Going to the Circus [E3]

With E3 coming next week, take some time to remember this: The games industry operates a lot like pop music or blockbuster movies, in that the presentation and the wow factor are meant to tell a positive story that draws in the young.

It’s a circus. Tweeting, blogging, over excited interviews and press conferences are all pure show business. Good games come out of this process, but so does a lot of hypeware. Talent en masse tries to get noticed, and so the hubbub only loudens while the voices fade.

The real star is not the talent. It’s the circus itself. But is it out of date? Minecraft, Angry Birds, Farmville and many other hugely successful games never needed to go to E3. Meanwhile many developers who do attend sink without trace.

The lesson? It’s better to find your tribe in arenas where you can be heard rather than against the backdrop of elephants, clowns, acrobats and brass bands. A lone voice has more power these days than ever before, so pitch your own tent.

Comments

[MylesNye]

I recently discovered this blog and am so happy that I did. I've been enjoying reading your back catalog. I am an analog game designer, and one of our big silly physical games will be at E3, in the IndieCade booth. Please come by and say hello! I'd like to meet you. If there is a "you," and this web isn't just a highly unlikely Captcha.

[Tadhg]

:)

Unfortunately I won't be at E3 this year, so have fun with the game in my absence. I used to do some analogue stuff back before I became a video games person, so double best of luck from me!

Tadhg