The Floor (E3)

One question that I've frequently been getting since I've been back home is: "what games did you get to play?" The truth is, that wasn't the reason that I wanted to go to E3. Instead, I was intent on meeting people and making contacts. Seeing the press conferences first hand, as opposed to seeing them online. And I feel pretty confident that I was able to do those things. I may not have met everyone that I was hoping to, but I still made quite a lot of contacts.

E3 is traditionally held in the Los Angeles Convention Center, and I remember seeing the building for the first time on Sunday during the Nintendo World Championships. There was a giant banner advertising the up and coming Call of Duty: Black Ops III game. Needless to say, I wasn't too interested in that, but I was still in awe of its proximity. I was so close, but so far away. I knew that I would be there soon.

In fact, I was there the next day to get my attendee badge. Walking into the building was like walking into the hall of a great king, or that's what it felt like. There were banners and displays of future games that everyone would get to see when they finally made it to the floor. I remember being in awe of the grand scale of the building that I was in. I was in total disbelief that I was actually there at E3. This was something that I have dreamed of for years and years. I couldn't help but have a smile across my face the entire time. This was on Monday, though, so the event didn't start until the next day. I only got my badge on Monday to help get me into press conferences and because I didn't do it on Sunday.

When Tuesday rolled around, and I showed up early, thinking that the doors opened up at 10, when they actually ended up opening at 12. Well, that gave me some time to socialize and talk with some fellow gamers. I met a couple of folks and we were talking about our E3 experience and where we're from. While we were talking about this and that, I had overheard that the Nintendo booth had opened up early. I dismissed myself from the line, and headed over to the other hall.

I was pleased to see that the other hall was not quite as crowded. I ended up meeting a gentleman who was the graphic editor at Riot games. He does all the cool graphics for the LCS news show. It was a really fascinating conversation, and to make things a bit more cool, this was also the entrance near where the media area was. I got to see a couple members of the press, such as Adam Sessler, and Kevin Pereira.

Finally it came to enter into the event. When the doors officially opened, everyone organized into lines and started into the hall. When I crossed the threshold, I could feel the gigantic smile return to my face. I HAD MADE IT! I was practically skipping through the hall. I merrily made my way to the Nintendo Booth to check out what they had there. I darted towards a demo of Yoshi's Wooly World. There stood a woman with a Nintendo shirt and a smile. She greeted me and started telling me more about the game. I played the demo of the game, and was thoroughly impressed. I adored the design and the gameplay was fun. After I was finished with the game, I hit the floor.

To be honest, I don't quite remember each detail of the games that I got a chance to play, or the things that I got to see. I was at E3, and I was completely consumed by the fact that I had finally made it. I had wanted this moment for so long. I was astounded at the amount of people that were there. I met a lot of people, and even got to meet some of my idols like Ted Price Todd Howard. I also got to meet a few Youtubers, such as Smooth McGroove, Alex from the Completionist, and even the Game Grumps. It was a fantastic event where I was able to experience much, and meet many people. I was very happy to have gone there. I learned much, and I feel like I grew a little bit as a person.

I went on many adventures, snuck into places where I probably shouldn't have, I talked to strangers and maybe have made some friends. This was a wonderful experience that I am so glad that I was able to be a part of. I will definitely make it a point to go again for next year.