Barcodes replace mailed badges to stem tide of illegitimate attendees.
Have you or someone you know sneaked into E3 in the past, perhaps using an illegitimately acquired (or even counterfeit) badge to get in? Well it looks like it'll have been the last time, as the Entertainment Software Association has implemented new rules for this year's expo designed to make sure only the journalists and industry employees who are supposed to be there will be.
The key change is that instead of sending out E3 badges to registered journalists in the mail, those registered journalists will instead be sent an email with a barcode. They can then either bring a printout of the barcode or a copy of the email on their smartphone, the barcode will be scanned at the door, and only then will they be issued their badge. It's all designed to keep badges from being copied or sold online, which -- as an investigation by Gamasutra reveals -- have sold on sites like Craigslist for as much as $700 in the past.
"We think this is a solution that checks off a number of different boxes," said Dan Hewitt, senior director of communications & industry affairs for the ESA. "It will prevent some of the problems we've had with fake badges. It also increases efficiency at the show. It will speed up the process a lot."
Registration for E3 2011 opened yesterday, and already a number of big industry mainstays are confirmed exhibitors, including -- obviously -- Sony, Microsoft, and Nintendo, and also tons of third-parties like Activision, Electronic Arts, Sega, Capcom, and Square Enix, to name a few. You can check out the full list of exhibitors here. E3 2011 takes place June 7-9.
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