My Road To E3

In honor of this being my 300th article as a creator for Moviepilot (back when I first started writing) and for Now Loading more recently, I thought it would be wise to do a little retrospective for all my fellow readers and creators. So let’s go back to the beginning when I started creating content in 2014. I wrote 3 small articles that were just for enjoyment and never could I have imagined that just over 2 years later I'd find my way to 2.5 million reads let alone reaching the 300 articles, yet here I am looking back and it's been a fantastic journey so far.

Over the last 2 years and 300 posts I’ve written about a varied collection of content from pop-culture to film and television, but some of my favorite pieces have been looking at how video games have influenced and enhanced my life. I’ve written several times about the personal side of gaming: from tips/tricks of being a gamer dad to dealing with gaming disappointment as well as written about various gaming news and rumors. And through it all, I’ve been led to the realization that I truly do love gaming.

There’s so much more to video games than what many people think, and for me they’ve filled a variety of needs in my life. Over my lifetime as a gamer, I’ve made countless memories that all started with the original N.E.S. and a certain red- suited plumber. Slowly but surely my console and game collection has expanded to include nearly every system over the last decade. As my consoles evolved so did my love of gaming, now as I just crossed into my 30s and have a family of my own, I’m realizing just how much I love gaming and want to share that joy with my two sons.

Now let me walk you through where this is all coming from because as I’m writing this article, I’m sitting at a charging station in the Chicago O’Hare International Airport waiting to board my flight to Los Angeles to join in the festivities at E3. For a lifelong gamer, E3 is basically the promised land, and it’s incredibly exciting to think about what I am about to experience in L.A.

I’ve been to conventions before, and I’ve flown across the country, but this seems different; it is different. I’ve been married for nearly 5 years now, and I have two amazingly adorkable boys with my wife. Yet that entire time, I’ve never been this far away from them – let alone gone for as long as I’m set to be gone. Dana, a Community Manager for Moviepilot got me hooked up with this once in a lifetime chance to come to E3, and honestly I was hesitant at first. I wasn’t sure if I could handle being away from my family, my wife, my boys for three full days. Yet, like I said, I’m sitting in the airport terminal waiting to catch my connecting flight as I make my way to Los Angeles to experience E3.

Now several hours later after a cancelled flight, a four and a half hour layover, lost luggage and a shady arrival to our AirBNB - I’m now sitting in the living room of NowLoading’s editor-in-chief talking about what the plan is for the next day at E3 before I crash on his couch for the night (have I ever told you how amazing the team here is? – case in point, I’m sleeping on his couch).

As I’m wrapping this little article up, I’ve been wracking my brain all day trying to find a way to tie it all up in a pretty little bow, and I think I finally figured it out. Gaming can be as much of an experience as the life you choose to live, but there are three things to keep in mind.

1. Don’t be afraid to risk

E3 is nothing if it’s not full of developers taking risks, they are developing games that ultimately nobody could care about in the least. The same thing applies when you look at playing a game in general, sometimes taking a risk on a new game, or simply a risk in the actual gameplay can turn out to be an astounding experience.

2. Sometimes the challenges make it better

Nobody likes playing a game that is in no way challenging, and that’s part of what we love about gaming. It’s the challenge that drives us to constantly improve our skill. True gaming is a collection of challenges all wrapped up in a quest to complete something grandiose, and that’s why we play: to complete the challenges.

3. Go with the flow

This is one of those things that is easy to say, but often harder to do because we want to be in control, and we want to take the lead. Yet, more often than not things get out of control and we just have to follow where we are led; even if we don’t like the direction, it could very well be the best thing for us.