E3 not open to the public?

The Preacher · Post by **The Preacher** » Thu Apr 28, 2005 1:04 pm

What's up with that? A friend and I were jawing about going to E3 next year and then I click on their FAQ and get this nonsense:

Is the show open to the public?
No, E3 is not open to the public. E3 is a trade event and only professionals from the industry will be allowed to attend. Individuals who are not able to document their direct and current professional affiliation to the interactive entertainment industry are not qualified to attend E3. All E3 attendees are required to show government-issued photo I.D. (such as a driver's license or passport) upon request.

Goshdernit! What's an equivalent show for us schmucks?

OR... Can I become the Official Octopus Overlords E3 Investigator? Pleeeeeaaassseeeee...

The Meal · Post by **The Meal** » Thu Apr 28, 2005 1:06 pm

I was just going to extend to you our officialness.

Who knows what good that'll do you, but you've got my permission to put our name on the application.

Note, if we get into legal trouble (or worse, *I* get into legal trouble!) for extending you this offer, I'm taking out in Preacherblood. Just an FYI!

~Neal

The Preacher · Post by **The Preacher** » Thu Apr 28, 2005 1:08 pm

I will write up the inaugural front page. July 2006, baby!

The Meal · Post by **The Meal** » Thu Apr 28, 2005 1:10 pm

The Preacher wrote:I will write up the inaugural front page. July 2006, baby!

SOMEONE's been in the Kool-Aid!

~Neal

edosan · Post by **edosan** » Thu Apr 28, 2005 4:15 pm

Technically, E3 is "industry only." However, the year it was in Atlanta (that should tell you how long ago that was), I filled out a form to register and I went. I was pretty underwhelmed, what with all the vaporware on parade (I still have some playing cards that were a promo for Duke Nukem Forever and I got to try Sierra's Babylon 5 space sim game).

For an expo that claimed to be industry only, there sure were a lot of kids under the age of fifteen there.

Wholly Schmidt · Post by **Wholly Schmidt** » Thu Apr 28, 2005 4:29 pm

I'm pretty sure they've cracked down considerably since then, since just about anybody could throw up a website these days and make a weak claim at being "part of the industry."

It'd probably be fun to find a way into E3 someday, but I think I'm gonna set my sites on PAX this year. It sounds like a lot of fun from what I read about last year's.

Dhruin · Post by **Dhruin** » Thu Apr 28, 2005 7:27 pm

It's much harder. I'm sure there are "back doors" but in general you need to submit details of a site that is updated daily along with a business/tax registration to prove the site is a legitimate company and not just a blog etc etc.

Jeff V · Post by **Jeff V** » Thu Apr 28, 2005 7:31 pm

This is the first time in 6 years that I'm not going, and I'm not missing it a bit. Last year wasn't very fun at all.

It's still possible to get by with a half-assed website, but you need to make the effort to get a real business license for it or it doesn't count.

Ridah · Post by **Ridah** » Thu Apr 28, 2005 9:02 pm

I've gone every year for the past four years, last year was a blast because it was the 10th anniversary so they had some extra stuff. This year is supposed to have one of the biggest attendances yet.

I've always been able to get in as a GameStop employee myself, you don't have to go as the press.

morlac · Post by **morlac** » Fri Apr 29, 2005 11:48 am

edosan wrote:Technically, E3 is "industry only." However, the year it was in Atlanta (that should tell you how long ago that was), I filled out a form to register and I went. I was pretty underwhelmed, what with all the vaporware on parade (I still have some playing cards that were a promo for Duke Nukem Forever and I got to try Sierra's Babylon 5 space sim game).

For an expo that claimed to be industry only, there sure were a lot of kids under the age of fifteen there.

My friend used his photshop skills to make us some fake passes(he had one orginal) for the show in ATL. It was really easy to get into

.

kathode · Post by **kathode** » Fri Apr 29, 2005 5:53 pm

Yeah, they check a lot more thoroughly these days. Everyone who works here who's going had to send over W-2 copies to verify they worked here.

noun · Post by **noun** » Sat Apr 30, 2005 1:30 pm

kathode wrote:Yeah, they check a lot more thoroughly these days. Everyone who works here who's going had to send over W-2 copies to verify they worked here.

WTF? What do they need your SSNs for?

Tareeq · Post by **Tareeq** » Sat Apr 30, 2005 11:02 pm

noun wrote:
kathode wrote:Yeah, they check a lot more thoroughly these days. Everyone who works here who's going had to send over W-2 copies to verify they worked here.
WTF? What do they need your SSNs for?

Agreed. If I have a copy of your W2 I own you.

edosan · Post by **edosan** » Mon May 02, 2005 4:18 pm

Maybe I'm too hype-resistant, but E3 season is always a bore to me. I'd gladly wait until the game comes out to see how it REALLY is instead of how a marketing droid says it's going to be in 6-8 months.

nomorals · Post by **nomorals** » Tue May 03, 2005 3:56 am

I snuck in for a few years in LA about... 3-4 years ago maybe.

It was fun but not worth the hassle of finding a way in. It used to pwn when godgames was still around, they had KISS midgets running around the promised lot iirc.