Well, this is our E3 wrap-up episode, where we talk about all the games we got to play at E3, and just how awesome the experience was. I was still suffering from a run in with E3coli, but I pulled through. Here's our podcast for your ears.
It seems every time a gamer admits their passion for games, they are immediately judged.
Why?
Well, because there is still a great deal of people in this world that hear video games and picture Pong, Pacman or Mario. Has there been people that have experienced an emotional connection to these games? Of course, but normally it is a case of nostalgia or it brings them memories of simpler times.
Now, not everybody wants a dramatic story in their game and that is fine. But, with games becoming so much more expansive, the opportunity for a deep story is appealing for me. That's what really stuck out from the crowd at E3 for me.So, I decided to take a deeper look at a few "Best of E3" games and how they presented an emotional experience, as well as a solid game.
Mass Effect 3
In the Mass Effect 3 demo, the reapers have made it to Earth, and in great number. The goal is to take back Earth, but how?
While, in the E3 exclusive demo, we got to see Commander Shepherd and Commander Anderson fight their way through a few waves of enemies. Four reapers were landing on the surface of a futuristic earth (though this earth doesn't look to have much of a future for itself). While Shepherd and Anderson are running through the rubble, Shepherd comes across a child hiding in the ventilation systems. Shepherd is given the choice to try to get the child to follow him, but the child does not. Commander Anderson (still voiced by one of the most talented voice actors around, Keith David) and shepherd reach the Normandy just in time to get to safety as human reinforcements arrive.
Seeing how dire the circumstances are, Anderson decides to stay to command the surviving human soldiers, and Shepherd must head out to space to gather a force that could combat the reapers. It is difficult to leave a beloved character in such a terrible situation, but Bioware went one step further. The child you were unable to save finds their way safely to the other survivors and boards a transport vessel. I let out a verbal "oh, good" because at least I knew the kid was safe, and that made leaving the planet just a little easier. Mass Effect is not a simple experience, it is an emotional one, and within seconds of the child's transport taking off, it was shot out of the sky by a nearby reaper. That was separate's a title like mass Effect 3 from the crowd. Not only will the game be a well made, well built experience, but it will also have a unique and captivating story.
See Mass Effect 3 for yourself...
BioShock Infinite
Bioshock and I have a very unique gaming relationship. Bioshock is the first game I ever experienced completely without playing.
On several occasions I have admitted that I am easily startled. Now, I am not against the occasional fright fest but at the time Bioshock came out, I was not in the mood to feel every turn of a corner. So, I invited a buddy of mine to come and play the game on my system. The only thing I asked in return was that he never play the game when I wasn't around to watch. So, he played through the entire game and I still got to watch every minute of it. I was blown away by the visual style of Rapture and equally blownaway by the story that unfolded. Andrew Ryan was a mad genius, and I was glad to hae experienced the entirety of that game.
Now, we have Bioshock Infinite coming and after the E3 demo, I know it's a gain I have to at least "experience". The Demo consists of you walking through the streets, trying to protect Elizabeth from her captures. Through the demo, you were able to see the vibrant colors that are present in this floating city. It is largely different feel to the wet, murky abyss that was Rapture. This area is being overrun by a revoluting group and a few of them are eyeing Elizabeth.
The real monster eyeing Elizabeth seems to be controlled by her capture. In the final moments of the demo, Elizabeth pleads with the creature to take her home and leave you alone. The final moments
Remember people, this was a DEMO. I've spent as much time with these characters as I have with half an episode of a sit-com. It is very uncommon to be able to create that strong of a connection so quickly.
Here's a 10-Minute Bioshock Infinite Gameplay Demo
Now these videos were not the same ones I saw at E3, but they give you a look at the games I'm talking about. These two aren't the only two games at E3 that successfully did this either, but were two good examples. Since E3 was entirely new to me this year, it was all emotional for me because I was on Cloud 9 the whole week, but these games made me forget where I was and how I was feeling, and sucked me into their worlds to experience very different emotions than the geek-out I was having while walking into the demo room not seconds earlier. That's why I had to share this with you.
*Kmartgamer got me these meetings and covered my expenses at E3.
It's our post E3 Podcast, talking about all the awesome games Sebastian and Steve played while listening to Steve slowly die from E3coli. Dave hosts and is green with jealousy!
After such an amazing trip to E3 thanks to KmartGamer, I have been thinking of what sort of unique coverage I can give my readers that they could not find somewhere else, and then Twitter chimed in. It seems quite a few gamers are looking for ways to get into the video game industry, and need pointers. I will not neglect sharing my opinions on the many games I have seen, but professional networking is something that I have focused on recently, and would love to share what has succeeded for me.
Now, let me make this clear, I am not a current video game professional. I do some freelance work here and there, but I am not making a living in the industry. I have however been successful in growing myself as a brand over the last year, and would like to share some of my insight.
Pointers
Remember, This industry is made up of people who have passion for the same thing. Share what you love about it and doors will open. Many people forget that there are a wide variety of job opportunities in the video games industry. Don't forget, there are offices in public relations, marketing, engineering, art, sales and even human resources amongst others.
Know who you're contacting. The editor in chief or lead designer is likely a bit harder to reach than a Public Relations representative, or a Community Manager representative. Also, it is the job of the PR and CM folks to be a contact person for the company, so they are usually very approachable and willing to answer questions.
You do not need to go to E3 to make these contacts. After following people on twitter, ask to DM them for questions or even ask for their email address. If you have gained their trust to this point, make sure not to bombard their email or Twitter account. Be respectful of their time, but do not hesitate to reach out to them when you have a question. My general rule is about once a week at most. Then, you continue to stay connected without being a bother.
Nerves have gotten the best of you? When in person, this is the harder egg to crack. Coaching an introvert to be outgoing is not all that easy. If you feel that you are not an introvert, but just nervous about approaching the people you look up to, then start smaller. If your blown away buy the work one company does, maybe start contacting people that represent games you respect, but aren't
So, if you get in E3/PAX, say hello, I'm ---, ---- on twitter. If they reckognize that and are personable, your through the door. I had the pleasure of speaking with some of the great folks at IGN simply because I said hi first.
How do you make an impression? Follow them on twitter/facebook. Answer questions they ask, ask your own. Get in their sight lines.
One major lesson I learned from E3, When you gamble on yourself, you usually win. Stop saying what you should do and do it.
So,
That's are a few things to think about. I'll continue to write more blog posts on this subject, as well as answer more of your questions. A lot about networking has to do with you though. You have to be comfortable enough in your own skin to say hello, to drive a conversation, and to put yourself out there. It's not the easiest thing to do, but it is necessary to gain notoriety online and in the gaming community. Thanks for reading, and keep an eye out for more game networking and post-e3 content to come.
*Kmartgamer gave me the opportunity to attend E3 through their contest and covered my expenses.
As someone who is not shy to try new things, I have grown accustomed to being pleasantly surprised. Usually it's in the form of giving a new activity at try, or giving my taste buds a new morsel.
When it comes to E3, it's all about the next level. Whether it be the next big announcement, the next big console, or the next big franchise, it's about what's next.
Look around at E3 and all you will see is posters that are looking to out-awesome each other. From a big poster to three big posters, to a poster four posters long and finally a poster that completely resurfaces the front of a building. Are these posters of the great things in gaming we have already seen? Absolutely not. These are newly announced titles looking to get your attention.
When you turn on the media coverage of E3, the talk is about the big announcements and information we didn't already know coming into the conference. Even today, the first day of E3, the talk wasn't about the PS Vita, but about the Wii U because that's what we heard about today. What short memories we gamers seem to have at this event, yet nostalgia and tradition are very important traits to many of our beloved franchises. When a company told me they were showing off a game that was already available in stores, I had no interest. My thought was, "If I wanted to play something in the stores, then I would have bought it." A holier-than-now stance I know since there wasn't a game being shown that I already own. That was the feeling that came over me, whether it's the one I wanted or not.
Thinking back to last year, when all I could do to understand the experience of E3 was to listen to podcasts of gaming journalists talk about their week. They complained about being to busy, about what games they shouldn't have spent their time with, and about a gaming withdrawal. My thoughts then were, " How the hell could you have gaming withdrawal after seeing all those games?" Well, I'm already feeling it. Here are some of the games I saw and a quick reaction (more detailed previews of these titles will come later);
Skyrim - Imagine seeing an entire game world and being able to to explored, and experienced. Assassin's Creed: Revelations - The single player demo just focused on a sweet fiery ship scene and the multiplayer has a few welcome tweaks. Disney Universe - Disney's attempt at a LittleBigPlanet type game. I know it's maybe 20 years ago, but this is basically the concept from Mixed Up Mother Goose, without the recap of the story at the ned (or so it seems. I have a lot of interest to see where this title is heading. Batman: Arkham City - Wow Rock Steady knows how to make one hell of a good looking game. With a more vast area to oversee, and a few fan-friendly additions, this already seems like a must-have.
Now I will have a lot more to say about these titles and more, but the funny part to all this. I am passed day one. Day two for me includes Nintendo, EA and Microsoft to name a few. It is due to the vast amount o f news and content available for coverage. If I were to look back and really think about everything I saw on day one, my head would explode. Keep it here, or follow me @themarriedgamer.
Didn't believe me when I told you Kmart put together a stellar/packed schedule? I just typed it up...
Take A look...
Tuesday
Bethesda
Disney
Ubisoft
Capcom
Warner
Tuesday Night - Frag Dolls Party!
Wednesday
Microsoft
Konami
Sega
THQ
EA
Namco
Activision/Blizzard
Nintendo
Wednesday Night - ??? Party
Thursday
Lucas Arts
Square Enix
Sony
Take-Two
Friday
DISNEYLAND with my Wife! (not associated with E3, but I'm going to make sure my wife has some fun too on our trip out west)
Remember, this is just what is scheduled. Ihave some free time as well to roam the show floor and check out some of the things I may have missed (which won't be much!)
Well, It's right around the corner and I can't help but be super pumped. I'm going to looking and absolutely packed schedule (thanks to the awesome team at Kmart) that begins with Bethesda on Tuesday, and ends with Sony and Take-Two Interactive on Thursday. Honestly that would be all I would need to be absolutely pumped for the event but there is also a convention center full of games ready to own my fingertips. Fingers don't fail me now!
I thought I'd give you an idea of at least a handful of games that I'm really looking forward to so you can get a better idea of my taste in games.
The Games I Know I'll Love
Mass Effect 3 - Bioware rewrote the standard for RPGs when they brought us the original Mass Effect. Originally, It was just excited for a space adventure, but when I experienced the first RPG fully voiced from start to finish, I was blown away. The story itself was excellent as well. Since, Bioware has only returned with 2010's game of the year. Fancy that! Am I excited to see the finale? Who isn't!
Uncharted 3 -Uncharted brought a treasure hunter's dream to life with Uncharted and has been a flagship exclusive PlayStation franchise. This year it seems the focus is on rewriting the expectations of multiplayer, since Naughty Dog has already proving themselves to be great story crafters. A great developer with an amazing franchise (Are you starting to see a trend here?)
Diablo 3 - I grew up playing computer games, and Diablo is by far my favorite game franchise. Blizzard rocked my world with the ton of Tristram, the wise Deckard Cain and of course, the looting. How imps carry stacks full of thousands of gold pieces I will never understand, but don't let that stop them.
Much like other fans of the series, I checked the Diablo III website daily for nearly a year to see all the screenshots, trailers and new character class announcements.
Gears of War 3 - The Gears of War franchise has defined gaming in this generation for me. Since the original Madworld commercial, I have been a died hard fan of the series. Though Gears 2 had some hiccups, the beta for Gears 3 rekindled my love for the franchise and I can't wait to see what else the games has to offer.
The Games I Bet I'll Love
Bastion - Since joining XBLAfans.com, I have had the pleasure of writing a preview as well as conducted an interview on this game. It may be a downloadable title, but the more I see about this game, the more I need to play it!
Tomb Raider - With a real love for Indiana Jones and Uncharted, there should be no surprise that Tomb Raider is a game I'm excited about but what I'm most excited about it trying it out from the start. I want to know what this Lara Croft is all about, and the previews have looked awesome.
And a lot of others...
All The Stuff I Don't Know About!
Okay, The Project Cafe is going to be announced and detailed. The NGP will be expanded upon and detailed. Rumors are both Microsoft and Sony have future consoles in the works and you never know what else they will show. The most exciting part about E3 is the possibilities!
Kmart is not only covering the expenses of the trip ,but they are also getting us the VIP treatment with developers. We will be in the seeing the big three as well as many others. This is a literal dream come true for me and the experience of a lifetime. I can admit that I am an emotional guy, so if I sound choked up in any interview or podcast during E3, or look like I have a tear in my eye, it's because I am letting it sink in.
