The last part of the pre-E3 Bonus Round is up.

There’s been a little too much Internet rage against the three journalists’ appearance on this Bonus Round. I actually think they did an OK to good job. Let’s remember that television is not their chosen medium. They are journalists, they deal with paper and pen type stuff. I’ve known some brilliant writers who make the most marvelous prose that when they speak publicly or on TV, they become a deer in headlights and will barely utter a word. When you take someone out of their chosen medium and stick them in another, the results don’t tend to be good. I thought the three journalists did a pretty good job, much better than what I would have done.

It was fun to watch N’gai’s hair fly around. This is why I call him “Sir Dreadlocks”.

Some criticism has been at the Nintendo segment as they didn’t say much. But what could they say? Do you know what the analysts are saying, those who make big salaries and all? They don’t know really what Nintendo is going to do. To their credit, the three didn’t make things up as Washington media would do in a similar situation. None hinted they knew something where they didn’t. If you don’t know what Nintendo, or another company, is going to do, it is better to say “I don’t know” than to pretend you do know and spin out some yarn. It is good business when a company like Nintendo has become seen as unpredictable. If someone like Pachter was on the show, he would probably begin saying something ridiculous about Nintendo as if he knew what they were going to do (instead of admitting he didn’t know). While many have criticized the three for saying “they don’t know”, it is actually a blessing. They could have lied to say they did know but couldn’t say anything. There is a certain IGN editor who likes to do that.

My favorite part of the Bonus Round was, of course, when N’Gai mentioned disruption (did so three times). It shows he’s open to that possibility. Many have shown they aren’t. There are analysts who are entirely opposed to the explanation of disruption (but they don’t offer an alternative). I’m not saying it is THE only valid idea, but it shouldn’t easily be dismissed since there really doesn’t seem to be any other good explanation. So props to N’Gai for mentioning and considering it. It matters.

Another thing N’Gai did that I liked in a previous Bonus Round was mention an Internet flash game as one of his favorite games (Desktop Tower Defense). Some viewers thought throwing in a flash game was ridiculous but it begs the question, why are flash games being left out in game discussions? They’ve been moving strength to strength for years. If flash gaming was seriously talked about in the enthusiast community, then the DS and Wii phenomenons would not have been a surprise. Women and older non-traditional gamers would also not have been a surprise as they were already playing flash games. The market penetration of flash gaming could very well be the forerunner of where the industry is now headed.