E3 memory lane: Ars’ favorite moments from the show’s over-the-top past
Enlarge / This photo is exactly what it was like to be on the E3 show floor. Exactly. (credit: Aurich Lawson | Getty Images)
Today's news that the Electronic Entertainment Expo is officially, totally, and completely dead was a bit bittersweet for your humble Ars Technica Senior Gaming Editor. Don't get me wrong, I'll miss the chance to meet industry luminaries, connect with far-flung associates, and play games months ahead of time in a setting that's as much a theme park as a trade show. But after spending many a late night covering 15 E3 shows in 16 years, I can say that the crowds, the smells, and the sensory overload associated with the LA Convention Center aren't always all they're cracked up to be.
Still, those who have been there will tell you that, for a gaming fan, there was nothing quite like the bombast and spectacle of the E3 show floor in its heyday.
For those who haven't been there, we've sorted through literally hundreds of E3 photos taken by Ars journalists over the years to assemble a few dozen of the best into this visual travelogue-meets-history-lesson. We hope that skimming through the galleries below will give you some idea of the madcap event that E3 was and why it has generated so many lasting memories for those who attended.