The largest electronic video gaming trade show which was once called E3 and closed to industry only, took over the Los Angeles Convention Center last weekend October 18-21 with their new consumer version E for All, attracting 18,000 hardcore gamers, loads of new video game releases, and new concepts for electronic companies such as HP and Intel.
"We are thrilled with the attendance, and we are pleased that we delivered the event we aimed for, which was a celebration that truly was for the entire game community," said Mary Dolaher, CEO, IDG World Expo. More than 70 leading interactive entertainment companies participated, including competitive gaming organization Major League Gaming, the Video Games Live concert, the "Into the Pixel" art exhibit, and the Game Developers Conference and its Game Careers Seminar series.
Interestingly, other companies are associating themselves with gaming as they see the power of the future development in entertainment such as Target-sponsored Activision's Guitar Hero II competition, a Los Angeles pro basketball player showdown between Corey Maggette and Derek Fisher, appearances by professional gamers Johnathan "Fatal1ty" Wendel, and MTV Games and Electronic Arts' Rock Band mobile tour which was featured on MTV during the weekend.
Some of the most highly anticipated releases where the MTV Games series and the Guitar Hero II competition. Basically, MTV Games combined with music-based developer Harmonix and Electronic Arts (EA) to create a competition experiences that allows gamers to become the “ultimate rock fans and budding musicians” as they participate in a “Rock Off” audition for an opportunity to appear on MTV’s TRL. With the Guitar Hero II competition, which was sponsored by Target, attendees could win up to $8,000 in cash if they impressed judges and wowed live audiences rocking out to the new sounds of Guitar Hero II.
“There are a lot of different types of gamers out there, but Guitar Hero has become a phenomenon among both hardcore and casual players alike,” said Troy Peterson, the Senior Buyer for Target. It also allowed fans to check out Guitar Hero III: Legends of Rock before it launches next week. As our results show in our North American Youth Culture Study—Fall Report ‘07 Guitar Hero games in general have transformed many aspects of the video gaming marketplace not only in the types of interactive games 13-25-year-olds like to play, but has greatly increased the participation level of younger gamers and women gamers in general.
Intel launched their Core 2 Extreme processor technology at the show to demonstrate “commitment to the community of gamers,” said Danny Cristofano, the Global Sponsorship Manager of Intel. While HP debuted the Blackbird 002 and other products for enhanced gaming experiences via their PC’s.
