ProJared

Accomplishments

I’ve always been fascinated by the video games industry.

I think I first realized that back in the early 2000s when Nintendo still had their Space World show. It was around the time when the Gamecube/Project Dolphin was being demoed and teased. I recall the absolute delight at the brief glimpses of Samus running down a hallway from Zebes monsters and Link tossing aside his shield to go all out on a taunting Gannondorf. People were discussing technologies, ideas, and creativity.

I believe that’s when I realized that video games was an industry, and not just fun toys periodically released for me to play. I became intrigued and engrossed in the evolving business itself; I wanted to see what people were coming up with, how they were optimizing engines, and how the future is going to be better than what we have now.

E3 became my favorite time of the year. I started paying attention to Nintendo, yes, because that is what I grew up on. I quickly opened up my mind to see what everyone else was doing. I began watching the press conferences from Microsoft and Sony as well. I wanted to see what exciting new announcements everyone had every year. I wanted to be surprised. I would arrange my work schedules so that I could be home to watch the livestreams of these conferences. I know it’s easier to get recaps and headlines later, but it just isn’t the same as watching it live with thousands of other people.

It was in 2005 that I told myself that someday, I will attend all of the press conferences at E3. 

In 2012, I did just that.

Maybe I’m just being sentimental, but I cannot overlook the fact that I accomplished something I always told myself I would do. It took a long time, a lot of hard work, and a lot of emails to different contacts, but I was there. Even when a certain individual told me “nobody is going to the press conferences, it isn’t worth our time”, I refused. I walked several miles to each and got myself there. Nothing was going to stop me from fulfilling this dream of mine.

The biggest smile I always get is when Shigeru Miyamoto walks on stage, as that man pretty much fathered my childhood. I took several (crappy) pictures on my cell phone, I’m keeping all of my badges and passes as memoirs, and I have these memories of myself doing what I always wanted.

Attending the press conferences isn’t even all that amazing, to be honest. What feels amazing is knowing that you really can achieve something you set your mind to.

I accomplished a dream this week. One down, several more to go.