EB Games Expo 2011: OXCGN’s Exclusive First Interview

Sun, Sand, Sex…and games: Is this an ‘E3 for the public’?

by: dkpatriarch and Allegionary

©2011 David Hilton and Alex Hilton

Sun, sand, sex and now…games.   Yes it ruins the alliteration of the sentence, but now there’s another exciting reason to be on the Gold Coast in October.

The EB Games Expo 2011 is Australia’s first gaming event of this magnitude and is inevitably tagged Australia’s version of E3.

OXCGN’s father and son duo, David and Alex, ask Ryan Lock, Marketing and Events Supervisor for EB Games, about the upcoming show.

Personally, having lived 8 years on the Gold Coast and its sprawl, I’m happy to be out of the place, but the upcoming hit games like Assassin’s Creed: Revelations, Battlefield 3, and Uncharted 3 will bring me back.

For my son, Alex, who was born there and with the event taking place around his birthday, it is a spiritual return to where it all began- bulldroppings!  He just wants to see games, games, and more games.   Who has time for sand and hot Meter Maids anyway?  He thinks there might be Booth Babes instead.

I’m not so sure.  But let’s find out what there will be:

Interview with Ryan Lock: EB -’sounds like E3′? 

Alex: I think most Australian gamers have been wanting something like E3 here for ages. How did EB Expo come about and is it modelled somewhat on the E3 in L.A.?

Ryan: We agree that Australians have been missing out on a quality gaming expo for far too long! Our staff have enjoyed the opportunity to experience games before their release date for many years at our internal events and we believe Australian gamers should have the same opportunity.

Compared to other gaming events, the EB Games Expo is a unique event in itself. It is a platform for Australian gamers to play and see gaming content that isn’t available to the general public with live presentations from developer and publisher special guests! It will also be a general celebration of gaming in Australia, including fun cultural activities and events!

Alex:  E3 is where the world hears new game and console announcements, as well as hear about the games already announced. Can you tell us if there is the chance of any new announcements at EB Expo, or is this more a showcase of existing titles?

Ryan: There will be a massive range of awesome titles that are yet to be released and the Expo will be the place to experience those games early. Publishers generally announce their year’s upcoming games at each E3, so we don’t expect new games or consoles to be announced at the EB Games Expo. Last year we had playable code for COD Black Ops, Gran Turismo 5, Dragon Age, Duke Nukem Forever and Mario Galaxy just to name a few. We expect this year’s line up to be even better!

David: The big difference between E3 and EB Expo is that it isn’t only for media but is open to anyone who buys a ticket. Was this always the plan, and now that it is happening what is the goal of the show, since it isn’t only focused on impressing media? Does the fact that publishers can reach gamers directly at the show change any of the approach?

Ryan: The big difference between E3 and the EB Games Expo is the lack of long drawn out press conferences. It is all about experiencing gaming at its best with hands on time with unreleased games and fun, live presentations/shows.

In addition to the hands on aspect of the show, we plan to make the weekend to be a festival of gaming culture and all it has to offer. From tournaments to cosplay and music to art, there will be something for everyone.

For those who are into cosplay, head over to the EB Games Expo website to sign up for the cosplay competitions. The competitions are run in conjunction with Madman, so it will be loads of fun with plenty of awesome prizes to be won!

Alex:  E3 is known to be huge and overwhelming. Without only saying the square metres being filled, how big will this Expo be? How many publishers and companies will there be, and will their spaces be filled with big showy visual E3-like stuff, or be more like a really cool Home Show?

Ryan: The EB Games Expo will fill the entire Gold Coast Convention and Exhibition Centre – over 10,000 square meters of exhibition space alone! In alphabetic order the following publishers and exhibitors will be present: 2K, Activision, Bethesda, Bluemouth, Capcom, Codemasters, Disney Interactive Studios, EA, inComm, Konami, Logitech, Mindscape, Namco Bandai, Nintendo, Parrot AR.Drone, Plantronics, PlayStation, PopCap, QVS, Razer, SEGA, Square Enix, THQ, Turtle Beach, Ubisoft and Xbox 360. Each publisher and exhibitor will kit their own booths out to fully feature their showcased product, so expect some cool looking spaces!

David:  Enough E3 comparisons now (you knew there would be some!). Will gamers get to play early code of upcoming games, or is this a logistical nightmare because everyone will fight over the EA booth trying to play Battlefield 3? Or will it only be staff demonstrations or formerly released titles?

Ryan: The content that each publisher and exhibitor will feature will begin to be announced soon on the EB Games Expo website. Without going into details, the publisher booths will feature a mix of playable code for unreleased titles and staff demonstrations. Keep your eye on the website to find out what will be featured and how by each publisher!

David:  Because this is being organised by EB Games there has unfortunately been some cynicism and negative comments. Because there is an EB Games temporary store there I think they are worried that there will be a large focus on advertising and buying games more than showing new gaming stuff. What would you say to these people to ease these concerns?

Ryan: For starters, there won’t be an EB Games store at the Expo. There will be an EB Games interactive space with loads of fun activities for people to get involved in! From interactions we’ve had with the public to the publishers there is a great sense of excitement around the event. The EB Games Expo is about having fun and getting hands on with unreleased product and not about making a profit.

Alex:  With limited seating for the EB Live Show, what can those who miss out do at the Expo? What other ‘shows’ or attractions will there be there?

Ryan: EB Live will take place in the massive 2,000 seater EB Arena. If a particular EB Live session proves so popular that it reaches capacity, seating will be available on a first in best dressed basis.

If we believe a particular EB Live presentation will be popular it may be scheduled more than once over the weekend to ensure the maximum number of attendees can see the presentation.

There is a huge range of activities to partake in outside of the EB Live and the EB Arena. Firstly, the actual exhibition! Gaming’s biggest publishers will be filling the Gold Coast Exhibition and Convention halls with plenty of gaming goodness. There is also a bar and food area, gaming culture activities, cosplay, world cyber games space and more announcements to come. It will be hard to experience everything in one session!

David: A lot of people will not really know what to expect, this being the first one done; it must be a nightmare for you planners. What have been the greatest challenges so far?

Ryan: We are lucky in the fact that we have been running a scaled down version of this event for our internal staff for over 10 years, so it has just been a matter of super sizing it. The biggest challenge so far has been trying to figure out how to fit so many amazing product and cool ideas into just two days and a limited space!

Alex: Thank you for your time!  The event sounds like it will be a fantastic experience for the public and OXCGN is looking forward to it!

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©2011 David Hilton and Alex Hilton

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