It's officially geek week in Los Angeles as thousands of gamers descend upon southern California for the Electronic Entertainment Expo (E3). This is the biggest video game conference in America, and it's been running since 1995. Twenty-four years is a long time for anything to run in this age, when everything is constantly changing.
Video games are certainly older than 24 years old. Publishers and video game console makers like Sega used to attend other trade shows for years, to display their latest inventions. But after being put way in the back of places like the Consumer Electronics Show, game studios and hardware makers decided to found the Interactive Digital Software Association in 1994, and the popular E3 video game conference was established the following year.
Big names like Nintendo and Microsoft, along with smaller publishers and independent studios, bring out the big guns to announce the newest and hottest games. Thousands of fans pack into crowded theaters to watch trailers and hear announcements from creative directors and studio heads.
It's not just fun and games, either. Video games make up a bigger chunk of our country's economy than you might realize. CNBC reported the industry is worth nearly $150 billion. And studios across the continent employ thousands of programmers, executives, artists and more. So game on, folks.
Wonder if they'll announce a new Tetris game this year . . . .
Editorial on 06/13/2019