It’s starting to hit me how grossly sad and disappointed I am I’m not going to E3 this year. I know many people are going to roll their eyes at me when I discuss this, but just indulge me for a minute. I know I should be just happy that I’ve been able to go over the last three years at all, since many people who’d love to go have never gone and may never get the chance to go. But the fact remains that as we close in on the week before the big show, and I’m seeing people’s party plans on Twitter, I’m seeing the press announcements, and I’m seeing my team’s plans for that week, it makes me sad that I had to pull my name from the list of E3 contenders.
I know after the show is over, I won’t feel so sad anymore. In fact, I bet I’ll be happy that I got to stay at home and watch all the press conferences at my leisure. However, I really wanted to play each of the new consoles with everyone else. And most importantly to me, I really want to see all of my friends who I only get to see at these gaming shows.
That’s the biggest kicker for me; when I first went to E3 in 2010, I knew I would want to go every year after that just to see my friends in person again. In fact, when it looked like I wasn’t going to be able to get a press pass, I seriously talked about going anyway just to hang out with my friends at night. It’s not that I don’t have friends in real life where I live, so don’t get mean; it’s that when you work with and have worked with certain people as closely as I have, you get attached to them. Fortunately, I was able to see a good group of them this year at PAX East, so I don’t feel as removed from them.
Yet, I didn’t get to see any of my strategy guide contacts at PAX East, and that really bums me out I won’t see them this year. I always have a good time just discussing love of strategy guides and games with the folks at BradyGames, Prima Games, Future Press, and Piggyback. Last year was the first year I got to meet anyone at Piggyback, and it was a fantastic pleasure talking to these guys for the first time in person. It’s one thing to talk over email, but there’s something about putting a face to a name and just sitting down and nerding out over strategy guides over a cup of coffee.
It is best for everyone that I’m not going, considering I’m huge already, I can’t stand on my feet too long as it is, and I have to go pee every hour or so. That doesn’t make for pleasant line standing, as fun as that is while not pregnant. And I know I’ll get my hands on a next-gen console soon enough, so it’s silly to really be disappointed I won’t get to just a few months early.
Besides, this is good time to focus on the strategy guides I’m currently reviewing, right?
Leave a Reply