When I was a kid, E3 seemed like some kind of Video Game wonderland. Growing up, I constantly devoured every issue of Electronic Gaming Monthly (this was at a time before that newfangled "Internets" contraption everyone is talking about) and relished every single page of industry news, game reviews and so forth. Once a year, EGM would have it's E3 (electronic entertainment expo) report, which chronicled the event and supplied not only all of the significant announcements made there, but also would give the reader an inside look at what it was like to attend this mecca of the video game world. Throughout the report, pages were sprinkled with pictures of E3 attendees having the time of their lives; smiling or cheering faces of those lucky enough to be there, surrounded by epic glowing screens, larger than life statues of my favorite video game characters and of course, beautiful and buxom "booth babes" scattered among the show floor.
Regardless of the following comments, yeah, it's still pretty much like that...
When I was 13 (hell, even when I was 23), I never would have believed that I would one day have the privilege to actually be one of those attendees. The first year I found myself at the event (E3 2009), it was a gamer's wet dream. Along with a few friends from Activision, we made our way to the LA Convention Center on the final day of E3, made a quick run through the place, stopped off at an open bar after party down the street, returned to the event and thanks to far too much vodka and a free deep tissue massage, the rest is kind of a blur. Without getting off on a tangent and getting into too many of the details of that amazing day, I'll simply relate that I had a blast. For someone simply going to the event and enjoying all that it has to offer, E3 really is everything that I imagined it could have been when I was that 13 year old and it still is to this day. This instead, is an article about what it's like to have to work at E3; a guide, if you will, for those that one day find themselves in just such a situation. At the risk of shitting on some dreams out there, just like working in the video game industry, it is, absolutely, no picnic.
Looks like a pretty awesome booth, right? By day 3, it starts to look more like the gates to hell.
As anyone who has worked a trade show before will tell you: it is exhausting. Unlike most of those other trade shows, where you might sit behind a table, handing out pamphlets or answering the odd question, at E3 you will be on your feet, 6-8 hours a day, for 3 days in a row. I should specify, however, that this is the situation that, mainly, only the grunts have to endure. If you have found yourself in the fortunate position of the head of a department at your game company, or basically in any department other than Quality Assurance, then, good for you! You, instead, will likely be sitting in on endless meetings all day or sitting at an information desk, or, if you're really lucky, sitting at home with the option to attend as you please. But it you do find yourself in Quality Assurance, if you have been selected to work the show, please, have no illusions, you will be on your feet, working your ass off, for the whole show.
Now, most likely, if you are in QA, your job at E3 will essentially entail you being assigned to a certain game and then standing by that game, showing people how to play it, giving interviews to the press (if your company allows you to) and generally answering the same 3-5 questions about the game non stop, all day, everyday. Think of yourself as a glorified security guard (don't forget, you're also responsible for making sure nobody steals any of your company's shit...and yes, people will try to steal shit). If you're fortunate enough to work for a company that allows a decent lunch break, you might have about 1 or 2 hours tops each day to go check out the rest of the event, but more than likely, by day 2, you're just gonna want to go somewhere to sit down, take a nap, or just get the hell out of there altogether.
Case in point...
Something else begins to occur over the course of these 3, magical days. A smoldering contempt begins to build in your heart for almost every single person who comes by to check out your assigned game. Unless that someone is clearly a fellow E3 worker, you just wish they would all stay away. This is a two sided blade, however, since, as much as you don't feel like explaining for the thousandth time to someone "yes, I realize this game is like that other game, but, you see, this game is different because...", at the same time, when nobody is coming to your station, time slows to a near halt. By day 3, keeping that big smile plastered on your face becomes a real challenge. When it is finally all over and the big voice falls over the convention center, informing everyone that it has ended, get ready for the most fun of all: breaking down the booth. This is the moment, when, at your most exhausted, you get to perform some fun manual labor. As if this weren't enough, don't forget, everyone else is just as exhausted as you are, which leads to bickering and superiors with frayed nerves ready to snap at any employee foolish enough to ask questions in the name of assisting correctly.
The smile is a lie.
In the end, I don't really have much advice to give. Lots of sleep, keep yourself hydrated, hang in there and see it through, take up smoking cigarettes so you can take those puff breaks, the usual stuff. There's really no trick to getting through it other than to keep telling yourself it will be over at some point and that you'll be happy with yourself that you saw it through till the end. I also don't intend this post to detract anyone from getting into the industry or from attending if you happen to be called upon to work the event. It certainly wasn't all bad, even with the clusterfuck of working E3, I still had some great moments and have absolutely no regrets about those 72 hours (well, a few, but those took place outside the convention), I even got to meet the guy whose writing inspired me to write about video games in the first place! Basically, I provide this post as fair warning to any of those that find themselves assigned to work and looking down the barrel of E3. I feel it is always more beneficial to know what your nightmare is going to entail, before being placed directly into the center of it.
Oh yeah, and booth babes, did I mention booth babes, because they help too :)
my mind has been blown
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