Enjoyment & Entertainment
E3 2019 vs E3 2021
Every E3 should strive to be entertaining, especially since Entertainment is literally its middle name. How it can achieve this, though, is more open-ended than one might expect.
To be sure, an E3 show can be entertaining and enjoyable by offering an interesting and engaging series of press conferences. The big reveals that were mentioned above definitely help with this. At the same time though, other things like good pacing, even showings among attending publishers and developers, or even memorable moments can go a long way in making an Expo feel like it was worth keeping up with.
For E3 2019, It’s hard not to say that it offered all this and more. The slew of big reveals were evenly spaced between each press conference, and the entire week of reveals felt like it maintained a high level of energy.
There was also no shortage of great moments which have endured and improved the show’s legacy. Small bits like Keanu Reeves replying to a fan’s compliment with “You’re Breathtaking!” and Jon Bernthal bringing his dog on stage with him left viewers and attendees loving the event and its atmosphere.
Likewise, the “So bad they’re good” trailers for games like Shenmue 3 felt more hilarious than depressing, keeping the gaming community talking and giving the games their desired attention.
Again, E3 2021 was lacking in comparison. While it did have big reveals that elevated the energy of the Expo, they were much fewer and farther between. Some of the new indie showcases alleviated some of the pacing issues caused by this, but there were still more than a few lapses in enjoyment for anyone trying to keep up with every announcement all week long.
As for noteworthy moments, they too were more sparse. We still got meme-worthy moments like Gearbox’s awkward Borderlands movie behind the scenes tour and Final Fantasy Origin’s obsession with Chaos, but otherwise it all felt pretty lackluster.
This likely won’t be as much of an issue come next year, but that doesn’t change the fact that this year was kind of disappointing and even boring overall.
Winner: E3 2019 takes the cake with ease in this category.
