> ## Content Index > Fetch the complete content index at: https://www.smdp.com/llms.txt > Use this file to discover other available public pages before exploring further. # E3: Let the games begin - URL: https://www.smdp.com/e3-let-the-games-begin/ - Published: 2007-07-13T15:00:00.000Z - Updated: 2026-10-24T02:17:37.000Z - Author: Melody Hanatani - Tags: Business, Santa Monica Airport, #archive-import *Video game summit more exclusive now, but the thrills persist* SANTA MONICA AIRPORT It was just another day at the office — long laborious hours filled with nothing but playing video games. The Barker Hangar was packed on Wednesday with hundreds of busy video gaming professionals, controllers in hand, slaying demons, burning rubber and scoring touchdowns through the interactive medium of video games. Sure, it sounds like a dream job filled with nothing but play time, but the approximately 4,000 people who touched down in Santa Monica to attend the E3 Media and Business Summit this week are here strictly for business, catching a glimpse of the best the gaming industry has to offer in the coming months. For the first time in its 12-year history, what was once considered one of the largest video game conventions in the world is being held in Santa Monica. Hosted by the Entertainment Software Association, E3 — Electronic Entertainment Expo — had been staged in the Los Angeles Convention Center from 1995 until 2006, attracting in upwards of 70,000 industry professionals and dedicated video gamers. The three-day event, which opened on Wednesday and concludes today, has been scaled down considerably this year, transformed from a massive trade show attended by tens of thousands of people to an intimate, invitation-only business summit. Still, the hard-core video game fan isn’t being completely shunned from the magic of E3\. An event similar to the old convention, called “E for All,” will be held at the Los Angeles Convention Center in October. The summit is being held in various sites throughout Santa Monica, with the main exhibitions being hosted in the Barker Hangar and small video game demonstrations, press conferences and private meetings held in local hotels such as the Loews Santa Monica Beach Hotel and the Le Merigot. The Barker Hangar has been temporarily transformed into a video game fantasy — bright green, orange and red lights shining from overhead. The exhibitor’s hall was filled with the sounds of more than a hundred video game soundtracks, making the hangar sound more like the world’s largest arcade. Crowds surrounded video game demo stations set up on the showroom floor. Each exhibitor — which included everyone from software companies like Electronic Arts and Activision to video game console masterminds like Nintendo and Sony — was allotted a cluster of about three to six playing stations, each projecting a yet-to-be-released video game on a high definition screen. Tokyo-based Square Enix was showcasing new versions of some of their most popular series — “Final Fantasy” and “Dragon Quest” — in the handheld Nintendo DS and Sony PlayStation Portable. One of the games being promoted was the “Final Fantasy Tactics” for the Sony PSP, a game meant to serve as a preview for another “Final Fantasy” game, which has yet to be announced by the company, said Amy Jones, the public relations specialist for Square Enix. One of the most popular and crowded stations on Thursday was the Electronic Arts cluster, with groups of men huddled around the highly anticipated “Madden NFL 2008,” where two gamers were caught in a match-up of the Dallas Cowboys and the Cincinnati Bengals. A few feet away, another crowd was gathering around “NBA Live 2008.” “We have had steady traffic at the event,” said EA Publicist Jen Riley. “We’re getting very positive feedback.” Another popular stop was the Nintendo Wii booth, where a line of men were waiting patiently for one gamer to finish playing the new “Mario Galaxy.” Around the corner, Wii representatives were demonstrating how to use a new balance board that will accompany the Wii “Fit” game. The balance board is meant to be stood on and will be used for video game activities such as yoga and aerobics. The Wii is Nintendo’s newest body simulation video game console that debuted late last year. The new format for E3 was met with varying reactions. Jones felt the new summit was much more intimate, less crazy, allowing her to focus more on dealing one-on-one with buyers. A buyer for the video game distributor Basco, Jaikishin Basantani said he preferred the old format. “The more people that come, the more interactive it is,” Basantani said. Either way, for Santa Monica to host E3 has meant huge economic benefits. “We’re always glad to have nice clean business like that taking place — it fills up the restaurants, helps with the retailers,” said Jim Lynch, the president of the Santa Monica Chamber of Commerce. “Clearly, it benefits the hotels. “I think it’s a win-win-win situation for everyone.” *Originally published in the Santa Monica Daily Press print edition on July 13, 2007.* [Read the original PDF.](https://s3.us-east-1.amazonaws.com/smdp%5Fbackissues/071307.pdf?ref=smdp.com)