I never aspired to become a game reviewer, it just sort of happened. My journey began with the casual podcast download, progressed to writing iOS game reviews and has escalated beyond my expectations with my inaugural E3 experience. Attending E3 with a media pass has its perks, but if you’re not prepared, there are some pitfalls awaiting the unsuspecting noob. What started out as a nightmare, however, eventually became something that I will value the rest of my life. I’m already preparing myself for next year’s E3, but nothing will be quite as intimidating, yet ultimately transcendent, as my first time.
When I arrived at the Los Angeles Convention Center, I thought I was adequately prepared for the long day ahead of me. My calm quickly unraveled while I walked through the parking structure. The sign near the entrance read “$50/day maximum for event parking.” E3 definitely qualifies for an event, but surely I wouldn’t be charged $50 for leaving my car in this garage for the day, right? Nope, I parked in the garage for L.A. Live and parking there was considerably more expensive that the convention center parking. Rather than search out another parking garage, I decided to finish my first appointment to preview Dead Island, and then scope out more affordable parking solutions afterward.
I entered the “media” section for the West Hall and took my place in line, staring in disbelief at the hundreds of other E3 attendees who were there to do the same exact thing I was. I knew the game industry was large, but being a nameless face in a sea of fellow game reviewers and journalists had an unsettling affect on my sense of accomplishment. Wearing my media pass didn’t feel as cool when I was surrounded by all my fellows, with the same pass on the same Zelda lanyard. As we anxiously awaited the opening of the West Hall doors, the room’s temperature rose to an uncomfortable level. The foreheads of the more portly reviewers glistened with a perspiration that was punctuated by the intermittent wafting of unknown odors. As the day wore on, the sweat, smells and anxiety would only increase.
After shuffling through the entrance, I bee-lined it to my appointment for Dead Island, which I had been anticipating since receiving my email confirmation. When I arrived at the booth I found my PR contact, Angela, and said, “Hi, I’m Matthew Booth from the Adrenaline Vault, I’m here to see Dead Island.” When the look of confusion left her face she politely let me know that the booth was for UTV Ignition Games which, as I already knew, was not the developer of the title I came to see. I thought back to the original email and realized that while the subject line had said, “Dead Island Inquiry,” the content of the email was for a different developer with non-zombie-centric characters. So I squeezed this lemon into some lemonade and spoke at length with the project developer and marketing manager for three surprisingly interesting titles: Faxion, Sky Legends, and Plant Crashers.
Within a 2-hour time frame I had set the pace for a borderline nervous breakdown. The ingredients of which were poor planning and unrealistic expectations. My thoughts returned to my parking dilemma, so I exited the building, paid my $5 parking fee (apparently parking is cheap unless you need it for the day), and spent 30 minutes trying to find a parking lot that took a debit card. Los Angeles doesn’t have free parking, and Los Angles prefers cash. I found a parking structure a half mile away, and then proceeded to speed walk back to the convention center. I entered the West Hall sweatier and more unglued than I had 2.5 hours earlier. I pulled out my notepad and noted the location of my next appointment. It was in the South Hall. The distance between the two halls is considerable, yet manageable. Throw in several thousand nerds, geeks, corporate suits and exhibition booths, however, and the perceived distance triples in length.
In all of my excitement, I had unknowingly scheduled subsequent appointments at opposing ends of the convention center. I would be replicating my initial trek from the West Hall to the South Hall at least 4 more times in the next 5 hours. As I walked from one end of the 720,000+ square foot convention center to the other, I noticed that the smell of the crowd was changing. In the morning it began as a subtle musk, but as the sun passed its noonday peak, the aroma became this sickly-sweet mixture of smells that emanated from poor human hygiene and the food courts. As you’ve probably already noted, I’m weird about smells. If you’re not prepared, E3 will overwhelm every one of your five senses. I was unequivocally overwhelmed. For unknown reasons, it was about this time that I reached down and patted my right buttock to make sure my wallet was there. It wasn’t. Its absence could only mean one of two things: 1) it was pick-pocketed or fell out or 2) my wallet was in my car. I wanted to believe it was in my car but I was not in a “glass half full” state of mind. Yes, it was in my car, and no, a 1.5 mile walk in the sun did not help.
As the iOS reviewer for The Adrenaline Vault, I felt that it was my responsibility to focus mostly on mobile games and their developers at E3. On my first day I met with BulkyPix, NAMCO mobile, and UTV Ignition Games. These developers had shown me quality mobile games and as I power-walked between the two halls, I began planning the articles that would document my findings. I wasn’t disappointed in what I had seen, but as I walked by the mammoth Nintendo, EA, and Activision booths, I found it difficult to resist feeling insignificant as I searched for a 10′ x 10′ booth so that I could demo an iPhone game. To add insult to injury, I had to endure the fangirl-esque excitement of Turks, Micieli and Watts (from our site’s podcast) while they retold their experiences at the aforementioned mammoth booths. Guys, if you’re reading this, I don’t blame you for being that excited. Turks was able to get me into a VIP behind-the-scenes look at Star Wars: The Old Republic, so all transgressions are forgiven.
The E3 frivolities don’t cease when the sun goes down. With the night come the after parties. All of us Adrenaline Vault studs were on the guest list for the Bethesda party, so I decided to chauffer them to their hotel and kill some time. Turks, Micieli, Watts and myself took advantage of the downtime to record an E3 podcast. I enjoy recording podcasts, and as we gave our opinions of E3′s premiere titles, my foul mood began to dissipate. While discussing the games, I realized that they were my ticket to seeing the games that everyone is talking about and as I had found out earlier in the day, navigating the E3 showroom by myself was not conducive to a good time. The Bethesda party was cool, but the antics on our drive home made me laugh harder than I have in a long, long time. It’s strange how the unplanned things in life can either ruin or make your day.
Now that I’ve had time to reflect on the first day of my first E3 experience, I can be content with how the day’s events unfolded. The reasons why won’t be completely clear until you read my article detailing my second (and last) day at E3, but all things considered, I met some very passionate professionals in the gaming industry. They showed me their devotion to their products, and I couldn’t help but mimic their excitement as I demoed their games. My first day at E3 was overwhelming and not at all what I was expecting (where was the swag!?), but I woke up on day two with a plan and I knew what to expect. Day two was going to be awesome and I was going to walk away with loots. ~ Matthew Booth
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