7 Deadly Gaming Sins: PRIDE

As much as we all enjoy the pomp and grandeur of events like E3, PAX, and The Game Awards, we have to be real here for a second and admit that these events are such massive ego flexes that it's almost comical.

In recent years, with the massive rise of popularity and mainstream attention that the video game industry was getting, events changed from being simple showreels of upcoming works to backslapping whooping contests that presented empty platitude upon empty platitude in a manner that turned development announcements into a carnival for the senses.

To see how far some of these live events have fallen, look to the Devolver Digital response videos which call out the PR-buzzword-heavy monologues, the fake manufactured gameplay segments, and the sheer aggressiveness that companies approach announcements with. As soon as a trailer drops, you're told to pre-order, as soon as a teaser rears its head, you're fed a line or a hashtag to pray to.

This is pride turned to pounds sterling, as egos are inflated, hype train tickets are sold, and a marketing assault on the senses begins that pumps up titles into "too big to fail" experiences, and we all know how that can end up.

There's taking pride in one's work, but these events seem more and more to just be absolutely desperate.