The Covid-19 pandemic, which has kept people in their homes, has been a boost to video gaming but it has put the brakes on video gaming trade shows.

The world's most influential video gaming trade show, the Electronic Entertainment Expo (E3), was supposed to be held last week in Los Angeles, United States. But for the first time in the show's 26 year history, it was cancelled.

Last year, E3 drew 66,100 attendees, over 200 exhibitors and big wigs of the video gaming industry such as Microsoft, Activision, Nintendo, Nvidia, Sega, Square Enix, Ubisoft and Bandai Namco.

E3 joins a multitude of video gaming trade shows that have been been cancelled or postponed. They include Gamescom, Games Developer Conference (GDC) and Tokyo Game Show, which are among the major video gaming shows. The inaugural Gamescom Asia, which is supposed to take place in Singapore this October, has been postponed to next year in October.

In place of physical events, game developers and publishers have turned to digital events.

One prominent digital event is the inaugural Summer Game Fest. Organised by veteran gaming journalist and broadcaster Geoff Keighley, it collates details and timings of the digital events of participating vendors under one roof.

Its line-up of events started in May and runs to August. Participating developers and publishers include 2K Games, Activision and Bandai Namco. Sony and Microsoft are also included in the list.

A Microsoft spokesman says: "In light of the challenges presented by Covid-19, we are adjusting our event calendar and strategy. For the remainder of 2020, we are embracing the opportunity to experiment with new platforms to provide our partners, customers and developers the highest quality, digital-first experiences."

WILL VIRTUAL SUPPLANT PHYSICAL?

While digital events will be the norm this year and have been gaining momentum in recent years, a number of game developers, publishers, event organisers and fans told The Straits Times that they still prefer physical events over digital ones.

Mr Ronnie Tan, managing director of Gumi Asia, says: "In a physical game trade show, attendees will be focused on what is happening within the venue. This means that the information communicated will have a lasting impression."

The resulting word-of-mouth effect has helped further the reach of Gumi Asia's games, he says.

Gumi Asia, a subsidiary of Japanese game developer Gumi Inc., specialises in mobile games. It has attended many regional game shows and had planned to attend Gamescom Asia this year.

Mr Quentin Staes-Polet, Epic Games' general manager of Southeast Asia and India, says traditional game shows allow for physical interaction, on-site showcases and in-person demonstrations, which will always be richer in terms of human connection.

But he feels that both physical and digital events are relevant.

"(Digital events) have demonstrated stunning audio-visual capabilities and the possibility of creating immersive, hyper-connected and interactive virtual worlds beyond just the gaming industry. Concerts, movie premiers and conferences may never be the same again," he says.

Mega game developer Epic Games, probably best known for the blockbuster game Fortnite which has around 250 million registered players, has taken part in many E3s in the past.

Mr Shawn Toh, CEO and co-founder of local indie game developer BattleBrew Productions, says: "Communication (during business negotiations) tends to be slower online and you don't get a full sense of what a person might be like over voice or video, especially when it comes to trying to read body language and facial cues."

The seven-staff outfit recently attended Pocket Gamer Connect Digital - the digital version of the biggest mobile game industry conference in Europe - and has attended Gamescom a few years ago. Mr Toh says the biggest downer of not being able to attend physical events this year is not getting the chance "to show the crowd what we have been working on and not being able to talk to fans in person".

Mr Guilherme Fernandes, market consultant at games and esports analytics provider NewZoo, says: "Some games companies had already been moving away from trade shows and towards digital events in recent years."

He notes that Japanese gaming giant Nintendo has replaced its E3 press conferences with video streams since 2013, while Sony and Microsoft have also experimented with digital events and announcements.

"Ultimately, a shift to digital was already somewhat underway and coronavirus has simply accelerated this trend. For now, companies will need to find alternative ways to publicise their upcoming games and hardware. It is a matter of either evolving or being left behind," says Mr Fernandes.

Still, he says, there is no replacement "for the feeling of a full auditorium's palpable excitement over a particular event, such as Keanu Reeves appearing at E3 last year for Cyberpunk 2077". Cyberbunk 2077 is a highly-anticipated role-playing game set to launch later this year.

Mr Alexander Champlin, a senior esports analysts at market intelligence firm Niko Partners, says video gaming trade shows are opportunities for companies to build excitement around new titles and products, and for gamers and the media to try them out. Companies would also use such shows to research industry trends and test their latest products with die-hard fans.

ORGANISERS AND GAMERS LOOK FOWARD TO SHOWS MAKING COMEBACK

Ms Elicia Lee, managing director of gaming marketing and events firm Eliphant and founder of the GameStart Asia gaming convention in Singapore, says a key part of attending such game trade shows is the networking, which is hard to bring online.

With digital events, there is a lot less opportunity for "serendipity", she says.

Mr Fernandes says indie game developers rely a lot on these trade shows to grow their business, through expanding their networks and finding potential investors.

Gaming enthusiast Mr Khairul Sufiyan, 34, was looking forward to Gamescom Asia but expected the cancellation.

The public relations manager says: "The buzz at live events makes you feel like you want to explore. When you see people queuing and hear them raving about something, you immerse yourself in the excitement too."

Social media executive Ms Jazlyn Koo, 26, will miss attending game shows this year as there are limited chances of trying out new game demos in Singapore. She has attended Tokyo Game Show and every GameStart convention since its inception in 2014.

"These game shows give us a chance to try out new demos for ourselves. I remember when the Deus Ex: Mankind Divided was at GameStart 2015. I felt so excited just watching people play the demo right in front of my eyes. It's really something else to try the game for yourself," she says.

But it wil be the community atmosphere that Ms Koo will miss most. "There are cosplayers, gamers and the curious - people from all walks of life - gathering for a weekend because they share the same interest. It feels like you are really part of the community. It's very different from watching an online stream," she says.

Mr Aaron Yip, editor of local video game website GameAxis, who attended E3 15 times, says: "I definitely prefer the face-to-face experience during these gaming trade shows.

"For example, I would not be able to try out the game demo and chat with the developer or publisher at the same time."

He adds that being able to walk around at the show floor and discovering surprises, such a game demo that looks really unique that he didn't know about, is something digital events cannot replicate.

"Games still need to be experienced in person, for informed first looks and impressions to be delivered to the readers," he says, adding that a digital event could only work for a game reveal.