About two and a half weeks after Fanime...

E3!  Video agme mecca! Last year I was able to go all 3 days, but this year I was only able to go one afternoon because of work. I had to make up my some of my lost hours by coming into work an hour earlier through the week, so I was little worn down. I didn't cosplay, since it's a trade show. I've only seen like 3 people dress up last year...and those 3 people were my friends, haha.

My first order of business was to do, you guessed it, some interviews. I met up with APA's video editor, Craig, and I met up with Bryan, who I worked with at the AX interviews last year. I interviewed the localization manager of NIS America and a producer from Rockin Android. I had to interview the former in the hall, which was really loud, and the latter kept us waiting an hour before he showed up. The NIS America interview went well, since Bryan doesn't have talk all fast and mumble like I do. We took turns asking questions, which gave me time to gather myself. Ditto for the Rockin Android interview.

By the time we were done, it was like almost 3 and I only had three hours left before the show floor closed. And my friend Dan called, asking me if I could keep his friend Darlene company, who had gone to E3 on her own and wanted some company. Being the nice guy that I am, I did just that. Apparently we were classmates in microbiology during my senior year, but I didnt' remember her (who was a junior) at all. She remembered me, apparently. So after I did another quick interview with another NIS America localization editor, I wandered around with her. She wanted to grab free stuff, so we looked out for that. She even had made me play this guitar game, the Gig, to get a free t-shirt. Unfortunately I'm terrible at music games...and the guitar controller wasn't plastic, but apparently was a real working electric guitar. I wound up getting a blister while pathetically trying to play the game while she and the guy in charge of the kiosk watched. But hey, I got the shirt for her.

So by the time we left, I wound up playing maybe 5 games altogether, which didn't include any of the major games or the 3DS. I came away with a fair share of swag, so it wasn't a complete loss.

I've noticed that the older I get, the less willing I am to wait in long lines for anything. So E3 was kinda wasted on me. Still, I enjoyed playing reporter, so I'll probably back next year.

And two weeks later, I was back at the LA Convention Center, this time for Anime Expo.