Why I called my mom crying from E3
Everyone shows up at E3 on the first day all bright eyed and
bushy tailed, and is systematically worn down over the next three days due to
numerous factors. From the grind of running around like a madman while putting
your game face on and presenting yourself and whoever you happen to work for in
a good light to the work in the evening (for some of us lucky few) to the
parties for everyone else where alcohol is flowing like water and things happen
that may very well shame Vegas, we all get exhausted by day three. By the time
our big dinner meeting happened on day three, everyone here at Third and Five
was spent, both physically and emotionally, and after all requisite business
had been concluded, the proceedings devolved into laughter as we all climbed in
the car for one last party. This happens to everyone involved with E3.
Everyone, that is, except for Travis.
Travis had the good (or bad) fortune to be staying in the Glendale
Embassy Suites with the Third and Five crew and worked up the courage to come
say hello to this group of degenerates who I’m sure looked very intimidating to
a nine year old boy.
He appeared with a twinkle in his eye asking if we were
lucky enough to go to E3 this year, which of course we were all too happy to
tell him about, only to tell us that his parents were not able to get him there
this year because it was too late to sign up…as a single tear rolled down his
cheek. Our collective heart went out to this enthusiastic little boy, so we
pulled him up a chair and told him all about the family friendly parts of our
last three days. It was much less action packed than the movie of the same
name. Watching his face light up even more as we took turns talking about our
experiences reminded each of us of something, we work in video games. On the
roughest day of work, we still work in an industry which we have all loved for
years upon years, many of us since we were Travis’s age. No two people follow
the exact same road, even if they end up at the same place. I cannot say what
road Mike or Devon or Seth or Matt or Tai or Murray or Nate or Kay took to
arrive at that table with me that night. I am sure that we all loved every
second of being at the biggest trade conference of the year. At that moment,
the love had nothing to do with video games in the slightest. That love was in
response to a single question, posed by a nine year old boy.
‘How can I get a job that will allow me to go to E3?’ This
was such a simple question with so many different answers. Each of us had
something different to say, but the messages all came back to never letting
anyone deter you from doing exactly what makes you happy and following your
dreams. I took a strictly academic road, some people created and maintained
blogs that were noticed by the biggest companies, some people applied and
applied until they got their name heard, and no one can say exactly how Travis
will make his mark in this industry. He will though, I have no doubt in my mind
of that.
We all gave him all the advice we could muster on what to
do, where to be, how to conduct himself, and who can say what is the right way
to do things. I sure as shit can’t. I only know what works for me, and as most
of the staff will say, I do what I do very well. We all want to surround
ourselves with people who are the best at what they do; and I feel very
fortunate that Third and Five gave me the chance to excel on their behalf. We
even went so far as to introduce ourselves to his parents and tell him what an
incredible job they had done so far and we were all better off having met this
passionate little man. As we parted ways, I made sure to give my business card
to him as well as his father with the suggestion that he call or email me if he
ever needs anything, no questions asked. Walking away from that meeting, we all
decided to put our best piece of E3 swag together for Travis so he would have
the best E3 had to offer.
This year I did an absurd amount of networking and
exchanging of cards and a lot of that networking will yield delicious fruit. In
all honesty, I feel the most fortunate to have had the chance to network with
Travis.
Just knowing he is out there pursuing the same dream that I
am really makes it all worth doing. If anything I’ve done helps to pave the
road for Travis to make an impact on anything he chooses, then I will have
succeeded. That’s the long and short of it.
Thank you Travis for the opportunity to have met you and
inspire you at least a little bit. I know that you and your family were
thankful for the chance, but we here at Third and Five were really the
fortunate ones to have met you. You reminded us why we love video games.
