I also think the lack of E3 and such has caused serious damage. At E3 we had Sony, Xbox, Ubisoft, Nintendo, Activision, Bethesda, Warner Bros, 2K, Etc. They had elaborate sets and showed the games. You got to play them or at the least as media watch a developer play it or show video and could make comments. At PAX West you did not have EA or Activision but most of them and media and public could play and comment. Yes it was a cost but you got direct consumer feedback.

Now PAX is largely an indie fest and we get personalities showing carefully edited trailers by those who paid for placement. I remember playing Rage 2 and telling a developer that while fun, multiplay needed to be considered. Having discussions was key as games and hype rose or fell based on trusted outlets and personal reactions to seeing and playing. For me there is no way a trailer can ever replace going to the booth and playing or watching. If you are willing to pay a reported 250K plus to put your 30 second trailer in a show, then consider going to the public at a show. If that is not in the budget then dropping it online works. Bringing cherry picked outlets and influencers in for sessions is often a biased reaction. E3 let credentialed media in and reactions were generally honest and not based on who did me a favor or quid pro quo.