The Magic of E3

I can’t remember the first time I heard about E3, but like The Great Pyramids, DisneyLand or the Moon, I presumed it would remain in my imagination as somewhere and something I’d only ever dream of visiting. (Yes, I’ve dreamed of going to the Moon. Still do. Stop snickering.)

But my E3 dreams were realized back in 2010. A few weeks before the event, my producer Cameron told me to get ready because we were going to E3. I was somewhat stupefied. Suddenly I was actually going to E3, the perfect place to celebrate my 27th birthday.

2010 was a great year for an E3 n00b. Microsoft partnered with Cirque Du Soleil to unveil the Kinect for the Xbox 360. (If you’re old school like me, you’ll remember it was originally codenamed project Natal) There was a huge pressline ahead of the giant presentation. Stars like Christina Hendricks, Billy Crystal and that guy from that thing walked the carpet.

Honestly, it was almost ten years ago now and I can only remember those two along with the unforgettably magnificent presentation and how special it felt to be there. Walking out of the event I was in a mystified daze. I was dazzled. Then, like something out of a dream a youtube personality I had a secret crush on just happened to be standing there next to me at the very same street corner. (No, I’m not going to say who, but I’d like to believe that if I was single, I’d have mustered up the courage to talk to her.)

Suffice to say, the spectacle of the presentation, along with the following fancy rooftop party where we got to rub elbows with celebrities while trying this innovative new technology (which never really caught on,) solidified in me a real sense of just how magical E3 can be.

Of course, the show floor itself is less “magic” and more electrified mechanized mayhem. I’d already been to San Diego Comic Con, so I’d had a taste of American excess, but E3 is on another level. It has the biggest screens you’ve ever seen, the loudest speakers you’ve ever heard and of course the purpose for the entire event: playable demos for an unimaginable amount of exciting new games.

One of my first years at E3, as we were setting up in the Xbox booth, I pointed out to our shooter Andy that Steven Spielberg had just arrived. Spielberg! The man behind so much childhood wonder was now just steps away. Andy started rolling before the words finished leaving my mouth. Then he deftly followed Mr. Spielberg into a private meeting room. In the footage (which is sadly locked up in storage somewhere in Barrie) you can see the hilarious moment where everyone turns to give Andy a confused look. Before they could even ask, he was out the door and returning to us with a big smile on his face. “I got the shot.” Magic.

Over the seven years I covered E3 for Innerspace the magical memories continued. I spotted a childhood hero, Ed Boon, on the show floor and Shigeru Miyamoto in the Air Canada lounge (we even swapped Mii’s on our 3DS’s). I interviewed Reggie, Phil Spencer and countless folks who create the games and experiences that have added magic to the lives of gamers the world over.

The Friday after E3 in 2014, the Disney Interactive team took a group of us Canadian media-types to Disneyland. Somehow, in a roundabout way, E3 had taken me to Disneyland. I had such an amazing day there that I decided to take my girlfriend at the time, Zaira, to Disney World for our two year anniversary, AND that it would be the perfect place to propose. (I went full cheese!) Thanks again E3. I wonder how’re you going to get me to the moon next.

Even when things went wrong, E3 was still pretty great. One year we had an interview somewhere inside the Staples center. We didn’t know where exactly but as we waited we got to walk around in the gigantic entirely empty and dead silent arena. It was surreal. Was it that same year when I missed my connecting flight home and ended up starting my birthday at an IHOP attached to an airport hotel in Atlanta? Maybe? It wasn’t so fun then, but it’s a funny story to tell alongside many others that are better told over drinks than posted on the Internet.

Five days after InnerSpace was cancelled last May I emailed the press team at E3 requesting a reissue of my press badge. I explained that my show had been cancelled and I’d lost access to my email & the barcode for my badge, but I might be able to attend independently. They told me they’d need documentation proving that I was working with a new organization that meets their minimum press requirements.

Oops. My mistake for being honest.

So, last year was the first E3 I’ve missed in almost ten years.

While I feel weird to keep writing about InnerSpace’s cancellation (I know, it’s been a year now, and I’m moving on) it has been reassuring to see folks defending Kit Harrington’s recent wellness retreat. To paraphrase one comment I saw online: “If you left a job you’d been doing for ten years you wouldn’t be in great shape either,” that comment alone made me feel a whole lot better about how I’ve been handling the ups and downs of funemployment.

Back in April I started wondering about going to E3 again this year and how to make that happen. I knew I wouldn’t qualify for a press badge but I sent some emails to a few folks looking for guidance. I had some meetings and replies but it looked like it just wasn’t going to happen this year.

Then, weeks after giving up on the idea, a Nintendo Canada rep emailed to offer two gamer badges.

It’s funny how overwhelming it can be when you finally get that thing you’ve been wanting for a long time. Suddenly the reality that I could go to E3 was before me and I was overcome with anxiety. “Should we go? It’s going to be so expensive & I don’t have a job. What am I really going to do there?”

I’m still anxious about the cost, unsure about what exactly we’re going to accomplish, and potentially unprepared for the kind of self-promotional networking I need to be doing while we are there.

But.

We are going.

So big thank you to Nintendo Canada for the passes (They’re not cheap). Thank you to Xbox Canada, Ubisoft and Activision for continuing to work with me, and to the team at Squad for letting me continue to do something I’m good at (talking on camera about my geeky passions.)

Finally, thank you for reading this blog and supporting me through this time of flux in my career.

I’d like to conclude by telling you what to expect from me at E3 this year, but all I know for sure, regardless of anything else, is that it’s going to be magic.