Gamecock's E3 funeral mourns an old friend
While we were preparing for the Joystiq Reader Meetup, friend of the site – and games business journalist – N. Evan Van Zelfden made his way to the death of E3 funeral and wake and filed this report:
On the last day of E3, after Barker Hanger had closed, and the Fairmont had rolled up their sidewalk, people began to gather for what was to be the one moment of cohesion during a week of complete decentralization. Walking into the courtyard of the Hotel California – where publisher Gamecock held their relaxed demos parallel to E3 – there was a scene like that of another lost institution of the videogame industry: the lobby of the Fairmont in San Jose.
This courtyard was filled with some five-to-ten percent of the Business and Media Summit's total attendees – and these were the people most worth talking to. As a hundred conversations flowed, and beers were handed out, a man on stilts walked by. Later followed by a woman, also on stilts. That didn't seem to bother the crowd, which included the director of the Game Developers Conference, top print and broadcast journalists, dozens of bloggers, plenty of PR people, game journalists, and game makers both elite and rank-and-file.
A booth babe, barely dressed in black, and wearing zombie make-up, made her way through the crowd. A number of the attendees are holding black umbrellas with the Gamecock logo on it. Others have black handkerchiefs embroidered with a red logo.
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The event was put on by Gamecock as the closing ceremonies not only for this Media and Business Summit, but for the E3 that used to exist for ten spectacle-filled years. Now, some of the attendees are tapping their tambourines between gulps of beer, waiting for the march to begin. A half-dozen booth babes in black dresses, wearing hats with veils, make their way to the front. The drums start, the talking stops, and everyone starts walking. Down the alleyway to Muscle Beach, and then south along the boardwalk to a small pier on Venice Beach.
The jazz band begins to play "When the Saints Go Marching In." Along the side of the walkway, tourists and beach regulars alike stare, often with mouths agape. "What is this?" one guy on a scooter asks as he's passed. Hundreds of photos are taken by bewildered tourists, and by bloggers taking place in the march. Camcorders are pulled from beach bags, while some of the sunbathers join the tail end of the parade. The band continues to play.
Much has been written and said about this E3, but what is worth noting is that the show lacked all flair, spark, and enthusiasm. Several publishers said in private they expect this to be the last show. But during the Gamecock E3 Funeral – titled "Up In Smoke" – for an hour or two that all drifted away, and the attendees began to enjoy themselves without asking "what's the future for game industry events?"
Camera crews followed the procession, and for a time so did beach Police, driving in the sand on four-wheelers, keeping a close eye on this walking code violation waiting to happen. But the bagpiper continued to play clear and true. Upon reaching Venice, proper eulogies were given, via megaphone. The choir sang a hymn to the old E3, and the booth babes danced and gyrated one last time. Afterwards, everyone walked across the beach to a bar, where they did what everyone does at a wake: drink and tell great stories about the deceased.
Not everyone will mourn the Electronic Entertainment Expo, certainly. And not everyone paid their respects at the Gamecock funeral for that event. But those who did will always remember it with a smile and a chuckle.
