Get your game face on: E3 is live on YouTube again

Gamers unite — we’ve got global live streaming coverage of the 2012 E3 conference starting June 4 at 9:30am PT. Thanks to the experts at IGN, the live stream will start with presentations from the biggest companies in gaming, then hit the convention center for three days of previews, interviews and hands-on gameplay.

 

Starting June 5, the E3 YouTube Channel will feature our annual Game Trailer Challenge, where you can vote on some of the top game trailers unveiled at the show. Come back June 19 to see your 5 favorite trailers from this year.



If four days of gaming isn’t enough to satiate your appetite, or you can’t catch all the coverage as it happens, check out up-to-the-minute video from IGN and lots of other gamers on YouTube.

Liuba Petkova, YouTube Gaming, recently watched “WipEout 2048 NGP: Wipeout Your Enemies Trailer.

Create your own video duels with YouTube Slam

Last year we started experimenting with the idea that you could find the next big thing on YouTube. YouTube Slam pits two videos against each other, where you get points for picking the crowd favorite. In just a few months, hundreds of thousands of you cast more than a million votes on Slams we created, and today we’re turning the game controls over to you.

You can now turn any of your playlists into a YouTube Slam. Play solo, share the YouTube link with your friends or even play together in a Google+ Hangout. Here’s how to do it:
  1. Make a playlist with the videos you want to include in the Slam (you’ll need at least two videos and they have to be public), or choose a playlist you have already
  2. Go to www.youtube.com/slam/create
  3. Click the “Create Slam” button next to one of your playlists. It’ll look like this:


When you click “Play Slam” you’ll be taken into your game, and we’ll show the highest scoring videos and players on the leaderboard page of your Slam. Click “View the winners” at any time to check it out.

Want to get your friends involved? You can now play custom or existing Slams live with friends inside a Google+ Hangout by clicking the “Play Slam with your friends” link. You can also share the YouTube Slam link with friends directly to get more people playing. If you feel like the Slam has been settled, you can remove it at any time.



Slam is still a work in progress, and we want to hear your feedback. Let us know what you think in the comments below or by clicking the “Feedback” link on any Slam.

Interested in learning more about the research behind YouTube Slam? Check out our recent Google Research Blog post about gamification of search ranking, or find out about our work on finding funny videos and talented musicians.

Sanketh Shetty, software engineer, recently played a “Tree Cutting Fails” Slam.

Get more into gaming...on the big screen

Interested in watching the latest game reviews? Can’t get past that final level? If you are a gamer like me, there is a video for you on YouTube. From reviews, to cheats, to walkthroughs, you can now experience YouTube like never before on your Xbox 360.

Through the YouTube application on Xbox 360 we are announcing today, you can explore the most popular trending videos, delve into a category to discover something new, get help with your gaming, or search for any video you want. The YouTube you know and love is now on the big screen in your house. Interested in learning more? Watch some of these great videos from our gaming partners.







Sang Kim, Gaming Partner Development, recently watched “Mahalo Video Games Guide: Youtube for Xbox."

Top E3 game trailers based on your votes

This year’s E3 gaming expo produced a fresh crop of new game trailers to pour over, critique and get excited about. For two weeks, you’ve been voting for your favorites on the E3 channel and now the results are in.

The game that you got most excited about? Step forward Saints Row: The Third, whose “power CG” trailer delivered high-impact cinematics and what looks suspiciously like a CG cameo from the ubiquitous Ashton Kutcher. Congratulations to publisher THQ and developer Volition Inc, and check it out here:



Running down the remaining top trailers, we give the nod to:
You can see all five trailers on the E3 channel until the end of June. For more of what’s hot in gaming, you can see popular videos, gaming channels and more on our gaming browse page, and catch more trailers in our trailers section.

Mark Day, YouTube gaming, recently watched “The Crying PC Gamer.”