Digital Trends

Annual video game industry gala the Electronic Entertainment Expo (E3), held May 10-12 at the Los Angeles Convention Center, drew a whopping 60,000 industry insiders to Tinseltown for a look at tomorrow''''s hottest digital diversions and sweetest next-generation consoles.

Although a good 10,000 people fewer showed up than last year, most of those unaccounted for were, happily, the hordes of frothing fans notorious for previously making traversing the show floor a precarious proposition. And, wouldn''''t you know, like the event''''s organizers, who''''d made an active push to limit the number of random pedestrians at the convention, so too did Microsoft, Sony and Nintendo cut back on press conference and party invites.

The net result was a gala more controlled than chaotic, less insane than plain old intriguing. (Those seeking a clever metaphor might consider the case of booth babes, who, in the wake of mounting controversy, were forced to wear jean shorts vs. bikini bottoms, if not curb their on-site presence.) All of which, of course, conspired to make things a little easier for broadcast, print and online media, who were able to take in much more of the sights than ever before.

Electronic Entertainment Expo