Gamers united in an unfortunate way when they learned E3 was shutting its doors permanently. After two decades of providing entertainment and gaming updates, E3 says goodbye. At least we still have memories.
Top E3 Moments
Dreams come true
A beautiful E3 moment showed Davide Soliani, the creative director of Mario & Rabbids, crying after being praised for his game by Shigeru Miyamoto. Miyamoto is the creator of Mario and Donkey Kong, a huge deal in the industry.
When Miyamoto praised Soliani for his game, he was overwhelmed. This is a moment for anyone who has just started a career in gaming to realize they made it. He did it. It was a heartwarming scene that is one of my favorite E3 moments.
Keanu Reeves, you’re breathtaking
Cyberpunk 2077 was a highly anticipated game in 2019 and during Xbox’s E3 Presentation, we were blessed with actor Keanu Reeves appearance on stage. I was there during this presentation and when those lights dimmed, music blasted, and smoke filled the stage, everyone was hyped.
Someone shouted to the stage that he was breathtaking, and he replied to us all, “You’re breathtaking!” I was in the audience. He was speaking to me. Keanu Reeves noticed me. I need a moment to recover.
Connecting with friends
The best part about E3 is the upcoming games and friends you make at the convention. This convention holds dear to me because I had the opportunity to work alongside my best friend. E3 opened to the public in 2017; anyone could be part of the experience for a few years. In 2018 I got to help Warner Brothers promote Hitman 2, my best friend close by.
We worked together promoting games and played many games that were coming out, such as Kingdom Hearts 3, Player Unknown Battlegrounds, and more. This is what E3 is all about, being part of the gaming community and sharing your passion with like-minded people. I’ll never forget when I met streamers and took pictures in front of backdrops. My bestie even told people I was famous and I had randoms taking pictures with me; which was an experience in itself.
We wanted to work every year for E3 and learn about all the releases such as the release of Monster World Hunter created by developers Capcom. It’s currently one of the most successful action role-playing games today. We were also told Skull and Bones was going to be released in 2018; sadly this didn’t happen, but perhaps next year we can play it.
It’s sad to imagine I won’t be joining the next convention with my best friend.
My name is Reggie
When Nintendo hired a new executive vice president of Sales and Marketing by the name of Reggie Fils-Aimé, he gave quite an unforgettable introduction: “My name is Reggie. I’m about kicking ass, I’m about taking names, and we’re about making games.”
He set the tone and continued causing people to talk about him at every E3 convention until 2019. Sadly, he retired that year, but he is still talked about because of his charisma during the convention. I was always a little jealous of Reggie because I wish I had the confidence to speak to thousands of people this way.
Microsoft Kinect 2010
Microsoft thought it was a good idea to promote Kinect on stage. This wasn’t the problem. The problem was how long it took to finish. There were moments when the audience wanted the show to end, especially during the Ubisoft Battle Tag game involving Joel McHale as a player. It was just a bad idea to begin with, and strangely, I’ll miss moments like this.
I’ll miss those awkward performances and I’ll miss when streamers would give their reactions to shows that failed. It brought the community together and opened a dialogue. Of course, no one will miss partaking in yoga sessions or watching people try to get the Kinect to work. They will just miss the aftermath of people still talking about it.
Bethesda for the win
2015 was the year Bethesda proved it was more than just Skyrim. Doom, Fallout 4, and Dishonored 2 were all being shown on stage; can you imagine being part of the audience and witnessing some of the greatest games’ cinematic footage being released? What a time to be alive.
Not only were the trailers unexpected and incredibly good but they were also being released in a few months. The announcements forced developers to do better. The entire show was dedicated to Bethesda showing off these new releases. This performance changed the way gamers viewed presentations and they wanted more.
E3 After Hours
E3 had some of the best performances, games you had early access to, and press events. It also had some of the coolest parties when the convention was closed for the day. The party never stopped for gamers, and some of my favorite memories involved these after-hours events.
There were moments when Nintendo would rent out nightclubs and hire A-list performers as part of the attraction. You also had the opportunity to meet random celebrities who just wanted to be there to play games. Megastars like Snoop Dogg, Steven Spielberg, and more would join in the fun.
E3 2019
This was the last E3 show before everyone was forced to quarantine and the world stopped. The last major moment in E3 news had to be the reveal of Breath of the Wild getting a sequel.
When the announcement came from Nintendo’s press conference, we all were shocked. I thought we were getting other games, but finding out we’d get a sequel made me hopeful. The announcement came with a full-fledged trailer and even if there was no date given for when it was released, it was still a nice gift for us.
E3 will forever be a memory I will hold onto and cherish for the rest of my life. It helped show me how much I love gaming and how much I respect the gaming industry.
It allowed players to see the other side of gaming and how much work is put into these shows. I will miss E3 and I will miss the friends I made during my time working there.
