The Electronic Entertainment Expo is just around the corner, and there’s always a great deal of hype and zeitgeist generated by the teased, shown and playable games. It’s one of those times where it’s easy to get kind of swept up in the moment, losing sight of the fact that you are being messaged the whole time. Developers and publishers want you to think of their game above all others, and they also want to show you their games in a very favourable light. This can lead to hyperbole during the show and then a crashing reality once the game actually ships (or is delayed). It doesn’t mean games at E3 won’t end up being great games. On the contrary, many games at E3 will end up delivering the goods. But we all have to understand that E3 is a big marketing machine, first and foremost.

This marketing focus is a big reason why reveals often do so well, as just invoking the name of some long-dead franchise (or something new) gets people all riled up. There’s no reason to be excited other than the sheer possibility of what could be in store, as we have no real gameplay to base this excitement on. Just the same, CG trailers and sizzle reals are meant to show a representation of a game — or a very cinematic version of in-game assets. These can be just as deceiving, as we’re seeing highly touched-up visuals that are presented in angles we won’t normally see during gameplay. This has always been especially true in sports games, as we conventionally play most of them (baseball, hockey, soccer, football) from very static angles. NBA 2K has been kind of the exception to this, as it’s the one game where you can viably play from the television perspective, meaning there’s less of a gap between what’s initially shown and what you eventually get.

NFL 2K16 is probably not being announced at E3...again.

And even the reveals that we want to see rarely materialize, which is another reason to keep expectations in check. Will MVP return? Will NFL 2K ever come back? What about Fight Night? These are always questions we enjoy kicking around, but the reality of modern game development is that big bets like this are the exception, not the rule. It’s the reason EA is limiting development on UFC and PGA to every couple of years, and it probably also helps explain the somewhat rough road that some of the games had getting to the new generation of hardware.

Take something like the alleged Joe Montana Football 16. Whether it materializes or not is one question; what kind of game it will be is another. It’s one of those things that comes alive more in your mind than it probably does on paper, as then it becomes something fallible that has limits and considerations. On top of that, today’s sports game landscape means that everyone views a product like that with a different lens. Some probably want it to be an Ultimate Team spin-off, with fantasy leagues and tradable cards. Others might want a retro experience that brings something new. Then again, the largest chunk of potential fans just want another football option to go alongside Madden. It’s all much more exciting when it’s a big mystery. Revealing that mystery has some magic, but it has to be carefully considered since people now know the scope and scale.

That said, games don’t have to be vapourware to throw people off the scent of reality. Last year’s NHL 15 was a perfect example, as the game shown on the show floor had some blemishes, but the promise was there for something great when the full product released to the public. As we all know, that was all part of the PR plan, which is what companies are generally going to do. By carefully concealing some of the major gaps in features and modes that would be felt in that game, the developer was putting its best foot forward by talking about new presentation and gameplay. That was the narrative at that point. The line when asking developers about things like EASHL and GM Connected was: “We aren’t talking about modes yet.” These are important warning signs, as you have to realize why a developer might be oblique when talking about features of a game that is completing development a couple of months after E3. The narrative always needs to be controlled, and E3 is a heavily controlled environment.

The Golf Club is a bit of a different animal, as it’s an example of something that didn’t actually demo that well at E3, but it’s obviously a very unique game. The funny thing is that it’s a smaller developer, and they have less to hide in a way. The whole game was available for play, and developers were on hand to helpfully show what the game could do. Even though that’s an ideal level of access, it’s still hard to get a good sense for a game in the midst of a loud show floor and with limited play time. It didn’t reflect poorly on The Golf Club, but it didn’t really make a big splash. It’s the type of game you have to play, and the developers probably knew that all along. They weren’t really trying to control a narrative, and they knew the game would just have to work its way into peoples’ hands.

There are smaller indie games that can make a splash at E3, though. The likes of Videoball, Super Mega Baseball, Powerstar Golf, Oli Oli, Football Heroes and many more are games that show well, mainly thanks to their presentation and multiplayer features. These games can often develop some word of mouth, generating a bit of buzz throughout the show that then gets turned into some coverage. This gives people a surprise but also some real gameplay impressions to be excited about, bypassing some of the hype and reveals that other games use as window dressing. I’m hopeful that this year’s E3 will have a couple of smaller sports surprises for us. It’s always nice to walk up to something with no expectations and then walk away with it instantly being on your radar.

There’s certainly nothing wrong with getting excited about E3 and the games it brings to us. It’s fun to get caught up in the moment and remember that this industry can still create a lot of happiness and enjoyment in various forms. But we also have to remember that this is a business, a business that deals with large amounts of money. When that much money is involved, the messaging is going to be measured, and the bets that companies take will get safer and safer. It’s never good to be driven to the point of cynicism, but you should always be asking questions about what you’re seeing. Sometimes, the massive attack that is E3 can make that hard to do.