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Editorial – The Problem With Rage 2010

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RageProblem.jpg

I would just like to personally thank our reader Uncle for allowing us to repost this entry from his personal blog Uncle’s Opinion.

I attend rAge each year and while I’m never really blown away I usually always enjoy myself and spend a few hours there.

This year however I felt the expo took a step back from last year. Firstly certain games that were supposed to be on demo never arrived, for example Fable 3. Many people only come to rAge for a hands-on with an upcoming game. When the games are advertised to be there and are not there it’s a serious problem, whether it was the fault of the distributor screwing up or the developer not releasing code, it’s bad form.

It was laughable to walk past a GT 5 setup, look at the screen, and see a download progress bar instead of the demo.

Timing was also a major problem this year. There were some cool events supposed to take place but they all seemed to be running late. For instance the MMA exhibition match was supposed to start at 11h00 on Saturday and at 11h30 they still couldn’t find all the fighters. I got bored and left before I saw anything, not that I actually would have seen anything the viewing for just about every stand/game/demo/stage show was shocking. About 20-30 people could view at a time on most stands and they would congest the walk ways for everyone else and you’d have to be tall to see anything.

To fix this issue, they could make use of the main stage, which should be the focal point of the whole expo. I didn’t even see the main stage and most people I’ve spoken to didn’t see it either or didn’t go to it because it was hidden at the far edge of the expo. Demos, presentations, stage shows and even prizes all done right on the main stage can be used to create a excitement and a fun atmosphere. Bring back competitive gaming at rAge. I remember watching semi-finals and finals on the big screen and cheering on a team, where has that gone? A central main stage run on time with exciting things happening all day would really make the show. I think the dome as a venue has run its course too, why not try another venue without the terrible parking and circular limitations the dome has?

Games were tough to play most of the time. You need people controlling the demos/releases to ensure that everyone gets a turn. I watched 4 guys play PES 2011 and not move for 10 minutes to give other people a chance and this sort of thing happened to me throughout my time at rAge 2010. Not only should people’s time be limited but also the people managing the game should know how to play it. I asked the guy at the EA MMA demo how to defend against take downs. He casually replied “Oh, I don’t know” before walking away, which pissed me off! If you are going to pay money to setup an exhibit and hire people to attend to it at least put in the goddamn effort to have them know how to play the games you demo!

Finally my last gripe is with the free stuff given at rAge. I love free stuff like anyone, but I saw 2 guys almost come to fisticuffs over a stretched/damaged t-shirt… a t-shirt people. Attendees were fighting over free plastic pens and general nonsense stuff that they won’t touch in a few days. It was honestly disgusting to watch and made me ashamed to be a gamer due to the mob mentality. Raffle tickets or, as I’ve seen previously, questions about the company/exhibitor are great ways to give away prizes and things are kept orderly.

All in all I was disappointed with rAge 2010. The gaming community really needs to demand better organization and efficiency in the expo. This year felt lackluster and not well thought out. Just my opinion.

You can visit Uncle’s personal blog, Uncles Opinion, by clicking here.

Last Updated: October 5, 2010

31 Comments

  1. Christo Le Grange

    October 5, 2010 at 11:50

    hahaha!talking about the crowds …this dude was giving away a xbox game while i was standing in line for the kinect, and he gathered such a big crowd of kids in the hype for 1 GAME…and the crowd nearly killed each other and almost knocked me over in the process…in the end , i saw the game was all torn up, and i doubt that the disc was fine after the horde got to it.

    Reply

  2. EtienneK

    October 5, 2010 at 11:52

  3. Christo Le Grange

    October 5, 2010 at 12:09

    I say , F#ck it!….lets start our own expo…The LAZYGAMER EXPO.
    1)COD tournie
    2) Starcraft 2 tournie
    3) 4 hardware manufacturer stands (ASUS, MSI, Dell and Razor or some other company)
    4) 4 Retail Stands (L&Listen, BT, Take2 and Kalahari)
    5) Microsoft, SOny, CORE, Megarom, Nu Metro and SK from the distribution and exclusives.
    6) +- 4 oddities ( clothing, tattoos or food)
    5) the biggest bar you’ve ever seen at a gaming expo..you get DROS or SPur or something to sponsor it

    thats it, you have it 2 times a year, 1 in PTA/JOBURG
    and later the year in Cape Town.

    Telling the retailers, the money you lose from the specials, you make up in advertising of the big tournies and tv/radio adds for the LAZYGAMER EXPO.

    THATS F#UCKING IT!…nothing more nothing less…no world records, no nothing, satisfy the mass gamers first.

    You charge the visitors R80-R100.
    Guaranteed specials and guaranteed fun with the tournie and at the bar…

    now paste this in a word doc and post it to any potential investor.

    Reply

  4. Christo Le Grange

    October 5, 2010 at 12:11

    …sorry, the bar should be point number 7…in fact the bar should be point numbers 7 to 10…

    Reply

  5. Nick de Bruyne

    October 5, 2010 at 12:26

    Mini-bars at every console stand

    Reply

  6. Christo Le Grange

    October 5, 2010 at 12:33

    nick, come on!think about it!it will be awesome, a over 18s gaming expo,from there, you can imagine the possibilities…lets just say,you won’t have to attend Sexpo on the same weekend as LAZYGAMER EXPO.

    I think you should just quit your job and start driving this thing,Nick!come ON!!!

    Reply

  7. koldFU5iON

    October 5, 2010 at 12:37

    @Christo LOL! love the concept 😛

    With regards to the article it definitely is an interesting perspective to come from as consumers ultimately go there expecting one thing and get delt something else.

    What happens behind closed doors is an entirely different matter of course. I can only speak for myself as we tried very hard to get key titles to rage but due to security concerns,embargoes, and brand comms we were unfortunately not allowed to show certain games. It’s unfortunate but that’s the nature of the beast,also there’s a chance that consumers still wouldn’t have had the chance to play the game either and only watch.

    It also comes down to budgets and what each exhibitor can afford to put on the floor, shows aren’t cheap especially building customs stands or rigging a stage so sponsorships are required, sometimes just out of reach of key exhibitors.

    I agree that the stage could’ve been utilized a lot better this year as well as positioned better but space is constantly a concern as well as safety for consumers walking around the show. However we had a full stage when we did our demo’s which was great.

    Ultimately for me it was a great show for a few reasons, for one just about all the distributors attended the show: Megarom, Microsoft, Sterkinekor, EA Games and Nu Metro.

    On the bright side of not having some of the bigger AAA titles we got a chance to show off our other titles that sometimes don’t get the praise they should.

    I think personally it’s a case of, think of what we’re getting rather than what’s being done overseas we’re nowhere big an industry to even dream of pulling off shows like E3, Gamescom or Eurogamer. What we have is small industry that’s growing fast but we should never jump ahead of ourselves and have a show that’s not going to be able to justify the costs of attending.

    It’s sad to see so much negative attitudes about the show, as it’s our only show in South Africa and while it’s not perfect it shouldn’t be deprived of the good it brings to the country, I attest still to this day that Borderlands succeed as well as it did in SA because of rAge. Additionally I’d recommend that instead of issuing negative press or comments of forums and news sites that you maybe send your thoughts to NAG with constructive criticism?

    Reply

  8. Uncle

    October 5, 2010 at 12:44

    Look don’t get me wrong, I enjoyed the show and will go again but the fact remains that the logistics are seriously lacking. A simple map, better layout and central well promoted stage would have changed the entire event.

    Besides the games not being there, which was annoying because they were punted hard by various distributors, managing the playable demos would have been better. It sucks when you want to try out a game in 3d but can’t because someone is hogging it.

    Nothing against the distros being there and their stands but the organisers of rAge should put in more effort in terms of layout and timing. For instance put stands likely to be less busy next to really busy stands.

    It doesn’t take loads more money to plan things better. I think rAge organizers should seriously consider a new venue, it could really help.

    Reply

  9. Uberutang

    October 5, 2010 at 14:58

    They should alternate it between JHB, DBN and CPT.

    Each city has a unique flavor to add.

    Also make it more a expo and less a LAN (who still lans? – I know PC gamers and kids sans internet, but heck that is so 2001).

    Reply

  10. Uncle

    October 5, 2010 at 15:07

    The LAN is probably the best thing about rAge and its actually how rAge grew and originated. I once went to the rAge LAN when there was no expo, was still great fun!

    I agree that rAge organizers should consider having their expo in DBN or CT too, however it also depends on the distributors and exhibitors. Market research is in order!

    Reply

  11. Bobby Kotick loves James

    October 5, 2010 at 15:21

    I vote for a Gaming Sexpo! I’m sure the lads at Lazygamer would be keen on that. Games + Sex = Awesome!

    Reply

  12. Nick de Bruyne

    October 5, 2010 at 15:27

    A Gaming Expo with strippers? Consider it done.

    Reply

  13. Uncle

    October 5, 2010 at 15:28

    rAge is actually almost there, booth babes who strip, better patent the idea quick before Lazygamers does :whistle:

    Reply

  14. Uberutang

    October 5, 2010 at 16:18

  15. Uncle

    October 5, 2010 at 16:23

    And I bet 60% or more of that is porn 🙂

    Reply

  16. J

    October 5, 2010 at 20:23

    And add a mini bar …

    Reply

  17. Gavin Mannion

    October 5, 2010 at 21:30

    Gaming Sexpo with alcohol…. sold…

    Not sure the local authorities will be as keen though

    Reply

  18. Gavin Mannion

    October 5, 2010 at 21:34

    to be fair the queues at E3 were also a complete nightmare and not exceptionally well managed.

    Some of the guys gave you a time limit while the others just let you do whatever you wanted.

    All the big titles were well run though and I would have expected to hear some great stories coming out of rAge about GT5, Killzone 3 and Kinect but that hasn’t been the case.

    Looking forward to making it through next year though.

    Reply

  19. Fusionx

    October 6, 2010 at 00:13

    ahh… No specials, delayed or broken promises and incompetant product salesman..

    And make it at the MTN Expo Centre – Nasrec.. Bigger lan, more space, and proper parking. The place exists for a reason.

    But 2011 Rage will be the same…. or will it? :ninja:

    Reply

  20. Rez

    October 6, 2010 at 10:10

    I got ran over at least twice by mobs of kids running from booth to booth for free stuff.

    Also both Assassins Creed Brotherhood and Dead Space 2 were only in PS3.

    Reply

  21. Christo Le Grange

    October 7, 2010 at 13:15

    dude, i totally agree with you, who still lans?!or a better question, who LANS if you can buy a uncapped for R500 a month!??

    Reply

  22. Christo Le Grange

    October 7, 2010 at 13:18

    Well, then split it up! keep the rAge lan…
    but call the expo, the SA Video & Awesomeness Gaming Expo!…the SA VAG Expo…lol!!

    Reply

  23. Christo Le Grange

    October 7, 2010 at 13:19

    …show dem t!tt!es!…show dem, show dem!

    Reply

  24. Christo Le Grange

    October 7, 2010 at 13:25

    on a FINAL NOTE, can someone please give me an answer wrt to the EFFING MS Live crap?

    In the MS press release for Rage they OBVIOUSLY made a false promise regarding MS LIVE SA, because I did not spot a thing about MS LIVE at the show???
    Some clarification would be nice.

    Can we assume its with the Kinect release?!

    Nick, can you please send one of you famous emails to that chickie from MS again and post something about that.

    ….and Fable 3 wasn’t there as well, but thats another conversation on its own

    Reply

  25. James ODST

    October 7, 2010 at 13:48

    I don’t know Christo, I’ve been eyeing them with my beady vulture eyes, and I’ve always been cautiously optimistic (with emphasis on the cautious) about local Xbox live.

    November is inching closer and we haven’t heard anything from them, which either means they’ll release it as a huge surprise or they’re banking on our gullibility again. In other words, it was never going to be released, and they were merely dangling the carrot again.

    After all Microsoft ZA have been promising local live since we first got the 360 in South Africa, and so far they’re yet to deliver.

    Reply

  26. James ODST

    October 7, 2010 at 13:52

    Local Live could be coming with Kinect, but in this case no news is not good news.

    Reply

  27. Christo Le Grange

    October 7, 2010 at 14:10

    My optimism is beginning to dwindle i can tell you that…but everything was pointing to a Rage release, thats what IRKs me the most!

    This is a exert from the OFFICIAL MS press Release:
    “For avid online gamers, there will also be the opportunity to see what Xbox LIVE holds for South Africa and what the service entails. For those that haven’t gone out a bought their own copy yet, Halo: Reach will also be at the stand to play around with.”

    …and then no excuse , or delay date or anything from their side. (If they did release some or other follow up press release or apology, then i just havent seen it)

    and that is, to put it in my mother tonque, “kak styl”..

    we could only hope that no news is good news…thx Sir james

    Reply

  28. Geoffrey Tim

    October 7, 2010 at 14:12

    We’ve been told it’s definitely coming in November, with a tentative release date of November 10.

    Reply

  29. Geoffrey Tim

    October 7, 2010 at 14:13

    Ms is being surprisingly low key about the whole Live affair – but we’ve been assured again that it IS coming.

    Reply

  30. James ODST

    October 7, 2010 at 14:27

    Sharpen your pitchforks lads 😛

    The National Gamer Amalgamated and Democratic but Socialist Union (NGADS) will go on strike on November 10, unless Microsoft delivers Local Live or government provides us with a 10% wage increase.

    Reply

  31. Christo Le Grange

    October 8, 2010 at 11:00

    hahah…pitchforks sharpend..check!and the “Proprietary Entertainment National Industry Spescialist” too…
    P.E.N.I.S will also be picking up their wooden …pickets!

    Reply

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