Attendees file into the South Hall of the Los Angeles Convention Center for the first day of E3. (Photo: Brett Molina, USA TODAY) LOS ANGELES -- As video game fans continue to pile into the Los Angeles Convention Center for the Electronic Entertainment Expo, trends are starting to emerge. The event, which runs here through Thursday, not only highlights the hardware and games players can expect this holiday, but also provides a sense of the direction the developers and publishers behind them are headed. Here's a look at five trends that emerged during this year's E3. With the launch of Sony's PlayStation 4 Pro last year, video game players with a 4K-supported TV got their first taste of 4K gaming. Get ready for it to ramp up with the arrival of Microsoft's Xbox One X this November.

Lydia Ainouz draws a small crowd to watch her playing the Yakuza video game during the opening day of the Electronic Entertainment Expo. The Electronic Entertainment Expo wrapped Thursday, giving retailers, distributors and video game fans a taste of what interactive fun is arriving this year and beyond. Women are playing more key roles in video games beyond just serving as damsels in distress, or worse, as discarded victims. And game makers are including a few more lead characters who aren't white. More women took the biggest stages at E3, including Electronic Arts' Jade Raymond, whose EA Motive Studio is working on a series of Star Wars games, and Microsoft's Shannon Loftis, the head of Microsoft Studios Publishing.