Why am I even here?

By Jesse Seilhan

On the day I picked up my first E3 badge, the sense of accomplishment and giddiness was palpable. The flashbacks of playing video games as a child, of writing my first newspaper article, and of the countless years I’ve toiled away at various projects seemed to all fit around my neck on a Nintendo-themed lanyard.

I proudly put on something that said “MEDIA” and wore it like a badge of honor. I had made it and I was going to get that “behind-the-curtain” peek into one of my favorite past times, all in the name of journalism. The lines were of no consequence, because I had made appointments and agreed to meet certain representatives at specific times. These pre-destined meetings were arranged to get an even closer look at the world of interactive media, not just play videogames in a bigger bedroom than my own.

2012 was a bit of a lackluster year, with two new consoles obviously in the works but not ready for primetime. Nintendo was the strongest of the three main horses, showing off their new system without any doubt that Microsoft and Sony were happy to dole out some first-party titles to keep the base happy until further notice. In the end, console sales remained stagnant and games with guys and guns kept on selling.

This year, we have a truly unique moment, where two systems are going to be released potentially hours apart from one another and Microsoft has committed a series of public gaffes that had this year’s E3 all a flurry with Sony fervor. In light of this new information, another round of appointments and meetings was scheduled, this time to really get a grip on what was on the cusp of this industry.

So I picked up my badge, headed toward my destinations, and continuously found out that my meetings, my plans, and my profession didn’t mean shit.

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