In a survey sent out to customers who've signed up for the company newsletter (like myself,) GameStop is shopping around a new free customer rewards program that would see visitors earring points for every dollar spent or game traded, which can then be redeemed for various prizes and special benefits, including "An all-access entry pass into E3 or Comic-Con."

Of course that particular reward is listed in the top tier of benefits, requiring a customer rack up 501+ points. According to the survey information, 10 points will be rewarded for every game, system, or accessory traded in, along with one point for every dollar spent. Points are accumulated throughout the year, depleted once traded in for benefits ranging from coupons and trade discounts to "A life-sized video game character like a Master Chief Statue" or "A free trip (air, hotel, plus the all-access entry pass) to E3 or Comic-Con."

I am guessing there will be some steep stipulations for that trip, and these details could very well change. I can blow through $500 at GameStop in a good month, and that's not even figuring in trades.

Check out the full listing, directly from the survey, below. Note that a 12-month Game Informer subscription is one of the Reward Level 3 benefits, which might lend itself to the new Elite Program included in the survey, which you can see following the first listing.

GET IN THE REWARD GAME WITH GAMESTOP REWARDS

Now you can earn points toward great rewards, just for buying or trading at GameStop. – a little "thanks," from us to you.

It's FREE to join. It's GameStop Rewards. All you have to do is sign up with your email address at your local GameStop and you'll get a membership card so you can immediately start earning points. As a member, you will also get sneak peek previews of new titles delivered to your inbox or mobile device, a 3-day free trial on previously owned games and early access to trailers and other new insider game content.

HOW TO EARN POINTS: Flash your card whenever you make a purchase or trade and you'll earn 10 points for each game or system you trade in and one point per dollar spent on new and previously owned games. Accumulate and spend your points all year long. Choose from a variety of rewards from the GameStop Rewards catalog. Cool, new and exclusive stuff is added every few months!

There will also be bonus and double point earning opportunities throughout the year, which means you reach higher levels - faster.

HOW TO GET REWARDS: Here are examples of point levels and the kind of rewards you can earn. Go online any time to check out the GameStop Rewards catalog, or we'll let you know at least once every few months that GameStop has added new rewards – like exclusive collector's items or rare game-related rewards and experiences that you would expect from GameStop.

REWARD LEVEL 1: 1-100 POINTS

* A coupon for 20% off a strategy guide
* A free beta version of a new game
* A one-time power trade offer – 15% bonus trade-in credit

REWARD LEVEL 2: 101-250 POINTS

* A one-time power trade offer – 20% bonus trade-in credit
* Various opportunities to customize content like a team logo, stadium or Xbox lobby background
* Discount off a collector's edition of a game
* A one-time-use certificate good for a $5 shipping fee with the purchase of any new game

REWARD LEVEL 3: 251-500 POINTS

* A12-month subscription to Game Informer
* A one-time power trade offer – 25% bonus trade-in credit
* Exclusive in-game accessories like a weapon, player or instrument
* An exclusive mini-game
* Access to chat and provide feedback/ideas directly to game developers
* One free previously owned game

REWARD LEVEL 4: 501+ POINTS

* An all-access entry pass into E3 or Comic-Con
* A life-sized video game character like a Master Chief Statue
* One free new game
* A $50 GameStop Gift Card
* A free trip (air, hotel, plus the all-access entry pass) to E3 or Comic-Con

Get more out of gaming at GameStop, because only GameStop brings power to the players.

Along with the free rewards program, GameStop is also looking at redoing its current Edge program as GameStop Elite, giving the normal %10 discount and trade bonus on used titles for a reduced price of $10, without the attached Game Informer subscription.

PRESENTING GAMESTOP ELITE

Now in addition to GameStop Rewards, you can get an extra edge on valuable bonuses and savings when you add a GameStop Elite membership. Just flash your card at the register. It's that easy.

ADD AN ELITE MEMBERSHIP & GET ALL ITS BENEFITS:

* An additional 10% price discount on all your previously owned games and accessories, and strategy guide purchases
* An additional 10% trade-in bonus on all your game and accessory trade-ins

Your Elite membership gives you a full year of savings for only $10. It can more than pay for itself in no time!

Get more out of gaming at GameStop, because only GameStop brings power to the players.

Interesting ideas, but I really wouldn't get your hopes up about that E3 trip. It's never that easy.

More than 100 exhibitors have signed up to show at this year's rejuvenated Electronics Entertainment Expo in Los Angeles, demonstrating the wisdom behind the Entertainment Software Association's decision to give people what they want. With the ESA claiming that they're well on track to make their 40,000 attendee target, this year's E3 should be a wild, chaotic, colorful, sweaty mess of a trade show, which is exactly how we like it. Heck, even industry analyst supreme Michael Pachter is excited.

"E3 Expo is back, and that's a very good thing. The conference is being held at just the right time, with June late enough in the year for the publishers to feel confident about game quality, and early enough in the year to generate retail buzz...E3 Expo will re-establish itself as the preeminent North American computer and video game show, and also will likely be considered the preeminent computer and video game event globally."

Remind me to buy that guy a free beer at the show.

Natsume is the second publisher to sign with the ESA this year, after SouthPeak signed up earlier this month. This follows a string of companies leaving the organization last year, perhaps due to wildly increasing membership fees.

"It's important to partner with an organization which not only acts as the voice for the video game industry, but also reflects the mission and goals we have established for our company," said Hiro Maekawa, President and CEO at Natsume. "We are pleased to join the ESA and are excited to collaborate on upcoming programs and activities such as the 2009 E3 Expo."

With the return of the E3 Expo this year, I expect to see more and more companies signing on with the ESA leading up to the the June event.

The Giant Bomb crew received a potent quotable confirmation from Blizzard reps today on the matter, clearly indicating that the developer "will not be attending or participating in E3 2009."

And why should they? Blizzard has its own dedicated event, BlizzCon, to promote its products, without noisy interference from other publishers, like Activision. If it does want to invade someone else's convention, it's likely to be Games Convention or Gamescom in Germany, home of the people who line up in the hundreds to play early beta versions of its PC games.

And it certainly doesn't need to hire booth babes; it has life-sized Night Elf statues in skimpy scale mail to tart up its booth space.

No Blizzard At E3 2009 [Giant Bomb]

That means we should expect big crowds and big booths, possibly a return to form on par with E3 2006 and prior. According to Laurent Detoc, president of Ubisoft North America, we should also "get ready for some fireworks!" Oy!

What we shouldn't expect, however, is public access to the show. The official announcement from the ESA makes no mention of admission to anyone but industry types. That announcement is right after this.

Entertainment Software Association Announces 2009 E3 Expo

Los Angeles to Host Video Game Industry Event in June

Washington, DC – October 22, 2008 – The 2009 Electronic Entertainment Expo (E3) will take place from June 2-4, 2009, at the Los Angeles Convention Center (LACC), the Entertainment Software Association (ESA) announced today. The expanded E3 will welcome all qualified computer and video game industry audiences, including international and U.S.-based media, analysts, retailers, developers and business partners to preview the latest in interactive entertainment and technology.

“Video games are the fastest growing and most compelling sector of the entertainment industry. And, this upgraded event will reflect the growth, innovation and excitement of our industry,” said Michael D. Gallagher, CEO of the ESA, which represents US computer and video game publishers and organizes the annual event. “The breadth, scope and quality of the changes made to the show will make E3 the must-attend event of the year.”

“The E3 Expo will be the pre-eminent North American gaming show next year. The new, larger event is better for industry leaders and for serious gamers,” commented John Riccitiello, CEO of Electronic Arts.

After conducting both qualitative and quantitative research, ESA officials stated changes were necessary to better meet the needs of both exhibitors and attendees— these changes include increased booth sizes, increased qualified audiences, and an intensified focus on reinforcing the high-octane growth, innovation, and captivating entertainment that are driving the computer and video game industry.

"The video game business will be twice as big in 2009 as it was in 2006 when we had the last real E3 Expo - so get ready for some fireworks!" said Laurent Detoc, president of Ubisoft North America. "The changes made will ensure that the 2009 E3 Expo conveys the best of what makes us proud as entertainment leaders."

ESA also said IDG World Expo, whose principals have operated E3 since its inception in 1995, will produce the event with the ESA.

The event will be open to ESA members and non-members alike. Organizers noted they are expanding the list of companies eligible to participate. Companies involved in console, PC, online, and mobile game publishing and developing, qualified business partners, as well as makers of video game hardware and peripherals can exhibit.

Additional details, including registration, hotel and travel accommodations, and media credentialing, will be forthcoming in the next few weeks and will be available at www.e3expo.com.

The Entertainment Software Association is the U.S. association dedicated to serving the business and public affairs needs of companies publishing interactive games for video game consoles, handheld devices, personal computers, and the Internet. The ESA offers services to interactive entertainment software publishers including a global anti-piracy program, owning the Electronic Entertainment Expo (E3), business and consumer research, federal and state government relations, First Amendment and intellectual property protection efforts. For more information, please visit www.theESA.com.

We’re confident that we can work with the ESA to make this right. There are important meetings ahead that we think will be substantive and be productive in finding the right path forward.

Let’s invite the community. With the right planning, involving our biggest fans in E3 would bring back some of the raw passion the event has lost.

A stance sure to be popular with fans, but how to make it work without hampering access to the publishers for members of the press? I suppose it could be solved by keeping the meeting rooms we had this year, and adding a centralized show floor where the publishers can set up their fancy kiosks. Gamers can access the show floor proper, press still has easy access to their private showings and meetings, and in case we need a little fan reaction to the new games we've got an absolute sea of people to pull aside and give the old man-on-the-street treatment. As Crecente said earlier this week, reporting nirvana.

It sounds like a winning combination to me, though frankly it sounds like several of the other game conventions that have sprouted up during the decline of E3 over the past few years. Bring the life back to the show without making it just another show - now that's the challenge.

E3 - Go Big or Go Home [Peter Moore's Offical Blog via GI.biz]

Yesterday we broke the news that Gamecock would be throwing a little party of their own in Santa Monica and that it just happens to coincide with the new, smaller E3Expo.

I had a chance to talk last night with the grand Gamecock himself, Mike Wilson, about the company's plans, which it turns out are changing.

"A couple of months ago we secured our E3 plan just for Gamecock which was of course is outside the show," he said. "With this week, with this announcement of excluding 370 of the attendees it made us think we might invite our non-invited friends."

While Wilson hopes to expand the Gamecock-centric EIEIO show to those less fortunate than the big companies with entry to the show, he said he's not sure yet he'll be able to get the space he needs to include other companies this year around.

His company has already secured a spot for their event, which he is now trying to expand.. Wilson wouldn't tell me exactly where but said it was walking distance from the Barker Hanger where E3 will be held and that it's an indoor/outdoor facility that you "can't miss" on your way to the E3 site.

In its current form the Gamecock show will feature plenty of barbecue, plenty of "camera fodder" and even some games.

Fury will be playble, with a rolling LAN party running during the event and Insecticide will also be playable. Wilson added that Red Fly Studios' Mushroom Men and Wideload Games' Hail to the Chimp will both have playable segments as well.

The event will be open to all working press, he said, not just those invited to cover E3Expo. Brian Crecente

As the list of E3 attendees shrinks (both press and developers), one question keeps coming up: What are those not invited supposed to do?

Gamecock thinks they have an answer. They're talking about throwing a little party that they'd like to call the Expo for Interactive Entertainment: Independent and Original or... EIEIO. Yes, that's right, the guys who liked to throw monster bashes in a parking lot opposite E3 wants to do it again with the newer smaller E3.

The event will be held the same days as E3 in Santa Monica and my money is that it will be in a parking lot or something like one. I'll be talking to the Gamecock guys shortly so check back in a bit for more details. Brian Crecente