I have to say, I don't remember hearing of "winning" a game expo until last generation.
Not E3, PAX, TGS or anything else. It was just everyone shows their wares and that was it. Then last generation it became "oh company z won" and the like.
I personally hate it because it adds even more fuel to the fanboy wars that grow worse by the year.
I think the idea of 'winning' E3 (etc) is great!
Sure, there are some people who take these things too seriously, but all this competition makes companies do better than they previously have. The quality of games is going up day by day and that's a great thing, isn't it?
Competition is good for gaming companies so having to 'compete' at one of the larger events is a good incentive for them to show off what they are working on and make it worthwhile for the fans and customers.
I thought such fanboy wars were a thing of the past. I think the whole craze began in the early 2000s by crazed and obsessed gamers, before E3 set up the press conference meeting style.
The question of "who won" has always existed... since basically the beginning of E3.
As for why it exists? Because:
1- gamers like to discuss.
2- fanboys (those who pick a console and stick with it) like defending their company.
3- companies like the extra attention (it keeps people talking about them for longer, aka free advertising).
Plus it's just fun to talk about who won and why we think they won.
I agree that competition is great as it encourages companies to come with their A game to E3. WIth that said, way too much stock is put into "winning" E3 and it is part of the preorder culture propblem that we have. People get hyped over who "won" E3, preorder games way too early, end up disappointed, and the company stilll gets to go home with their money because the consumer was too hyped up to make a bettter decision and wait until release day to read reviews and make an informed decision.
Billion dollar industry. Competing companies packed in a small area for a short duration of time. Observers who obsses over winning and beating stuff.... yeah.. it has always been like this.
