E3 2009 - electronic entertainment 2009

• Relationships major at E3
• News
• June 01, 2009 8:19 PM
• Paul Govan

One day into E3 2009 and we seem to have a theme emerging - celebrity. Each of the first three press conferences have rolled out some impressive celebrity figures. Microsoft had Paul McCartney, Ringo Starr, Stephen Spielberg and Tony Hawks, whilst EA had Pete Sampras and Ubisoft had Ridley Scott.

More than the name checking though is the ease and willingness at which these folk are happy to stand alongside our favorite videogame experiences. More than ever it seems that games are part of the fabric of our society now, and no longer the reserve of the hardcore gamer.

Alongside these names we find similar technological changes. Particularly interesting to a family gamer was the new ways to play together, as well as the new ways to control games. From the ability to connect LastFM, Facebook, Twitter and Netflix to your Xbox 360, to the new super simple Natal and Hawkscontrollers, it seems like there is a recognition that more casual gamers are more interested in relationships than technology.

As a Dad, I found two of the Natal demonstrations particularly interesting. Here we have a controller that lets you direct a game by standing in front of a camera and moving your body. With this simple concept we watched as they demonstrated a magical painting game - something my kids would love. The player could grab pots of emulsion and fling them onto the canvas, Jackson Pollock style, to impressively creative results.

The second demo using the Natal controller was the creation of a computer controlled character, a little boy called Milo, who could notice and respond to communication as subtle as a smile or as human as sunken shoulders. We watched as the player conversed with Milo, and had as genuine an interaction as you could imagine between a screen and a person.

Then came a moment of magic, when they lent forward to play the fishing activity and we could see their reflection in the pond they were poking and prodding. A simple idea executed seamlessly and without a visible controller.

Time will tell how well the technology stands up to rigorous (and untrained) testing - we should have a hands on for you soon - but hopes are high that this is a big step towards a whole different way of creating game experiences.