BEST OF 25
	Category: Best of 25 Years Exhibitor: Microsoft Corp. Design: Purepartner by Design LLC, New York, 212-685-6016, www.purepartnerbydesign.com Fabrication: Taylor Inc., Brampton, ON, Canada, 905-451-5800, www.taylorinc.com Show: Electronic Entertainment Expo (E3), 2005 Budget: $7 million Size: 300-by-100 feet Cost/Square Foot: $234

nspired by the mathematical beauty of circles and the creative chaos of Manhattan's Central Park, Microsoft Corp.'s exhibit at the 2005 Electronic Entertainment Expo (E3) overcame the stereotype that video games are more about action than aesthetics. Designed by Purepartner by Design LLC, the booth was named one of the three best exhibits of the past quarter century in our Best of 25 Years category, with Exhibit Design Awards judges praising its "sleek, sophisticated, and sexy" look.

The booth's curved, 24-foot-high exterior walls featured nearly 30 portholes containing Xbox consoles and peripherals. Playfully alluding to the "360" in the console's name, the portholes' spherical shape also invoked the idea that, like the 360 degrees of a circle itself, gaming on the Xbox is an eternal loop of creative engagement with no beginning and no end.

Once inside the space, attendees followed a 250-foot-long bridge. Featuring a series of inlaid, LED-lit, frosted acrylic disks, the bridge guided visitors into the main area. Blinking in a forward-moving sequence, the disks led them to more than 200 game stations spread over a sprawling space bathed in a leafy-green light. The open area drew a mix of guests, from hard-core gamers to baby boomers. They shot monsters, crashed cars, and nuked aliens in games ranging from "Half-Life 2" to "Halo." Later, attendees chilled in the Aviary theater, where they could watch 20-minute films about the Xbox. VIPs, meanwhile, relaxed in the 2,400-square-foot 360 Lounge.

In an ever-changing industry where today's "Call of Duty" is tomorrow's "Pong," standing the test of time is rare. But according to judges, Microsoft's forward-thinking exhibit would still be eye-catching and innovative at E3 2011, six years after the design's debut.e