The Convention to End All Conventions (but hopefully won't)

A couple of weeks ago was a very important week for anyone interested in or involved with games. The week of June 16th was the Electronic Entertainment Expo (or E3 for short), which is a convention dedicated to the the video games coming out in the coming years. Companies large and small showcase what they have spent the last 2-5 years developing (to give an arbitrary time frame) in the hopes that games around the world will take interesting it in. For the most part everything shown at E3 is all thrilling to see, and showcases the next level of gaming. This year was particularly exciting to watch, for what little of it I've seen so far, as the current gen of consoles is just over a year old. In the first year of the current gen (or any generation) is more about trying out them out, and ironing out any kinks with the programming. With that year over, companies can now explore what the current generation of systems can do. While they may not be pushing the limits as far as they can go, we'll get to see a lot more of what the systems can do.

So I've spent way too much time talking about what we might see at E3 (or really what has been seen since it happened a couple weeks ago!), perhaps it's time to actually go into what was there. Unfortunately I've only been able to see a few of the press conferences as life and day jobs seem to always get the in the way. There is also a lot of details to go through, far more than I could ever write in one post! Instead, I will be going through the videos bit by bit and writing up what I see, learn, and what my opinions are on everything. Hopefully you'll enjoy learning about the next year of gaming as much as I will!

New Beginnings

In recent weeks (ok months), I've thought a lot about my career and whether or not I would like to keep pursing it. The answer has been a resounding "NO.", which leaves me with a rather difficult choice to make. I've been in the field of Computer Science (or Software Engineering, or Programming depending on who you ask), for almost 5 1/2 years, after getting my Masters in Computer Science. I took my first programming class Freshman year of High School, so if you add that up I've been programming for about (six plus four, carry the two, got it) 16 years rounded up. That's more than half of my life devoted to this field, and yet I find myself not enjoying it at all. With so much of my life spent towards Computer Science, what else do I want to do? What else CAN I do? Embarking on a new career is no easy task, especially any that would require a different degree or education. Add onto that the experience most jobs require, and you're looking at another 5-10 years just to get anywhere in a new field! While I'm not one to turn people away from exploring new fields of interest, it can be a daunting task, especially when one still needs to meet financial obligations.

TL;DR, With the magnanimous decision of a new career placed before me, I decided the best place to start would be to think about what I enjoy the most. What do I want to spend my time doing, or find myself drawn to? The answer came to me quickly and is fairly obvious. I want to be part of the video game industry. I've been playing video games for as long as I can remember, and they're the reason I first got into programming. When I come home from work, I look forward to playing more games, whether it's progressing in an RPG, playing co-op with friends, or trying out a new game that I just purchased. I've been to PAX East twice (unfortunately only twice!), and regardless what booths I visit I enjoy just experiencing it. The energy, the atmosphere, the excitement is palpable, and something I look forward to for the whole year.

So I've decided on the industry that I'd like to get into, but an industry can consist of many different parts. The most obvious way for me to join would be through programming games, given my extensive programming background, but given my current feelings to any code-related may not be sustainable. That leads to the purpose of this blog post (took long enough to get here!), and the reason for me starting to blog after over 4 years being absent. Some people make their lives around playing games and reviewing them, and since I play games all the time I decided that I should write about my experiences and exploits! Most likely nothing will come of it, but perhaps someone will read a fantastic adventure I've had and decide to give a new game a chance. Regardless, this will give me a new outlet and focus while I explore the exciting realm of gaming journalism. See you all online!