As it was my first time at EGX, I went in with my mind open. At least that’s what I told myself but having seen coverage of previous events I had a decent idea of what to expect, certainly in layout but not clientele. Anyone dreaming of a utopia of mixed sexes, floating from stand to stand in balance and harmony would be naive. If EGX is anything to go by console and PC gaming remains a predominantly male pastime, with an age range between mid teens to late twenties. Women were such a noticeable minority that I barely recall seeing any there. A real shame.
Regretfully, I feel obliged to report that the sweaty, smelly and unkempt stereotype is alive and well. Even at 09:00 and in an outdoor queue, the body odour was overpowering at times. Folks – if you’re reading this – a quick shower, brush of teeth and clean clothes will work wonders. Trust me.
I recognised a few faces I admire from the internet but my courage failed me at key moments so Laura Dale, Matt Lees, Mike Bithell – I’m sorry. When my chance came I bottled it. Yours, a shamefully star-struck thirty-five-year-old.
Come on, people – take a shower!
It would have been quite easy to spend half a day there people-watching, just to see various behaviours but ultimately folks go to these events for different reasons. For me it was a whistle-stop tour of developers. I wanted to talk to the people who made the games, to understand what made them tick and the motivations to dedicating your life to a single project. It wasn’t long before the meet, greet, chat, interview, play test, interview again rhythm kicked in and by the end of the first day I’d got my patter set for the second.
The event was arranged simply with those with the biggest and loudest budgets given the ground floor and the 18+ games and Indie developers the first. It’s a fairly logical set up but did mean that the real gems were often tucked away in the crowed Rezzed zone. I hope that the switch to the NEC next year allows for a more expanded area for the smaller studios to show their wares because there simply wasn’t enough floorspace to fit all the people in.
More floorspace for awesome indie developers, please.
Looking back, I wasn’t expecting anywhere near the amount of people or queueing required. Volume was a real issue too and even with headphones on it was near impossible to listen to some of the games over the louder exhibits. I’m not sure quite how to solve it but there was definitely a much quieter feel in the press area which was no doubt due to the partitioning and smaller population. If there’s a way this could be applied to other parts of the show I’m sure it would be welcomed by all.
The big budget Xbox, PlayStation, Ubisoft and other areas want to be loud and heard above the rest. It suits their brand and generates attention, I get that. Some balance between big PR shout-fests and developers keen to chat and talk about their projects would have been nice though and simply separating the floors didn’t work.
Our very own press room – get in!
Square Enix in particular recognised this and held a function in a nearby pub in which they showed off a few upcoming games and a special presentation of Life is Strange. The slower, quieter pace of this was a welcome contrast from the all-action Earl’s Court and suited the vibe of the game they wanted to demo.
Much as my overall impression of EGX was as a pop-up video game theme park, I came away having thoroughly enjoyed my time. Yes, I would have liked access to the brains behind the big budget games but I found a niche community in the Rezzed area that was welcoming, friendly and nothing but complimentary of each other. It’s made me want to meet more of them and more importantly play their games which, after all, is what EGX is all about.
