Yeah, so back in 2009, I wanted a free subscription to a gaming magazine, so I created a fake company called “Game Interactive.” Totally forgot about it until months later when I got an official invite to E3.
I never actually went, and I never told anyone about it… until now.
@Sam
Yeah, I went that year too! EA’s setup was insane. Also got to see SimCity 4 before release. I worked as a bartender near Pasadena, and a lot of game devs were my regulars, so I lucked out.
@Sam
I went a few times around then. The craziest moment for me was seeing the first Half-Life 2 demo. Valve’s booth was so packed they started renting out a hotel room nearby to run private sessions. They even gave out hats!
Cove said: @Sam
Wait, what’s the ‘hangar thing’ you mentioned?
Mid-2000s, they tried to make E3 more ‘professional’ by shrinking it down to small industry meetings in a hangar in Santa Monica. It was a disaster. They eventually moved back to the convention center, but it never felt the same after that.
@Dakota
Also, games took 3-4 years to develop back then. Now? It’s like 6-10 years, and they still feel unfinished. The industry shot itself in the foot by focusing too much on making everything bigger instead of better.