Open-source game developers have the power to sink mega conferences like E3

Contrary to popular belief, the Electronic Entertainment Expo, known as E3, was alive and well, this year. But the rise of Ouya, Steam Box, and GamePop later this year could mark the end of an era. With relatively small revenue generated by a typical open-source game, indie developers simply won't be able to afford to go.

At the same time, there's going to be more and more of them, playing a huge part in the gaming ecosystem.

At its peak in 2005 the E3 conference hosted 70,000 attendees. It's down to 48,200 this year, according to a CVG report. Not a bad turnout, but that's coming before the expected explosion of open-source games that will likely follow the release of the three platforms that anyone can build on.