'E3 begins next week. What do you, as a developer, get out of E3?'

Today, Gamasutra asked its Twitter followers a simple question: 'E3 begins next week. What do you, as a developer, get out of E3?' There's been plenty of debate over the place of the show in a shifting industry, and in fact, when the Gamasutra staff began to discuss the idea of asking its audience about E3 this morning, there was a conversation about whether or not an E3 question should be asked of Gamasutra's audience at all. "Does E3 matter?" has become a cliche -- something for journalists to trot out both before and after the show. Instead, we settled on one simple idea: Skip the debate -- E3 exists. Some may be subverting it. We've certainly pointed out its weaknesses. Still and all, it is here to stay for now. That being the case, what do developers get out of it? We got some interesting answers which you'll find below, but perhaps the most telling thing is that we got the fewest ever responses for a question we've asked on Twitter. If anything, that silence implies that the role of E3 has diminished in the hearts and minds of the development community. In the coming week, we'll see what the show has in store, as the console makers and giant software companies battle it out to capture mindshare on the internet. For now, take a look at your fellow developers' responses, and if you like, ponder your own relationship with E3.