E3 is over

[JWeinCom]

One of my favorite songs is Video Killed the Radio Star by Bugles.

This was the first music video played on MTV. It was in a way a celebration of the new medium and its potential. But, at the same time, it was a recognition that something irreplaceable had been lost. It was about the joy and sorrow that is an inevitable part of progress.

E3 had to go the way of the horse. It simply didn't make sense to try and reach a room full of insiders in the gaming media. The gaming media isn't what it was, and is largely dispersed among youtube channels, message boards, etc. Gamepro and IGN are no longer the only way to get your things in front of people. And of course, you can just reach the fans, as Iwata would say, DIRECTLY. And it makes so much more sense to put out your video on your own day and not have to compete with all the other announcements.

But there was something special about E3. Back in the days before the internet, the E3 edition of Gamepro was beyond exciting. It could be months between big game announcements, and all of the sudden there was an orge of gaming news. There was the competitiveness of it as well. It wasn't enough to have a good lineup, you had to compete with all the other people out there and get them talking. Then once the internet was a thing you could put on your fanboy hat and argue about who "won" E3. Did it really matter who had a better showing that particular day? Maybe not, but it sure was fun.

So, even though it was a long time coming, I'm still pretty sad. Sadder than is reasonable considering that there are real problems in the world. Sure I'll get gaming news delivered... constantly... more than I could even really handle... but it will never be quite the same experience.

We can't rewind we've come too far. Nintendo Direct came and broke your heart.