Even offering free Extacy apparently was not enough to lure gamers out for yet another industry showcasing convention. The E for All gaming expo is going on right now, and you can tell by the deafening sound of crickets it is not an overwhelming success. The event most likely will not be repeating next year since the attendance numbers are about 1/3rd of capacity and I would assume that falls far short of the level required for profitability.

Is everyone at home playing Halo 3 or something? Microsoft announced early on that they would not even be attending the convention, setting an early precedent many other game development groups followed. The highlights of the show include a Super Smash Brawl booth which I would have been interested in seeing, as well as a Metal Gear 4 area. There was also a $3000 Guitar Hero tournament similar to what was seen at the World Series of Video Games, which also coincidentally got shut down. Maybe it's some type of voodoo curse being cast by guitar legends from the afterlife causing the epic failure of these events.

How many entry fees to they expect people to shell out for this type of event per year? The obvious reason for it's failure is the TWO HUNDRED dollar ticket price for a four day pass. What the hell is up with that? Pay 200 bucks to see Mario Galaxy a few weeks early? No thank you sir, I would rather go practically buy another entire Wii system. For a $200 entry fee only having a $3000 prize in the GH tournament is absolutely insane. Why would anyone travel to a convention to take that large of a risk for such a small potential reward? I've played in major gaming tournaments where 3rd place was $200 and I was very happy to walk away with that cash, so at E for All anyone who doesn't go is automatically a winner!