The E3 Adventures of Matthew Allen Esquire (Image Heavy)
Aug 31, 2015 0:16:33 GMT
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Post by Matthew Allen on Aug 31, 2015 0:16:33 GMT
As is my annual custom, I attended E3 a few months ago and at the kind request of a few forum members I shall chronicle my adventures for all to read. If you'd like any additional information on what my travels entailed then feel free to shoot me a reply here in this thread and I'll respond in kind. Now, let us begin.
Saturday, 13th June
Current Sleep Total: Maxed Out
I take inventory of what I'm packing, unsure as to whether or not I'm bringing enough suits. (I was.)
Sunday, 14th June
Current Sleep Total: 0 Hours
I arrive in sunny Los Angeles. Upon stepping off the plane, the first order of business is to pick up my car.
I drive straight to where I'll be staying, which is a lovely downtown Los Angeles apartment which I rented out for the entire week. This enables me to not only have a full kitchen, bathroom, bedroom, and living room, but also a fantastic view from my balcony.
Didn't have time to get settled in though because I had to head to the Bethesda press conference later that night. So I hopped in my car, put the top down, and put on my carefully cultivated E3 playlist. The press conference was being held in downtown Hollywood, so a short drive later I arrived at the Dolby Theater which, as it happens, is the same theater that the Academy Awards takes place at here in America.
Following the press conference, I touched base with George who was fortuitously staying in a hotel right across the street from the theater. I walked over to his place where we left to go get dinner and catch up. Afterwards we hopped in the car and sought to enjoy the Hollywood nightlife which, I can firmly attest, we successfully did.
I returned back to my apartment sometime around 3am and went to sleep shortly thereafter.
Monday, 15th June
Current Sleep Total: 4 Hours
I wake up early at 7am and get myself ready for the day. First order of business: The Xbox Press Conference.
After the press conference ends, I loiter around the floor and hang out with Phil Spencer and others for a short bit.
Following the press conference, I meet up with my buddies from Lionhead at a community event they're running. Later that night, dinner and drinks with some of the Lionhead crew. I'm slightly out of frame to the far left holding a glass of scotch. The fellow in gray is Stuart Whyte, Lionhead's Studio Head. To his left is Chris Cook, Lead Level Designer. The spunky lady on the right is Lauran Carter, Lionhead's Social Media Manager. The other two individuals at the table (and the bloke taking the photo) are close friends of the studio.
We shut down the restaurant until eventually retiring to our hotels or apartments. Tomorrow, E3 begins.
Tuesday, 16th June
Current Sleep Total: 8 Hours
I wake up bright and early for it is Day 1 of E3!
Day 1 was a very impressive kick off for E3 and this is easily one of my favorite E3's so far.
Naturally, I also spend a good deal of my time at the Fable Legends booth with Lionhead.
Eventually, Day 1 of E3 ends around 5pm and everyone shuffles out to get dinner or attend parties because, as it happens, Day 1 of E3 is when most of the parties happen. Whether I realized it or not, my day was only just beginning and I had no idea what wonders laid ahead for me that night. Because of my no-doubt amazing skills and charming demeanor, I scored an invite to a party being hosted by none other than Markus Notch Persson himself, the fellow behind Minecraft. As some of you may know, he recently moved to Los Angeles having recently purchased a new mansion for himself. I knew a few headlining DJ's would likely be there, but I genuinely had no idea what was in store for me at this party. So following Day 1 of E3 I returned to my apartment, put on my finest clothes, and drove over to the address of the party. From a few miles away, I could already see dozens upon dozens of spotlights. I was, in a word, intrigued.
I parked a few blocks away and began walking towards the address. As I approached, I noticed that this party was being held at LA's largest stadium and that a giant torch had been lit to guide the way.
This was when things took a crazy turn. However, please indulge me as I properly set your expectations for what's about to unfold. Are you familiar with the latest cinematic interpretation of The Great Gatsby? Something that this film tried to achieve was conveying to the audience the sheer spectacle of the kinds of parties that Gatsby would hold. No other parties had ever been done in quite the way Gatsby did his parties. And yet, Gatsby is a mysterious character. He hosts his parties but is seldom seen. If he is, it's for only a brief moment. Yet, his parties transcended the era in which he lived and struck a chord with his guests on a base human level. I can say, without exaggeration, that thus far, Notch is an excellent representation of a modern-day Gatsby.
So I checked in at the gate and began to descend the stadium steps were I soon saw the focal point of all the spotlights. Inside the stadium was a gigantic dome the size of which no photo or video does proper justice. It didn't take me long to realize I was in for quite a night. This was exactly my kind of scene. These were my kind of people. I was home.
However, it wasn't until you went inside the dome that the magic truly grabbed hold. I plan to eventually edit together some proper video of the whole thing, but for now here's a quick and dirty video I threw together. Some of it is put to music and some of it's just raw unaltered video, so please don't expect this to be representative of my editing skills as this was literally just tossed together in 15 minutes so I could quickly share this with you all. Also, this video is privately unlisted on my YouTube channel, so I'll thank you in advance for not sharing this video outside of this thread. The video's also a handful of minutes long, but definitely watch until the end if this kind of event is your sort of thing. So please enjoy as you go on this little journey with me. Headphones and full screen are VERY recommended.
I counted at least 5 different bars under the dome. Notch was around as well as numerous other celebrities. There were five DJ's, including DJ Snake, Skrillex, Jack U, and others. The VIP area was crazy. They had a back door that opened into a courtyard where there were chefs with free catering. Words, photos, and videos don't do it justice. It may seem like I'm over exaggerating, but all I can say is...it's hard to describe this event unless you were there. It was one of the best parties I've been to. Sadly, however, it was soon 3am and the party was over. It was time to go.
Wednesday, 17th June
Current Sleep Total: 8 Hours
It's still 3am, by the way. Instead of going home and sleeping like a chump, I wanted to keep the party going. So I and a few...um...lady friends decided to hang out. So we put the top down, turned the music up, and drove around and had fun until eventually arriving at Santa Monica beach for the sunrise where we hung out for a short while before eventually parting ways. Soon, it was time for Day 2 of E3 to begin, so I went back to the apartment, changed out of my party clothes and into some more professional attire, and without having slept since Day 1 of E3, I began Day 2.
It was a long, but fun, Day 2 but eventually it came to a close. Afterwards I went to a mixer for the Independent Game Developers Association.
Afterwards, RoosterTeeth (of RedvsBlue fame, among many others) was putting a mixer together as well, which I decided to attend.
Afterwards, I returned to the apartment and streamed the last episode of Game of Thrones Season 5 whilst munching on delivery food due to this being the only downtime I'd had all week. Around midnight, I finally crashed and went to sleep.
Thursday, 18th June
Current Sleep Total: 14 Hours
The last and final Day of E3. I shan't bore you with the details as Day 3 contained much of the same as the prior two days. Today, however, I got a VIP demo at the Oculus Rift booth which was pretty fun.
Afterwards, I got together with some of the Lionhead team and we went to go watch Jurassic World at the famous TLC Chinese Theater.
Though, apparently, the theater's sign was having a few problems.
After the movie, we went to the Hard Rock Cafe followed by karaoke.
Friday, 19th June
Current Sleep Total: 20 Hours
Lionhead was still in town and we aimed to spend the day together and then hit up the beach. The ladies wanted to go check out a Japanese shop, so that was our first stop.
Followed by checking out other local shops.
Aftewards, we hit up the beach.
While at the beach, we met a friend whom we have named Blubberpup. He was very friendly.
Afterwards, I gave them a ride to a grocery store where they bought a number of American food items unavailable to them in the UK. Following that, we parted ways and gave our farewells. For me, however, I had a date lined up for later that night. So I went back to the apartment, changed, and picked up my date. I had reservations at a placed called Perch, featuring some of the best French cuisine I've ever had. Ever. We ate on the rooftop, right at the edge of the building, and watched the day turn to night in the heart of downtown Los Angeles, hundreds of feet up.
After dinner, there were other festivities.
Saturday, 20th June
Current Sleep Total: 24 Hours
This was my first day entirely to myself, so I took the opportunity to do my own thing around town. Not much here to speak of other than just general LA activities that I indulged in. At the end of the day, it was time to prepare for the return home. E3 was over, until next year.
Nights Spent in LA: 7
Total Hours Slept: 24
Average Hours Slept Per Night: 3.4
Scotch Imbibed: ∞
How Awesome I Think I Am (Scale From 1 - 10): 10
How Awesome I Actually Am (Scale From 1 - 10): 10½
Number of Wild Georges Encountered: 1
Thanks for taking the time to read of my adventures. I've actually got some properly edited video of E3 that I'll be releasing in just a few days, if anyone's keen to give it a watch. I also plan to eventually put together a proper edit of the footage from Notch's party, but that's really a just-for-fun project so I've no idea when I'll get around to it. Feel free to pester me with a reply if you want any game-specific information (I played quite a few while at E3; too many to list here.) Cheers!
Saturday, 13th June
Current Sleep Total: Maxed Out
I take inventory of what I'm packing, unsure as to whether or not I'm bringing enough suits. (I was.)
Sunday, 14th June
Current Sleep Total: 0 Hours
I arrive in sunny Los Angeles. Upon stepping off the plane, the first order of business is to pick up my car.
I drive straight to where I'll be staying, which is a lovely downtown Los Angeles apartment which I rented out for the entire week. This enables me to not only have a full kitchen, bathroom, bedroom, and living room, but also a fantastic view from my balcony.
Didn't have time to get settled in though because I had to head to the Bethesda press conference later that night. So I hopped in my car, put the top down, and put on my carefully cultivated E3 playlist. The press conference was being held in downtown Hollywood, so a short drive later I arrived at the Dolby Theater which, as it happens, is the same theater that the Academy Awards takes place at here in America.
Following the press conference, I touched base with George who was fortuitously staying in a hotel right across the street from the theater. I walked over to his place where we left to go get dinner and catch up. Afterwards we hopped in the car and sought to enjoy the Hollywood nightlife which, I can firmly attest, we successfully did.
I returned back to my apartment sometime around 3am and went to sleep shortly thereafter.
Monday, 15th June
Current Sleep Total: 4 Hours
I wake up early at 7am and get myself ready for the day. First order of business: The Xbox Press Conference.
After the press conference ends, I loiter around the floor and hang out with Phil Spencer and others for a short bit.
Following the press conference, I meet up with my buddies from Lionhead at a community event they're running. Later that night, dinner and drinks with some of the Lionhead crew. I'm slightly out of frame to the far left holding a glass of scotch. The fellow in gray is Stuart Whyte, Lionhead's Studio Head. To his left is Chris Cook, Lead Level Designer. The spunky lady on the right is Lauran Carter, Lionhead's Social Media Manager. The other two individuals at the table (and the bloke taking the photo) are close friends of the studio.
We shut down the restaurant until eventually retiring to our hotels or apartments. Tomorrow, E3 begins.
Tuesday, 16th June
Current Sleep Total: 8 Hours
I wake up bright and early for it is Day 1 of E3!
Day 1 was a very impressive kick off for E3 and this is easily one of my favorite E3's so far.
Naturally, I also spend a good deal of my time at the Fable Legends booth with Lionhead.
Eventually, Day 1 of E3 ends around 5pm and everyone shuffles out to get dinner or attend parties because, as it happens, Day 1 of E3 is when most of the parties happen. Whether I realized it or not, my day was only just beginning and I had no idea what wonders laid ahead for me that night. Because of my no-doubt amazing skills and charming demeanor, I scored an invite to a party being hosted by none other than Markus Notch Persson himself, the fellow behind Minecraft. As some of you may know, he recently moved to Los Angeles having recently purchased a new mansion for himself. I knew a few headlining DJ's would likely be there, but I genuinely had no idea what was in store for me at this party. So following Day 1 of E3 I returned to my apartment, put on my finest clothes, and drove over to the address of the party. From a few miles away, I could already see dozens upon dozens of spotlights. I was, in a word, intrigued.
I parked a few blocks away and began walking towards the address. As I approached, I noticed that this party was being held at LA's largest stadium and that a giant torch had been lit to guide the way.
This was when things took a crazy turn. However, please indulge me as I properly set your expectations for what's about to unfold. Are you familiar with the latest cinematic interpretation of The Great Gatsby? Something that this film tried to achieve was conveying to the audience the sheer spectacle of the kinds of parties that Gatsby would hold. No other parties had ever been done in quite the way Gatsby did his parties. And yet, Gatsby is a mysterious character. He hosts his parties but is seldom seen. If he is, it's for only a brief moment. Yet, his parties transcended the era in which he lived and struck a chord with his guests on a base human level. I can say, without exaggeration, that thus far, Notch is an excellent representation of a modern-day Gatsby.
So I checked in at the gate and began to descend the stadium steps were I soon saw the focal point of all the spotlights. Inside the stadium was a gigantic dome the size of which no photo or video does proper justice. It didn't take me long to realize I was in for quite a night. This was exactly my kind of scene. These were my kind of people. I was home.
However, it wasn't until you went inside the dome that the magic truly grabbed hold. I plan to eventually edit together some proper video of the whole thing, but for now here's a quick and dirty video I threw together. Some of it is put to music and some of it's just raw unaltered video, so please don't expect this to be representative of my editing skills as this was literally just tossed together in 15 minutes so I could quickly share this with you all. Also, this video is privately unlisted on my YouTube channel, so I'll thank you in advance for not sharing this video outside of this thread. The video's also a handful of minutes long, but definitely watch until the end if this kind of event is your sort of thing. So please enjoy as you go on this little journey with me. Headphones and full screen are VERY recommended.
I counted at least 5 different bars under the dome. Notch was around as well as numerous other celebrities. There were five DJ's, including DJ Snake, Skrillex, Jack U, and others. The VIP area was crazy. They had a back door that opened into a courtyard where there were chefs with free catering. Words, photos, and videos don't do it justice. It may seem like I'm over exaggerating, but all I can say is...it's hard to describe this event unless you were there. It was one of the best parties I've been to. Sadly, however, it was soon 3am and the party was over. It was time to go.
Wednesday, 17th June
Current Sleep Total: 8 Hours
It's still 3am, by the way. Instead of going home and sleeping like a chump, I wanted to keep the party going. So I and a few...um...lady friends decided to hang out. So we put the top down, turned the music up, and drove around and had fun until eventually arriving at Santa Monica beach for the sunrise where we hung out for a short while before eventually parting ways. Soon, it was time for Day 2 of E3 to begin, so I went back to the apartment, changed out of my party clothes and into some more professional attire, and without having slept since Day 1 of E3, I began Day 2.
It was a long, but fun, Day 2 but eventually it came to a close. Afterwards I went to a mixer for the Independent Game Developers Association.
Afterwards, RoosterTeeth (of RedvsBlue fame, among many others) was putting a mixer together as well, which I decided to attend.
Afterwards, I returned to the apartment and streamed the last episode of Game of Thrones Season 5 whilst munching on delivery food due to this being the only downtime I'd had all week. Around midnight, I finally crashed and went to sleep.
Thursday, 18th June
Current Sleep Total: 14 Hours
The last and final Day of E3. I shan't bore you with the details as Day 3 contained much of the same as the prior two days. Today, however, I got a VIP demo at the Oculus Rift booth which was pretty fun.
Afterwards, I got together with some of the Lionhead team and we went to go watch Jurassic World at the famous TLC Chinese Theater.
Though, apparently, the theater's sign was having a few problems.
After the movie, we went to the Hard Rock Cafe followed by karaoke.
Friday, 19th June
Current Sleep Total: 20 Hours
Lionhead was still in town and we aimed to spend the day together and then hit up the beach. The ladies wanted to go check out a Japanese shop, so that was our first stop.
Followed by checking out other local shops.
Aftewards, we hit up the beach.
While at the beach, we met a friend whom we have named Blubberpup. He was very friendly.
Afterwards, I gave them a ride to a grocery store where they bought a number of American food items unavailable to them in the UK. Following that, we parted ways and gave our farewells. For me, however, I had a date lined up for later that night. So I went back to the apartment, changed, and picked up my date. I had reservations at a placed called Perch, featuring some of the best French cuisine I've ever had. Ever. We ate on the rooftop, right at the edge of the building, and watched the day turn to night in the heart of downtown Los Angeles, hundreds of feet up.
After dinner, there were other festivities.
Saturday, 20th June
Current Sleep Total: 24 Hours
This was my first day entirely to myself, so I took the opportunity to do my own thing around town. Not much here to speak of other than just general LA activities that I indulged in. At the end of the day, it was time to prepare for the return home. E3 was over, until next year.
Nights Spent in LA: 7
Total Hours Slept: 24
Average Hours Slept Per Night: 3.4
Scotch Imbibed: ∞
How Awesome I Think I Am (Scale From 1 - 10): 10
How Awesome I Actually Am (Scale From 1 - 10): 10½
Number of Wild Georges Encountered: 1
Thanks for taking the time to read of my adventures. I've actually got some properly edited video of E3 that I'll be releasing in just a few days, if anyone's keen to give it a watch. I also plan to eventually put together a proper edit of the footage from Notch's party, but that's really a just-for-fun project so I've no idea when I'll get around to it. Feel free to pester me with a reply if you want any game-specific information (I played quite a few while at E3; too many to list here.) Cheers!
