Gamers descend on E for All Expo
LOS ANGELES _ The possible meltdown of the economy didn't stop video game enthusiasts from getting their game on at the E for All Expo. Gamers lined up before the doors opened Friday at the Los Angeles Convention Center for the three-day event, which allows attendees to get their hands on a compact selection of the latest games and technologies.
Joseph Olin, president of the Academy of Interactive Arts and Sciences, said he believes consumers will find more value for their money with the popular interactive medium during economic strife. While he said he doesn't think the game industry will go unscathed, Olin expects games will again experience strong sales during the upcoming holiday shopping season.
"I think what will happen is that consumers will be more discerning in terms of what they want to play," Olin said on the show floor. "I think you're seeing an uptick in people playing demos on consoles to check things out. I think that's why E for All is a great idea because you have the opportunity to play before you make that transaction."
The consumer-focused expo was launched last year by IDG World Expo in response to the Entertainment Software Association's annual Electronic Entertainment Expo closing its doors to the public and morphing into the invite-only E3 Media and Business Summit. E for All organizers said last year's event in the same location attracted 18,000 attendees.
"I came last year, and this time I really wanted to be first inside," said Emmitt Conklin, who was among the first in line before the show hall doors opened. "I'm most looking forward to seeing 'Gears of War 2.' I heard that it will be in playable form inside, which is cool because that game doesn't come out until next month."
Unlike E3, the Leipzig Games Convention or Tokyo Game Show, the E for All Expo doesn't boast behemoth presentations from publishers and developers debuting never-before-seen games. Of the big three gaming companies -- Microsoft, Sony and Nintendo -- only Microsoft has a presence at this year's expo with a booth dedicated to Xbox 360 Games for Windows.
Many games on display at E for All, such as "Lego Batman" and "Mercenaries 2," had already been released. However, expo retailer Target showcased a few upcoming games, including "Guitar Hero World Tour" and "Shaun White Snowboarding." Developer Ubisoft used their camouflaged booth to preview "Far Cry 2," an open-ended first-person shooter set in Africa.
"Originally, E3 was here, and E for All was supposed to be the successor, but it's a little smaller than I thought," said Bernd Weber, who drove down with his wife from Mountain View to attend the gaming expo. "I guess it's still going to be interesting to see what's going on, and see what they have to play here."
Other E for All events scheduled throughout the weekend included a costume contest; opportunities for attendees to go head to head with old-school gamers, such as Steve Wiebe and Todd Rogers; the U.S. finals of the World Cyber Games, an Olympic-like gaming competition that will be held later this year in Cologne, Germany; and the Game Career Seminar.
"It's great to have opportunities to show that this can be a career," said seminar speaker Scott Steinberg. "You can make a career out of playing and enjoying games. It's not just a pastime for teenage shut-ins anymore. Venues like E for All and the Game Career Seminar give people a chance to learn about the industry."