While it may seem like every game journalist in the world was in Los Angeles for last week’s annual E3 Media & Business Summit, there are at least a few game journalists who are staying home from this year’s show for one reason or another.

Some journalists aren’t able to attend simply because of bad timing. Digital Trends Publisher Scott Steinberg isn’t too upset being stuck at home with his newborn daughter this year. "I’d rather miss out on an ostentatious press conference or gore-drenched demonstration of Gears of War 2 than my daughter’s smile," he said.

Other journalists have to make ends meet with a day job that precludes them from going. "My current day job’s fiscal year ends at the end of June, making early July an incredibly busy part of the year as we tie up loose ends," said freelancer Pat Mulhern. "This means that I don’t have the ability to take off a few days to head out to California for the show."

Cost was a major issue for many freelancers who have to pay their own way for transportation, food and lodging at the week-long show. "As a freelancer, it didn’t seem like I would be able to cover my costs this year while making a profit," said Erin Bell. "Rising fuel costs and flight taxes don’t help either--it’s becoming increasingly expensive to travel, especially internationally from Canada to the US."

Freelancer Mark Crump used to justify the expense of going to the show because "it was the one time a year I could get my face in front of all my editors and see the PR folk." For this year’s show, though, he looked at the bottom line and decided it wasn’t worth it. "I’d be doing well to recoup airfare. There’s no way I’d even break even covering the show, much less turn a profit." Even some with steady positions are finding it hard to justify the expense. "Budgets are tight around here and travel isn’t cheap," said Washington Post technology columnist Mike Musgrove about his decision to stay away from E3 for the first time in years.

Of course, the stricter, invite-only format (started at last year’s show) means that some game journalists who actually want to go are forced to stay away. After literally begging PR and game companies to extend him an invite last year, Dan Zucarelli of theBBPS.com decided to skip the whole process this time around. "I went through it last year and found the thing to not only be demeaning but [a way to] essentially guarantee companies some positive coverage no matter what they’re showing off," he said. "Why should I jump through hoops to be blessed with an invite when I can simply apply for media credentials for GDC, PAX, Digital Life, VGXPO, X08, Comic-Con, etc.? It’s not an exclusive nightclub, it’s a news event."

Even many of those with invites were let down by the smaller, lower-key format introduced to the show last year. The change has left some journalists looking to other conventions to capture that rock-concert-meets-roller-coaster feeling of the old show. "Personally, I hear a lot more excitement and buzz around PAX these days, in a way that somewhat resembles the old fanboy wonder that surrounded E3," said freelancer Bonnie Ruberg. For others, the new E3 isn’t yet serious enough to compare to other developer-centric shows. "GDC seems much more appealing, from an interest/developer access point of view," said Alec Meer of the Rock Paper Shotgun blog.

The new format also seems to have affected many publishers, who are increasingly making big announcements and revealing new games outside the confines of the show itself. "A smaller presence in terms of AAA titles, blockbuster announcements, top-tier publishers and noteworthy personalities certainly detracts from the event’s intrinsic value," Steinberg said. Freelancer John Bardinelli agreed: "Although some big announcements still hit at E3, most have started dispersing their news at other events or just before big conferences," he said. "News is a bit more spread out, so I’m very content to allow others to fight the crowds and suffer the lack of sleep so I can read their blog in my fuzzy bunny slippers."

Many others journalists echoed the idea that it’s just easier to cover a hectic show like E3 from the comfort of home. "I can Tivo the coverage from G4 and let other journalists do the work for me via [Web] sites," said venerable game journalist Bill Kunkel. "I no longer feel the need to put my hands on every game beta in the industry. The standout games will get coverage and who cares about the rest of the generic crap?"

The truth is, a single journalist running around the show floor will probably actually have a harder time keeping up with the news than someone sitting at home with an Internet connection. "Since all the major sites ... will have all the breaking news, I think as far as getting ’complete’ coverage it’s easier to do some from home by watching all the other sites," Zucarelli said.

Still, there are things you miss by staying home. "I’ll ... miss just the conversations you can have with people waiting to get in to see a game or attend a press conference," said the Washington Post’s Musgrove. "In normal life, if I ever make a crack about Grim Fandango or Peter Moore’s tattoos, people don’t seem to know what I’m talking about." For some out of the way journalists, E3 also represents the only real chance to get face time with sources and colleagues. "I’ll miss being able to touch base with my American contacts--journalists and PR--who I only get to see a couple of times per year," said Bell.

Given enough time, though, most journalists will probably end up feeling like convention-veteran Kunkel. "I’ve been to too many trade shows in my life and stopped enjoying them a long time ago," said Kunkel. "Hell, even when I was [an editor-in-chief] I never went near it myself."

By GS_News