History of E3 Part 1: The 1990s

E3 is right around the corner, so it seems appropriate to rustle up a little history lesson in anticipation of all the crazy announcements. E3 (the electronic entertainment expo) started off in the heady days of 1995, just as the “next wave” of 32-bit consoles were making their first appearances on the scene. E3 1995 occurred in LA and was formed by the Digital Software Association (now the entertainment software association).

Throughout the ’90s, E3 grew into a giant beast of an event, with attendance swelling into the hundreds of thousands. The unveiling of countless huge titles, technologies, and hardware (like Gran Turismo, the Nintendo 64, The PlayStation 2, the Unreal engine, Ocarina of Time, and even Duke Nukem Forever) occurred at the expo, which really was the show for videogames up until just a couple of years ago. Events for big games and hardware releases became increasingly elaborate as the companies hosted ever-larger spectacles, including Nintendo’s infamous Cirque du soleil performers at the N64′s unveiling to the famed Sony parties with poolside massive-screen competitions.

The 2000′s brought even more spectacle to the conference, making it part bacchanal, part magic show, and part trade show. Check out part two for another quick run down E3 memory lane.

Read [GWN]