggers are a bunch of whiny upstarts who don't know what you're talking about. Getting lots of free stuff from game companies doesn't make us any less credible. We've been doing this for X years and Y outlets and know more than you ever will.
Young Blogging Upstarts: Nice try, pops. You know that the established game journalism industry is so discredited that no one trusts or even reads anymore. Blogs are the only place for serious game commentary that isn't totally bought and paid for by the game companies. Blogs are the future. YAY BLOGS!
OEMMaD: What are you guys smoking? Game magazines are much more serious and thoughtful than you blogs ever will be. And we get read by more than 10 people, so we must be doing something right. Also, we're not influenced by game companies in the least.
YBU: Oh please... every time I read a game magazine review, I immediately know someone has paid for it because all the popular games get good scores. We have a monopoly and thought that isn't controlled by the corporate machine. YAY BLOGS!
etc. etc.
I definitely know the allure of these arguments. I've been dragged into them before. But this one is threatening to get out of control. This has got to stop. You're all wrong. You're all right. Please step away from the fringe and come to the middle ground.
There are a lot of blanket statements getting thrown around in these debates, along the lines of "all game magazines suck" or "all game blogs suck." No. There are good game blogs and bad ones. There are good game magazines and bad ones. In each, there are good articles and bad ones. Which is which is a matter of opinion, but both these spaces are so large that blanket statements about the entire category are next to useless.
The problem is, everyone involved is basing their opinions on their own spotty experiences. No matter how much you read or how old you are, there are almost definitely gaps in your knowledge of game magazines or game blogs or, likely, both. In some cases the gaps are even more extreme -- some are effectively making statements about all of blogdom based on one blog post, or about all game magazines based on one issue of one magazine. This is like condemning the New York Times and all newspapers because you read a stupid article in the National Enquirer. It's like decrying Citizen Kane and movies in general because you thought Plan 9 from Outer Space was horrible.
Neither game magazines nor blogs are going anywhere. Each has its strengths and weaknesses as a medium, and each has the potential for some good game writing. The only danger is when that medium becomes the message, and endless, ultimately pointless arguments about which form is superior get in the way of discussions of real, substantive issues.
Don't let that happen. Take a deep breath and move on. Nothing to see here. The latest skirmish in the blogs vs. the establishment is done and no one is any closer to being convinced.
YAY INTERNET!
If you pay attention to the machinations of the game journalism world, you may have observed the following sequence in the past week:
- Tony Rice set up a set of links to interesting game blog posts called the Carnival of Gamers on his generally excellent blog, Button Mashing.
- The Carnival gets noticed by quite a variety of influential weblogs which point lots of traffic its way and generally get people to notice some blogs they might not have known about.
- Matthew Gallant at Computer Games Online sees the Carnival and writes a rather negative take on the whole thing based entirely on the Carnival's first entry, a diatribe called The Best Reviews Money Can Buy on peterb's Tea Leaves blog.
- Josh at Cathode Tan wrote up a quick post taking Gallant to task, which resulted in a lengthy string of back and forth comments which quickly descends into petty insults between Josh, Matthew and other involved/interested parties.
- Places like Mile Zero, and Tea Leaves itself jump in to comment, leading to more comment thread flame wars.
After doing a whole lot of reading on all of the above links, here's my breakdown of the arguments presented:
Old Established Media Members and Defenders: You bloggers are a bunch of whiny upstarts who don't know what you're talking about. Getting lots of free stuff from game companies doesn't make us any less credible. We've been doing this for X years and Y outlets and know more than you ever will.
Young Blogging Upstarts: Nice try, pops. You know that the established game journalism industry is so discredited that no one trusts or even reads anymore. Blogs are the only place for serious game commentary that isn't totally bought and paid for by the game companies. Blogs are the future. YAY BLOGS!
OEMMaD: What are you guys smoking? Game magazines are much more serious and thoughtful than you blogs ever will be. And we get read by more than 10 people, so we must be doing something right. Also, we're not influenced by game companies in the least.
YBU: Oh please... every time I read a game magazine review, I immediately know someone has paid for it because all the popular games get good scores. We have a monopoly and thought that isn't controlled by the corporate machine. YAY BLOGS!
etc. etc.
I definitely know the allure of these arguments. I've been dragged into them before. But this one is threatening to get out of control. This has got to stop. You're all wrong. You're all right. Please step away from the fringe and come to the middle ground.
There are a lot of blanket statements getting thrown around in these debates, along the lines of "all game magazines suck" or "all game blogs suck." No. There are good game blogs and bad ones. There are good game magazines and bad ones. In each, there are good articles and bad ones. Which is which is a matter of opinion, but both these spaces are so large that blanket statements about the entire category are next to useless.
The problem is, everyone involved is basing their opinions on their own spotty experiences. No matter how much you read or how old you are, there are almost definitely gaps in your knowledge of game magazines or game blogs or, likely, both. In some cases the gaps are even more extreme -- some are effectively making statements about all of blogdom based on one blog post, or about all game magazines based on one issue of one magazine. This is like condemning the New York Times and all newspapers because you read a stupid article in the National Enquirer. It's like decrying Citizen Kane and movies in general because you thought Plan 9 from Outer Space was horrible.
Neither game magazines nor blogs are going anywhere. Each has its strengths and weaknesses as a medium, and each has the potential for some good game writing. The only danger is when that medium becomes the message, and endless, ultimately pointless arguments about which form is superior get in the way of discussions of real, substantive issues.
Don't let that happen. Take a deep breath and move on. Nothing to see here. The latest skirmish in the blogs vs. the establishment is done and no one is any closer to being convinced.
YAY INTERNET!
Thursday, June 2, 2005
AftEr3: Game Mag Previews -- Part One
Please note some small corrections that have been made to this piece.
Some things are in short supply at E3. Affordable food, quiet areas and booth babes in respectable outfits are among them. Game magazines are not.
The determined magazine junkie (i.e. yours truly) can collect vast quantities of free pulp handed out at the show. I personally scrounged up 13 separate publications this year, not including three issues of Ziff's ShowDaily guide and the E3 2005 Show Directory. I could probably spend a good month on this blog reading these issues cover to cover and giving in-depth analysis of their respective contents, but I wouldn't be able to do much else that month. Instead, I'm going to do quick previews of each magazine, based on 15 minutes worth of reading and 15 minutes worth of writing (so please forgive any sloppy grammar or spelling). Sure, some of the details of each mag might get lost in the process, but if it's good enough for the games on the show floor, it should be good enough for the magazines too (how's that for meta-commentary?)
Game Developer (Volume 12, Number 5, May 2005)
I read the IGDA's Web site on occasion, but this is the first time I've ever stumbled upon a copy of their print magazine.
Grade: A
Wired (13.05, May 2005)
Not a game mag per se, this issue came "courtesy of Midway" according to a sticker on the front. For the life of me, I can't figure out why they are giving this out.
Grade: B+
Tips and Tricks (No. 125, May 2005)
Wow... there's a name that takes me back. The Dragon Ball Z cover, however, does not.
Grade: C+
VideoGames Transmedia (Volume 1, Issue 8, May 18, 2005)
At eight pages short, with two of them filled with ads, this tiny little newsletter is a quick bite.
Grade: B
E3 2005 Directory (Official Exhibit Guide)
Published by Prima, this thick guide is full of info and full of ads. Worth holding on to just to remember what you missed.
Grade: Functional!
Nintendo Power (Volume 193, July 2005)
The magazine we all grew up with finally gets a total makeover... but doesn't rank a mention at Nintendo's press conference.
Grade: B
Computer Games (Issue 175, June 2005)
I'll occasionally read an article on CGOnline, but this is my first time reading the print mag. Let's see what we've got.
Grade: B+
Pocket Games (No. 17)
The only magazine I know of devoted to portable games. Why is this? There's so much interest in handhelds now, you'd think there would be some competition.
Grade: A-
Sync
Ziff's replacement for GMR throws together girls, tech, cars and... more girls into a jumbled mess.
Grade: D+
That's all for now. Look for thoughts on more free mags including GamePro, Game Informer, and the ubiquitous ShowDaily coming soon.
Some things are in short supply at E3. Affordable food, quiet areas and booth babes in respectable outfits are among them. Game magazines are not.
The determined magazine junkie (i.e. yours truly) can collect vast quantities of free pulp handed out at the show. I personally scrounged up 13 separate publications this year, not including three issues of Ziff's ShowDaily guide and the E3 2005 Show Directory. I could probably spend a good month on this blog reading these issues cover to cover and giving in-depth analysis of their respective contents, but I wouldn't be able to do much else that month. Instead, I'm going to do quick previews of each magazine, based on 15 minutes worth of reading and 15 minutes worth of writing (so please forgive any sloppy grammar or spelling). Sure, some of the details of each mag might get lost in the process, but if it's good enough for the games on the show floor, it should be good enough for the magazines too (how's that for meta-commentary?)
Game Developer (Volume 12, Number 5, May 2005)
I read the IGDA's Web site on occasion, but this is the first time I've ever stumbled upon a copy of their print magazine.
- On first glance, I love the cover design. Strong, colorful art from Alien Hominid and teaser text for other stories that doesn't distract
- On the Masthead, names like Simon Carless and Brandon Sheffield jump out. Not bad for what could easily have been just a newsletter. I also notice representatives from some big name developers on the mag's advisory board. Understandable, given their focus, but I wonder what this does to their perspective compared to other game magazines. The review of 3D Studio Max reminds me of a similar feature on the tools behind game design in the old Next Generation magazine. I never read it.
- An in-depth report on the I Love Bees alternate reality game is much more interesting than the few sentences most gizmo mags devoted to the phenomenon. I'll have to read that in full later.
- A five page feature on how gamers use controllers! Why didn't I think of that. Seriously, this picture- and graph-filled feature would be of interest even to a non-developer audience. Another one to read in full.
- The Alien Hominid feature is worth the price of admission just for the great pictures. Wonderful art direction.
- Articles on pathfinding algorithms and hiring practices are less suited to the general reader, but a nice selection of columns from designers themselves makes for a nice finish to the mag.
- Bonus: Most of the ads are stuffed in the back of the magazine where they don't disrupt the flow of content. Nice!
Grade: A
Wired (13.05, May 2005)
Not a game mag per se, this issue came "courtesy of Midway" according to a sticker on the front. For the life of me, I can't figure out why they are giving this out.
- Nine pages of ads before the table of contents... way to make me want to stop reading the magazine before I've even begun.
- Wired's design and layout is unmatched in my opinion. Big pictures accompany text that is arranged in interesting but still easily readable patterns. What's more, the text is actually incredibly concise for the most part, getting to the point without crowding out the pictures. Nice paper and cover stock round out the package.
- A neat little photo gallery of tile-based game art is NOT about the done-to-death I Am 8 Bit and Into the Pixel shows. Way to be ahead of the curve, Wired.
- Features like "Think Belligerent" -- about Apple suing a fan-made web site -- are obviously opinionated and not ashamed of it.
- Electronic Arts is the only game company to make the Hot 40 list of top tech companies (at No. 6). The write-up says that the average 30-year old gamer "can afford every new release." But does he or she have time to play them? This requires more research.
- Recurring light features like the Wired/Tired/Expired lists and futuristic/artistic Found are great to keep readers coming back.
Grade: B+
Tips and Tricks (No. 125, May 2005)
Wow... there's a name that takes me back. The Dragon Ball Z cover, however, does not.
- The cover is amazingly crowded, shoving every game name possible seemingly in the hope that you'll see one you know and pick it up off the newsstand.
- Publisher: Larry Flynt?! The same Larry Flynt that publishes Hustler? I guess it pays to diversify.
- Right off the bat we get extended strategies for DBZ Sagas, GT4, Psychonauts and San Andreas. Interesting if you have the games... not interesting if you don't. It's a safe bet most of the audience has at least one though.
- The GT4 section features some nice sidebars on the historic cars of the game and some tips for taking good photographs. Potentially interesting even if you hate the Gran Turismo games. Not what you'd expect from a strategy mag.
- The idea behind Select Game Previews is intriguing. They give quick takes on a few current and upcoming releases, and the readers mail in lists of which games they want to see strategies for. That's one way to command reader loyalty.
- What's with all these niche sections near the back? Cell phones, Gear, Online, Sports, Collectors, Final Fantasy, Japan. Reminds me of the old, hyper-compartmentalized GamePro... in a good way. If they don't serve the niche audiences, who will. I mean, besides the Internet.
- Speaking of cell phones, the three-page Cellular section is written by Andy Eddy. You may remember Andy from the less-than-stellar additional chapters in the paperback edition of David Sheff's Game Over. Nice to see he landed on his feet, so to speak
- At the very end of the magazine comes the section I'd been fearing -- 22 pages of tiny type, squint-inducing codes for a whole bunch of games. Well presented, for sure, but next to useless to anyone with an Internet connection.
Grade: C+
VideoGames Transmedia (Volume 1, Issue 8, May 18, 2005)
At eight pages short, with two of them filled with ads, this tiny little newsletter is a quick bite.
- No fancy cover graphics here... the cover is page one of the content.
- The editor's note claims the sheet is about convergence in digital entertainment, and stories on advergaming and PSP movies fill the niche quite well.
- The front page feature is a Q & A featuring Dean Takahashi asking questions of... Dean Takahashi about the new Xbox 360. I guess the author of Opening the Xbox is qualified to speak on this subject, but shouldn't somebody else be asking him the questions?
- An editorial from Gamesindustry.biz takes up all of page 4, and I say bravo. I look forward to Rob Fahey's thoughts every week and it's about time they were put into print somewhere. And no, Rob isn't paying me to say that.
- Some rumors, some hard news and... another George Lucas interview. Jeez... you can't escape the guy this month!
Grade: B
E3 2005 Directory (Official Exhibit Guide)
Published by Prima, this thick guide is full of info and full of ads. Worth holding on to just to remember what you missed.
Grade: Functional!
Nintendo Power (Volume 193, July 2005)
The magazine we all grew up with finally gets a total makeover... but doesn't rank a mention at Nintendo's press conference.
- I know ads have been in Nintendo Power for years now, but I don't think I'll ever get used to them. The whole thing is basically an ad for Nintendo... why do we need more ads?
- A history of Nintendo Power timeline shows how the Big N invented the video game comic (Howard and Nester, yay!) and the "celebrity gamer" section (Tori Spelling, boo). It even pokes gentle fun at the Play it Loud ad campaign.
- "Many of you grew up with Nintendo Power and it was time for NP to grow a bit too," says Managing Editor Scott Pelland in an editor's note. Dude... it was time for NP to grow up about ten years ago. What took so long?
- A subhead features the astounding proclamation that Nintendo president Satoru Iwata is "leading the world out of the dark ages." Wow... way to lay on the hyperbole there.
- The major advantage of Nintendo Power has always been its ability to get information about Nintendo out there before anyone else. NP is the only magazine to go to for Revolution information for at least a few weeks. The Internet has lessened this advantage, but in the print world, Nintendo Power is still the first official word for all things Nintendo.
- The new layouts are, in a word, spectacular. Big, bright pictures and interesting text layouts fill every page. The new logo is a fine update to a classic. Well done.
- Nintendo is giving away 1,000 of the Zelda t-shirts that were being given at the conference away to lucky readers, but eager gamers can buy one now for prices hovering around $60 on eBay. Lucky them!
- @Second opinions in reviews. A community section. E3 trivia in the back. There's too much new stuff here for a quick preview. Expect more in-depth thoughts on the new NP soon.
Grade: B
Computer Games (Issue 175, June 2005)
I'll occasionally read an article on CGOnline, but this is my first time reading the print mag. Let's see what we've got.
- A nice simple cover featuring Serious Sam II attracts the eye but doesn't skimp on information about the contents. Very nicely done.
- Seven pages of ads before the table of contents. Why must you make me work to get to what I want?
- An editorial on lack of time to play games answers the implicit question from Wired above. More editorials from industry insiders later in the magazine provide some great perspectives on the industry. Note to gaming magazines: print more editorials!
- The letters section is full of in jokes and a writing style that is off-putting to this newcomer.
- Wow... four whole pages of coverage for the Game Developers conference. That's more coverage than a lot of magazines for this important event.
- Reviews feature some VERY LARGE star ratings, which distract a bit from the text, which generally seems to give the right amount of space to each game. No constricting formats here (I'm looking at you, EGM)
- interesting section on PC hardware, the Online scene, mods, Japan, the indie scene and... consoles?! Hey, if console mags have a PC section, I guess this is par for the course.
Grade: B+
Pocket Games (No. 17)
The only magazine I know of devoted to portable games. Why is this? There's so much interest in handhelds now, you'd think there would be some competition.
- Who needs anything else on the cover when the PSP is coming. Who needs anything else in the magazine, for that matter. Pocket Games goes understandably overboard with 20-some pages of coverage for the hot new portable.
- Despite all the PSP love, there's still a lot of space for lesser-known handhelds... and I don't mean just the DS. Gizmondo, Tapwave, NGage and cell phones get way more coverage than I've seen in any other print mag, and I say good for them. Press coverage can help determine the success or failure of a new platform, and the dearth of coverage for most of the recent portable systems has helped put nails in their coffin. It's nice to see someone looking at all the systems out there.
- For the PSP blowout, the Pocket Games crew interviewed staffers from Ziff's Official Playstation Magazine. Now that's synergy!
- I love the screen-above-text layout for the reviews. It's consistent without being constraining and familiar without being cumbersome. My only gripe is it's hard to distinguish between previews and reviews. Grouping both previews and reviews for one system together is an interesting concept, but it requires more distinction between the two.
Grade: A-
Sync
Ziff's replacement for GMR throws together girls, tech, cars and... more girls into a jumbled mess.
- That cover sure has a lot of text on it, but it's obviously window dressing for the scantily-clad waifish model staring out from the page. I hope GMR didn't have many female subscribers, because they just canceled their subscriptions.
- Even stuff that ostensibly has nothing to do with girls features pictures of scantily clad girls in Sync. Take the 100 word review of wireless headphones on page 87. The text is squeezed in the corner to make room for a bikini-clad girl in a swimming pool. Titillation at the expense of decent content.
- A three page spread on movies that should become games is actually kind of funny. The Napoleon Dynamite Dance Dance Revolution picture actually made me laugh out loud.
- I had never heard of Sociolotron, but it's the kind of twisted, genre-bending MMORPG that I'd expect game magazines to be leaping all over. Sync's two page spread earns it some brownie points...
- ...but the mag loses them all with this actual quote. "Is it true video games can decrease a guy's libido? Sadly, most game aficionados haven't had the chance to find out." (emphasis in original). Thank you, I want my money back.
Grade: D+
That's all for now. Look for thoughts on more free mags including GamePro, Game Informer, and the ubiquitous ShowDaily coming soon.
Wednesday, June 1, 2005
AftEr3: Cover or Participate? Why Not Both?!
The media does a great job of giving blanket coverage to nearly every booth at E3, but many people forget that some members of the media have booths of their own. E3 is a big source of content, but its also a great chance for publicity for these large media organizations. Ironically, it can be pretty hard to find information and opinion about these media booths in the media itself. In an effort to correct that a bit, here's my thoughts on the various media exhibitions at the show.
Ziff Davis
The strongest media booth by far, Ziff Davis' booth greeted visitors as soon as they entered West Hall. Booth babes standing behind a long counter handed out free Ziff magazines to the jostling masses lined up in front of them, creating quite a traffic jam at times. Inside the booth proper, four flat-screen TVs were on loop showing highlights of EGM's Dan Hsu, Jennifer Tsao and others giving their opinions on CNN's Headline News. Below them, more booth babes gave free Joystick Junkies shirts to people willing to subscribe or renew their subscriptions to a Ziff mag (who says booth's have to just cost money).
Subscribing also got you to the front of a longish line to get your photograph and 1up username on a 1up-branded photo ID... thing. When I asked the attendant what exactly this ID was good for, she suggested using it as a luggage tag. What a great idea! My luggage was very easy to pick out. The attendants also gave out light-up heart-shaped 1Up necklaces, to show your undying love for the Web site that gave you a free luggage tag.
Near the end of the show on Thursday, the Ziff booth turned in to party central, with a large group of 1up.com member-bloggers from a VIP list. I asked the attendant repeatedly what it took to get on the list, but she kept deflecting the question. Looked like a rather eclectic bunch -- some dressed up in video game outfits, some dressed in jeans and t-shirts, some dressed in khakis and button down shirts. Free smoothies and a love of 1up.com were enough to bring these myriad groups together in a strong show of brand loyalty.
Gamespot
Just to the side of 1up's booth, near the corner of West hall, sat Gamespot's grand booth. The front of the booth had an information desk where attendees could pick up buttons advertising things such as Gamespot's Button Mashing feature, the Games and Music Experience show (which Gamespot was promoting), and a general button that just said "Gamespot E3 2005." I can't envision the situation where I would wear any of these buttons, but I picked up a few anyway (I'm a big game journalism dork).
Just to the side of the info. desk was a highly visible elevated stage where Gamespot produced its live, streaming video coverage of the show. Throughout the three days an impressive string of developers, publishers and Gamespot personalities sat at the brightly-lit desk to share their thoughts. The interviews were amplified by large speakers to be audible for a long way down the aisles (quite an accomplishment amid the E3 din) and attracted fluctuating crowds of a few to a few dozen people. Short of free magazines to give out, this live stage show seemed to be a pretty effective way of trumpeting coverage.
The third major part of the Gamespot booth was what I took to calling the aquarium -- a glass-enclosed room where dozens of Gamespot employees toiled away tirelessly at computer keyboards, missing out on the show swirling around them to upload new pictures, movies, previews, etc. etc. Having to sit at a computer during E3 was bad enough, but being put on display for all sorts of passing attendees to gawk at struck me as a little unnecessary. Is GameSpot trying to show off the size and determination of their staff? Or did they just think their employees would work better with a little artificial light streaming in through the windows? Either way, I'd hide them from view next year.
IGN/GameSpy
IGN didn't have a booth on the main show floor, but they did have a private room upstairs, right next to the general media room in fact. I peeked in as I passed by, but I was too timid to barge in and demand access to what was no doubt a mix of serious work and serious schmoozing.
IGN's choice not to have a big, public booth like its major competitors has its pros and cons. On the one hand, it was probably easier for their editors to get work done away from the din of the show floor. On the other hand, IGN got far less publicity than its competitors by being hidden away from the main action. Give and take, I suppose.
G4
I didn't really check out G4's booth, situated in the lobby just outside South Hall, until the show was technically over and I was waiting for the rest of my party to get out of a meeting with Microsoft. They were trumpeting the fact that their live coverage was going until 6 p.m. even though the show ended at 4 p.m. on Friday. An extremely long line of people (that didn't seem to move) snaked around the elevated box of a stage waiting for a G4 T-shirt. To the other side, a crowd of stragglers played with a beach ball and cheered whenever the camera panned across them before or after a commercial break. During the taping, more than a few of the assembled called out some pretty embarrassing catcalls to X-Play's Morgan Webb, which she wisely ignored. Makes you proud to be a gamer.
Prima Games
Poor Prima Games. They get an A for presentation, adorning their booth space in the front of West Hall with a lot of open space and beautiful racks of strategy guides for perusal. But you just can't make people care. The glitz and glamour of the show floor was no match for the quiet, measured, publication-focused displays at the Prima booth. Heck, I don't think they even had a video screen. Most of the people at the booth seemed to be cutting through to get somewhere else. My advice: either spice up your image or maybe try Kentia Hall next year.
Nintendo Power
More an extension of Nintendo's massive West Hall booth than a booth of its own, the Nintendo Power area showcased the magazines new look and features with a roughly ten-foot tall, 20-foot wide tri-fold poster. In front of the display, an extremely cheerful booth attendant at a desk offered to scan attendees' E3 badges for a free, three-month trial subscription to the newly redesigned magazine. The attendant was very upfront about the fact that you would be charged for a year of the mag unless you cancelled after the trial. It's so refreshing when people are forthcoming about this kind of thing.
Yahoo! Games
True, Yahoo's booth was mainly devoted to promoting its game downloads and competition services, not its editorial content. But when pressed the attendants there did talk about Yahoo's GameDomain, the section of the site devoted to original reviews and previews of upcoming releases. This section may be getting an overhaul of its own -- from what I gleaned from booth attendants and journalists around the show, Yahoo will soon start licensing most of its editorial content from Gamespot and other similar providers. More on this as I find it out.
Giveaway kiosks
Other members of the video game press didn't have full-fledged booths at the show, but that didn't stop them from having a presence there. Established enthusiast magazines like Tips and Tricks and Game Informer gave out thousands of magazines at desk throughout the concourse, while attendees could pick up the latest copies of Wired, Nintendo Power, Video Games Transmedia, Game Developer and others from constantly restocked cubbies in the main lobby (the shoving masses of people pushing to get these magazines at the beginning of each day is always amusing to watch). In Kentia Hall I also picked up a copy of Now Playing, a general entertainment magazine from theglobe.com that advertises a "first look [at the] next generation Xbox" on the cover.
And let's not forget ShowDaily the oversized, stapled tabloid with content from Ziff Davis and an endorsement from the ESA... not to mention a handy map of the show floor and a ton of advertisements. These things were absolutely everywhere -- a small army of attendants was handing them out, and a whole lot of people seemed to be taking them, glancing at them as they walked, then dropping them wherever it was convenient. Many attendees probably took it just for the map, then got rid of it as fast as possible. Personally, I found the bound E3 Exhibition Guide to be easier to carry and more durable as a map of the show floor.
So what do you think? Who had the best media booth at E3? Should organizations that are covering the show even be participating in it? Does having a big booth give these large organizations an unfair advantage in covering the show? Hit the comments link below with your thoughts.
Ziff Davis
The strongest media booth by far, Ziff Davis' booth greeted visitors as soon as they entered West Hall. Booth babes standing behind a long counter handed out free Ziff magazines to the jostling masses lined up in front of them, creating quite a traffic jam at times. Inside the booth proper, four flat-screen TVs were on loop showing highlights of EGM's Dan Hsu, Jennifer Tsao and others giving their opinions on CNN's Headline News. Below them, more booth babes gave free Joystick Junkies shirts to people willing to subscribe or renew their subscriptions to a Ziff mag (who says booth's have to just cost money).
Subscribing also got you to the front of a longish line to get your photograph and 1up username on a 1up-branded photo ID... thing. When I asked the attendant what exactly this ID was good for, she suggested using it as a luggage tag. What a great idea! My luggage was very easy to pick out. The attendants also gave out light-up heart-shaped 1Up necklaces, to show your undying love for the Web site that gave you a free luggage tag.
Near the end of the show on Thursday, the Ziff booth turned in to party central, with a large group of 1up.com member-bloggers from a VIP list. I asked the attendant repeatedly what it took to get on the list, but she kept deflecting the question. Looked like a rather eclectic bunch -- some dressed up in video game outfits, some dressed in jeans and t-shirts, some dressed in khakis and button down shirts. Free smoothies and a love of 1up.com were enough to bring these myriad groups together in a strong show of brand loyalty.
Gamespot
Just to the side of 1up's booth, near the corner of West hall, sat Gamespot's grand booth. The front of the booth had an information desk where attendees could pick up buttons advertising things such as Gamespot's Button Mashing feature, the Games and Music Experience show (which Gamespot was promoting), and a general button that just said "Gamespot E3 2005." I can't envision the situation where I would wear any of these buttons, but I picked up a few anyway (I'm a big game journalism dork).
Just to the side of the info. desk was a highly visible elevated stage where Gamespot produced its live, streaming video coverage of the show. Throughout the three days an impressive string of developers, publishers and Gamespot personalities sat at the brightly-lit desk to share their thoughts. The interviews were amplified by large speakers to be audible for a long way down the aisles (quite an accomplishment amid the E3 din) and attracted fluctuating crowds of a few to a few dozen people. Short of free magazines to give out, this live stage show seemed to be a pretty effective way of trumpeting coverage.
The third major part of the Gamespot booth was what I took to calling the aquarium -- a glass-enclosed room where dozens of Gamespot employees toiled away tirelessly at computer keyboards, missing out on the show swirling around them to upload new pictures, movies, previews, etc. etc. Having to sit at a computer during E3 was bad enough, but being put on display for all sorts of passing attendees to gawk at struck me as a little unnecessary. Is GameSpot trying to show off the size and determination of their staff? Or did they just think their employees would work better with a little artificial light streaming in through the windows? Either way, I'd hide them from view next year.
IGN/GameSpy
IGN didn't have a booth on the main show floor, but they did have a private room upstairs, right next to the general media room in fact. I peeked in as I passed by, but I was too timid to barge in and demand access to what was no doubt a mix of serious work and serious schmoozing.
IGN's choice not to have a big, public booth like its major competitors has its pros and cons. On the one hand, it was probably easier for their editors to get work done away from the din of the show floor. On the other hand, IGN got far less publicity than its competitors by being hidden away from the main action. Give and take, I suppose.
G4
I didn't really check out G4's booth, situated in the lobby just outside South Hall, until the show was technically over and I was waiting for the rest of my party to get out of a meeting with Microsoft. They were trumpeting the fact that their live coverage was going until 6 p.m. even though the show ended at 4 p.m. on Friday. An extremely long line of people (that didn't seem to move) snaked around the elevated box of a stage waiting for a G4 T-shirt. To the other side, a crowd of stragglers played with a beach ball and cheered whenever the camera panned across them before or after a commercial break. During the taping, more than a few of the assembled called out some pretty embarrassing catcalls to X-Play's Morgan Webb, which she wisely ignored. Makes you proud to be a gamer.
Prima Games
Poor Prima Games. They get an A for presentation, adorning their booth space in the front of West Hall with a lot of open space and beautiful racks of strategy guides for perusal. But you just can't make people care. The glitz and glamour of the show floor was no match for the quiet, measured, publication-focused displays at the Prima booth. Heck, I don't think they even had a video screen. Most of the people at the booth seemed to be cutting through to get somewhere else. My advice: either spice up your image or maybe try Kentia Hall next year.
Nintendo Power
More an extension of Nintendo's massive West Hall booth than a booth of its own, the Nintendo Power area showcased the magazines new look and features with a roughly ten-foot tall, 20-foot wide tri-fold poster. In front of the display, an extremely cheerful booth attendant at a desk offered to scan attendees' E3 badges for a free, three-month trial subscription to the newly redesigned magazine. The attendant was very upfront about the fact that you would be charged for a year of the mag unless you cancelled after the trial. It's so refreshing when people are forthcoming about this kind of thing.
Yahoo! Games
True, Yahoo's booth was mainly devoted to promoting its game downloads and competition services, not its editorial content. But when pressed the attendants there did talk about Yahoo's GameDomain, the section of the site devoted to original reviews and previews of upcoming releases. This section may be getting an overhaul of its own -- from what I gleaned from booth attendants and journalists around the show, Yahoo will soon start licensing most of its editorial content from Gamespot and other similar providers. More on this as I find it out.
Giveaway kiosks
Other members of the video game press didn't have full-fledged booths at the show, but that didn't stop them from having a presence there. Established enthusiast magazines like Tips and Tricks and Game Informer gave out thousands of magazines at desk throughout the concourse, while attendees could pick up the latest copies of Wired, Nintendo Power, Video Games Transmedia, Game Developer and others from constantly restocked cubbies in the main lobby (the shoving masses of people pushing to get these magazines at the beginning of each day is always amusing to watch). In Kentia Hall I also picked up a copy of Now Playing, a general entertainment magazine from theglobe.com that advertises a "first look [at the] next generation Xbox" on the cover.
And let's not forget ShowDaily the oversized, stapled tabloid with content from Ziff Davis and an endorsement from the ESA... not to mention a handy map of the show floor and a ton of advertisements. These things were absolutely everywhere -- a small army of attendants was handing them out, and a whole lot of people seemed to be taking them, glancing at them as they walked, then dropping them wherever it was convenient. Many attendees probably took it just for the map, then got rid of it as fast as possible. Personally, I found the bound E3 Exhibition Guide to be easier to carry and more durable as a map of the show floor.
So what do you think? Who had the best media booth at E3? Should organizations that are covering the show even be participating in it? Does having a big booth give these large organizations an unfair advantage in covering the show? Hit the comments link below with your thoughts.
AftEr3: Just Another Photo Gallery
I know, I know... you've seen about 20 gazillion photo galleries from people that went to E3. But I bet none of them focused on the media that was at the show... until now (bum bum BUM!)
View VGO's E3 Photo Gallery on Flickr
View VGO's E3 Photo Gallery on Flickr
Tuesday, May 31, 2005
AftEr3: Press Conference Ponderings
Speaking of Nintendo's press conference, this year's was the first major first-party E3 press conference that I have attended. Some thoughts on the experience.
- Nintendo was the only console manufacturer whose press conference I could get into. I've already blogged about the problems others allegedly had getting in to Sony's conference, and I hear that invites for Microsoft's big press party were limited to only a few people from a few publications (though anyone with MTV got all the basic info.). Nintendo's seemed comparatively easy to enter -- give a business card, get a blue ticket for your swag (more on this later) and go on in, no need to even check against a list. Does this speak to Nintendo's comparatively more desperate need for coverage compared to the other two console makers?
- The conference itself started at 9:47 a.m., long after the 9 a.m. planned start time and even after an announcer said it would start "in five minutes" at 9:25. Announcements from the fire marshall explained that the delay was to make sure a clear path was available through the standing room only crowd in case of a disaster. I have to say, even after the throngs were moved closer to the walls, I felt that if a fire broke out, we were all doomed.
- The conference started out with some nice talk about Nintendo's history and philosophy from Nintendo marketing head Reggie Fils-Aime. Reggie had some fighting words for Sony in regards to the PSP vs. DS battle, but nothing nearing the infamous "kicking ass and taking names" line that introduced him to the world at last year's conference (more on that in a later post, I hope).
- The Elektroplankton demo was very impressive, but upon reflection, Nintendo's claim that every bit of sound there came directly from the game was a little suspect. I wonder exactly how much of that performance was actually running on the DS and how fooled the gathered press was by all the razzle dazzle (my guess for both answers is "not much").
- Nintendo reiterated its previously announced relationship with GameSpy to provide online gameplay for Nintendo DS titles, making them the first media outlet mentioned in the press conference (but not the last). These sorts of mentions are one of the perks of being on both the editorial and infrastructure sides of the gaming industry, I suppose.
- Reggie stressed that Nintendogs got a perfect score from Famitsu. The audience remained reverently silent. Do most of these people know what Famitsu is? Do they know how hard it is to get a perfect score there? Do they care?
- Reggie also mentioned that the game has "the game blogs panting and slobbering," a reference no doubt to The Puppy Times. Does one blog constitute a groundswell of support? Have I missed all the other gaming blogs that have panted and slobbered for the game? Is this yet another sign that blogging about games is becoming a rising force in the media landscape? Discuss!
- The crowd seemed pretty stunned when the Revolution was actually shown. Guess they hadn't read their USA Today that morning.
- One brave soul actually booed when Nintendo revealed that the Revolution would have digital rights management support. A one-word editorial in a press conference where no skeptical questions or non-Nintendo opinions were given any voice. I love it!
- There was an audible sound of remorse from the audience when it was revealed that Nintendo wouldn't be showing the controller today. I think part of the appeal of these conferences for the press is being able to say you were there when this or that mega-announcement was made. Looks like we'll have to wait a little longer for this one.
- The crowd went a little crazy when Nintendo revealed that 20 years of old Nintendo games would be downloadable on the Revolution. First of all, this fact had already been revealed by USA Today for anyone who did some light morning web surfing, so the level of surprise was surprising. Secondly, it was near impossible to tell how much of this enthusiasm was real. Two people in Nintendo shirts were sitting behind me at the conference, whooping very loudly throughout the presentation, often at inopportune times. I talked to them after the conference was over and they confirmed that they were being paid by Nintendo (Nintendo of Canada, specifically) to sit there and cheer on their employers. From the sounds of it, other pockets of paid supporters were dotting the audience, trying to drum up support at key moments in the conference. It's a surprisingly effective strategy... if people are cheering all around you, it feels somewhat uncomfortable if you're not at least clapping or showing some sign of interest. In this way Nintendo can cause what might be a stoic, cynical audience to become a welcoming, cheering one for chump change. Then again, maybe the audience is just filled with enough Nintendo fanboys to achieve this effect anyway. But if that's the case, why were there paid supporters sitting right behind me?
- Near the end of the presentation, Nintendo's president Satoru Iwata told the assembled press that we could "begin to make educated guesses on game experiences" based on the limited information about revolution features given that day. Way to encourage baseless speculation, Nintendo. I think Nintendo is hoping the press' "educated guesses" will generate a lot of baseless hype for the Revolution based on features Nintendo didn't even have to come up with or deliver. So get guessing, everyone! I'll start you off: "Maybe the next Mario game will allow you to play all the levels of the previous game that you download, except now they'll be in full 3D and you can use all the items from all the games and the controller will smell like mushrooms." Your turn!
- Nintendo's show ended an hour after it started, and the assembled crowd rushed out to be the first to post their Zelda: Twilight Princess videos on eBay.
AftEr3: Wood, Nintendo, and the G4 Marketing Machine
I'm back, and ready to blaze through all my notes and thoughts from E3.
First on the docket is G4's Tina Wood appearing at Nintendo's press conference. If you didn't witness this spectacle yourself, you can watch it on Gamespot. Tina is introduced about 23 minutes in by everyone's favorite cult of personality, Nintendo Chief Marketing Officer Reggie Fils-Aime. I'll let him speak for himself
"We thought maybe an outside perspective would help illustrate [Nintendogs], so we've given an advance copy of the U.S. version to Tina Wood, host of G[4]TV.com, the hit interactive show on G4 video game TV, and she joins us here today to put her puppy through its paces."
I'm pretty sure I made an audible gasp when I heard this announcement (this was drowned out by the Nintendo employees behind me whooping and hollering, but that's for another post). Wood proceeded to show off a dog she had made in the days before the conference and had the dog interact wirelessly with a Mario-hatted dog controlled by game creator Shigeru Miyamato.
Tina's appearance at the conference was probably attacked most vociferously by Brian Crecente of Kotaku, who wrote "it was sort of appropriate that the little affair wrapped up with Shigeru Miyamoto's dog fucking Tina Wood's." Wood defended the appearance on her own blog, writing "I did not do this to kiss the rears of Nintendo. I did it for the company I work for and am passionate about and the opportunity to work with a man I absolutely admire." Wood also mentioned that she did not get paid for her appearance.
Getting paid is not the issue here, though. The real question here is whether Wood herself, and G4 in general, want to be considered independent, journalistic entities or simply a part of the video game marketing behemoth. If it's the former, I think that letting Wood on this press conference is a mistake. Most of the gaming press was in the audience of this conference, reporting on the events instead of taking part in them. Generally, it is not the media's job to help a company make its pitch, and putting a major TV personality in that position doesn't help one's credibility. Even if Wood's participation didn't affect her opinions about Nintendo and its products, the mere appearance of a conflict to her audience should have been enough to give her pause if G4 wants to maintain a reputation of fair, balanced coverage of the video game race.
But that is a major assumption. I'm not sure that maintaining any sort of independence is G4's goal at all. I'm more inclined to believe that G4 is simply part of the game marketing machine, and anything they or any of their talent does should be taken with a large grain of salt.
Need evidence? Check out G4's press release section where they trumpet programming like "Nintendo DS Day," "Halo 2 Day" and "GTA TV," and programming promotions with GameFly and America's Army. Look at shows like Video Game Vixens and CinemaTech that show off game videos and characters with little to no intelligent commentary. Look at an interview with G4 founder/CEO Charles Hirschorn in the latest Game Informer in which he talks about G4 branching out to provide gaming services in addition to television programming. All of it points to an entity that wants to use its content mainly to help sell games rather than to analyze them.
This is not to say there's nothing worthwhile on G4, or that all of G4's content is totally controlled by advertisers. But moves like Wood's appearance at the Nintendo conference reinforce the impression I get that G4 as an entity is more interested in selling a lifestyle than in covering the business and art of gaming; more interested in providing entertainment than unbiased analysis; more interested in becoming Entertainment Tonight than the Hollywood Reporter.
First on the docket is G4's Tina Wood appearing at Nintendo's press conference. If you didn't witness this spectacle yourself, you can watch it on Gamespot. Tina is introduced about 23 minutes in by everyone's favorite cult of personality, Nintendo Chief Marketing Officer Reggie Fils-Aime. I'll let him speak for himself
"We thought maybe an outside perspective would help illustrate [Nintendogs], so we've given an advance copy of the U.S. version to Tina Wood, host of G[4]TV.com, the hit interactive show on G4 video game TV, and she joins us here today to put her puppy through its paces."
I'm pretty sure I made an audible gasp when I heard this announcement (this was drowned out by the Nintendo employees behind me whooping and hollering, but that's for another post). Wood proceeded to show off a dog she had made in the days before the conference and had the dog interact wirelessly with a Mario-hatted dog controlled by game creator Shigeru Miyamato.
Tina's appearance at the conference was probably attacked most vociferously by Brian Crecente of Kotaku, who wrote "it was sort of appropriate that the little affair wrapped up with Shigeru Miyamoto's dog fucking Tina Wood's." Wood defended the appearance on her own blog, writing "I did not do this to kiss the rears of Nintendo. I did it for the company I work for and am passionate about and the opportunity to work with a man I absolutely admire." Wood also mentioned that she did not get paid for her appearance.
Getting paid is not the issue here, though. The real question here is whether Wood herself, and G4 in general, want to be considered independent, journalistic entities or simply a part of the video game marketing behemoth. If it's the former, I think that letting Wood on this press conference is a mistake. Most of the gaming press was in the audience of this conference, reporting on the events instead of taking part in them. Generally, it is not the media's job to help a company make its pitch, and putting a major TV personality in that position doesn't help one's credibility. Even if Wood's participation didn't affect her opinions about Nintendo and its products, the mere appearance of a conflict to her audience should have been enough to give her pause if G4 wants to maintain a reputation of fair, balanced coverage of the video game race.
But that is a major assumption. I'm not sure that maintaining any sort of independence is G4's goal at all. I'm more inclined to believe that G4 is simply part of the game marketing machine, and anything they or any of their talent does should be taken with a large grain of salt.
Need evidence? Check out G4's press release section where they trumpet programming like "Nintendo DS Day," "Halo 2 Day" and "GTA TV," and programming promotions with GameFly and America's Army. Look at shows like Video Game Vixens and CinemaTech that show off game videos and characters with little to no intelligent commentary. Look at an interview with G4 founder/CEO Charles Hirschorn in the latest Game Informer in which he talks about G4 branching out to provide gaming services in addition to television programming. All of it points to an entity that wants to use its content mainly to help sell games rather than to analyze them.
This is not to say there's nothing worthwhile on G4, or that all of G4's content is totally controlled by advertisers. But moves like Wood's appearance at the Nintendo conference reinforce the impression I get that G4 as an entity is more interested in selling a lifestyle than in covering the business and art of gaming; more interested in providing entertainment than unbiased analysis; more interested in becoming Entertainment Tonight than the Hollywood Reporter.
Subscribe to:
Posts (Atom)