The reborn E3 of 2009 marked a return to the booming, bustling style of the show’s heyday, and the spirit of the revitalized event was evident in the energy and enthusiasm of the 41,000 attendees. And while the hundreds of games on display in elaborate booths (often promoted by celebrities and attractive booth models) are the main focus of the week’s festivities, the chance to meet face-to-face and share a pint with distant colleagues, old friends and new contacts is surely one of the best parts of E3.
On Wednesday evening, June 3rd, the Access Gaming Practice hosted a mixer at the Moroccan-themed Hotel Figueroa, where top members of the gaming and consumer press rubbed elbows and reminisced with executives and game designers from some of the industry’s top publishers and development studios. Writers and editors from outlets like the New York Times, Kotaku and GamePro shared stories and enjoyed drinks and taquitos with the folks from Disney Interactive Studios, SEGA, 2K Games and 2K Boston (famed creators of the original BioShock) while the Access Gaming Practice team mingled with old friends and forged new relationships.
It’s hard to overestimate the value of these rare, casual, face-to-face meetings between press, publishers and PR professionals. Too often, busy schedules and crushing deadlines can cause the relationships between media and the PR people who pitch and assist them to devolve into cold, “just business” associations – which ultimately hamper the opportunities for inventive games journalism. Events like the Access Gaming Practice mixers offer a fun and informal way for people on both sides of games journalism to learn about the people they work with, but rarely get to see (mostly without the burden of media being pitched or PR folks being prodded for secret information). When media and PR people get to know each other (which games they are playing these day, what they’re looking forward to most, and even who they’re rooting for in the NBA finals) a professional bond is formed that allows both sides to be more creative and ambitious in their collaborations.
The Access Gaming Practice will continue to host our media mixers at E3 and other industry events like GDC, so look for your invitation. We’re always eager to talk about games and enjoy making new friends – especially when food and drink are involved.
You can check out the invitation to the E3 mixer (featuring our trademark beer dispensing robot) here: http://www.accesspr.com/acc/e309/
- Ryan Jones
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