GameSpot party draws diverse crowd

It's not all dull PowerPoint presentations at the annual E3 convention. Gaming website GameSpot.com flexed its muscle in the video games industry Tuesday night as it hosted a swank party at Hollywood club Goa.

The guest list was jammed with gaming industry publicists, advertising reps, VPs of marketing and even the occasional programmer; many of whom would normally be denied entry by velvet-rope minders at the bi-level bar on a typical Saturday night (Goa maintains a notoriously tight door policy). This was their night of glory.

Of course, B-list actors and Russian models somehow found their way into the event. A paparazzi-lined red carpet set up around the back of the venue greeted such notables as Khloe Kardashian, rapper Heavy D, Mekhi Phifer, Boston Celtics star Sam Cassell, Taryn Manning, Kelsey Grammer's daughter Spencer and Samantha Ronson, who DJed at the party.

Guests enjoyed an open bar, boxing bouts on Nintendo Wii Sports on gaming consoles specially set up inside the club, and an inspired musical set heavy on hip-hop from Hollywood's DJ Vice (who played after Samantha Ronson).

And while the real hot ticket at E3 this year was Wednesday's Harmonix/MTV Games "Rock Band" party featuring the Who, there were plenty of industry types who managed to have a good time at Gamespot's soiree, which was the hot event to hit Tuesday.

The website sponsoring the bash remains of the top gaming websites for fans and industry alike; attracting around 60 million visitors annually, according to Compete.com. Gamespot's parent company is San Francisco-based CNET.

And while this party, and other parties at E3 this year pale in comparrison to the massive events held in years past by companies like Sony and Microsoft, good times were still had by many. Check out the photo gallery for proof. You'll see shots of some very happy (or just perhaps slightly inebriated) E3 attendees.

After all, it only happens once a year.