Electronic Entertainment Expo (E3)

Overview

Electronic Entertainment Expo (E3) is an annual videogame trade exhibition run by the Entertainment Software Association. During the fair, videogame developers unveil new games and hardware during presentations and in booths purchased on the show room floor.

Background

E3 was co-founded by IDG’s Infotainment World and the Interactive Digital Software Association in 1995 as an exhibition for the computer and videogames industry. Prior to the creation of E3, videogame creators attended the Consumer Electronics Show and the European Computer Trade Show, which covered a broad area of consumer technology products. For gaming news sites and communities, E3 is one of the most significant annual events, bringing in sneak peaks of new hardware and software in development for gamers.

Notable Developments

The first event was held from May 11th to 13th, 1995 in Los Angeles, California, which featured the unveiling of Sony’s PlayStation videogame console and Nintendo’s Virtual Boy game console.

• May 16th – 18th, 1996: The second E3 featured Nintendo’s unveiling of the Nintendo 64 console, Capcom’s preview of the first Resident Evil game and Square’s teaser video for the game Final Fantasy VII.
• June 19th – 21st, 1997: The third E3 featured previews of the game Half-Life and Unreal.
• May 28th – 30th, 1998: The fourth E3 saw the introduction of the game Duke Nukem Forever.
• May 13th – 15th, 1999: The fifth E3 featured unveiling of the Sega Dreamcast and the Nintendo GameCube.
• May 11th – 13th, 2000: The sixth E3 featured a trailer for an early version of the game Halo: Combat Evolved.
• May 17th – 19th, 2001: The seventh E3 introduced the Nintendo GameCube and the Microsoft Xbox consoles.
• May 22nd – 24th, 2002: The eighth E3 saw Microsoft’s unveiling of the online multiplayer service Xbox Live.
• May 14th – 16th, 2003: The ninth E3 marked Valve’s unveiling of the game Half-Life 2.

Related Memes

Reaction Guys / Gaijin 4Koma

Reaction Guys / Gaijin 4Koma is an exploitable 4-pane comic series featuring two photographs of IGN employees. The first photo, in which the men appear uninterested, was taken during Nintendo’s 2003 E3 press conference during the announcement of the game Pacman vs.. The second photo, in which the same men appear excited, was taken one year later during Nintendo’s E3 press conference during the announcement of The Legend of Zelda: Twilight Princess.

E3 Sony 2006

When Sony unveiled the Playstation 3 at E3 2006, a demo was shown for the game Genji: Days of Blade. During the live demo, the player was shown encountering a large enemy crab to which the narrator proclaimed, “you attack its weak point for massive damage.”

During the same press conference, Sony Executive Deputy President Kazuo “Kaz” Hirai announced the PS3 would cost “Five hundred and ninety nine U.S. dollars” at launch. The quote became infamous for being an extremely high price for a console. Hirai also spawned another phrase “Ridge Racer” (With the words usually being elongated) when talking about a Ridge Racer game at the press conference.

My Body Is Ready

“My body is ready” is a catchphrase that often associated with images where the subject is posed in a sexually inviting manner. It originated during Nintendo’s 2007 E3 press conference when the Wii Fit peripheral unit was unveiled by Nintendo executive Reggie Fils-Aime who proclaimed, “My body is ready”. The line was later referenced by Reggie himself during Nintendo’s E3 2012 conference.

WABAM! / The Bottom of An Avatar’s Shoe / Well BAM

WABAM! / The Bottom of An Avatar’s Shoe / Well BAM refers to an accidental glitch which occurred when Microsoft unveiled their upcoming motion controller Project Natal (now known as Kinect). When Microsoft’s Kudo Tsunoda demonstrated the Kinect’s abilities, he said “You ever wonder what the bottom of an avatar’s shoe looks like? Wabam! There it is.” At the same time, his on-screen avatar glitched showing its right arm protruding through his torso and his left arm and legs twisted into an awkward pose.

Translator San

Translator San / He Just Doesn’t Give a F**k refers to the Japanese-English interpreter Takayuki Nushida who became the subject of an exploitable photoshop meme after translating at at E3 2009 using a pen and notepad.

Remember Me? / MBD

Remember Me? / MBD (Mysterious Black Dude) refers to a character who appeared in a trailer for the game Metroid: Other M at Nintendo’s 2009 E3 press conference. In the trailer, the character removed his visor and asked “Remember me?” despite never having being introduced before.

Mr. Caffeine / Doodly Doodly Doop

Mr. Caffeine is the stage name of television personality Aaron Priceman, who hosted Ubisoft’s press conference at E3 2011. During the presentation, Priceman’s jokes were generally met with uncomfortable silence from the audience, receiving negative reviews from many gaming publications. As part of Ubisoft’s 25th anniversary, the press conference featured videos of Ubisoft franchises such as Driver, Tom Clancy’s Future Solider, Just Dance and Assassin’s Creed. To transition between the conference and these videos, Priceman would make the sound effect “doodly doodly doop” while moving his hands left to right.

Non-Specific Action Figure

Non-Specific Action Figure is a figurine featured during Nintendo’s pre-E3 direct conference designed to showcase the Wii U’s online features. The conference showed a player talking to the figure, often directing questions towards it.

Search Interest

External References

^[1]Wikipedia – Electronic Entertainment Expo

^[2]3dsbuzz – E3 Nintendo Conference Rundown