9:46 p.m. - 2004-05-11
back so soon?
Yeah, yeah. I'm writing again.
E3 - the Electronic Entertainment Expo.
Basically, this is The Event in the gaming industry [aside from like, Christmas, which isn't so much of a gaming event as it is a mass consumeristic orgy.] Any company who is Any Company will be there, showing off their shit in the Loudest, Biggest, Most Obnoxious way possible. And yes, I did need all of those capitals.
Meanwhile, buyers for major retail chains wander around deciding what their Christmas shelves are going to look like. In May. Yes, it's fucked up.
Also, at the same time the Gaming Press [which is VERY loosely defined, and ranges anywhere from Gamespot and IGN to "Mike's l33t Ge0cities Gamez & Warez"] is running around, basically participating in all of the hedonistic pleasures of playing pre-release Halo 2 with each other while mentally getting off over the booth babes next door. Oh, and they write reviews and previews and shit.
SimParentCompany spends a LOT of money on E3. Soooo much money. They bought the prime spot this year for our booth, right smack dab in front of the entry doors so that there's no way in hell you aren't seeing our booth. The screen is so big that the text in the video is something like 8 feet tall.
Annnywhooo. Demoing at E3 is generally reserved for the ranks of Important People who are Personable and Not Generally Repulsive. A select few. Imagine my surprise when my executive producer asked me to help out on the demo floor.
I agreed, half in jest because I thought he'd drop it. But wouldn't you know I got invited to a planning meeting, an official SimParentCompany demo shirt was ordered for me, and I was given times to report to the floor to relieve my boss.
At first my boss was worried they'd make me work all the time, and since it's my first E3 she was a real stickler about making sure I got plenty of time to myself [Best. Boss. Ever.]. But now I have a totally manageable schedule - something like 4 hours on the floor.
And I need to do this - it's a big vote of confidence that my EP asked me to demo after being here for less than a year and all. This kind of stuff is an important part of a high-level producer's work, and I need to prove I'm capable of schmoozing out there. [I also have some things to prove to the folks in Marketing who originally turned down my boss's suggestion in March that I be one of the full-time demo folks.]
And then, yesterday, I got a meeting request from our General Manager's personal assistant, inviting me to the apparently "traditional" exorbitant evening dinner for the demo team. The guest list basically reads: Many high-ranking SimCompany folks and Athena. Hah.
So this is the drama - this teeny weeny little dinner and what it represents. This is Athena eating at the grownups' table. Unfortunately, the one person in Marketing who doesn't really like me will be there, and she's pretty hard to ignore. Type A and then some. She's like the Brenda of Marketing.
(But then, come to think of it, Brenda and I got along fine when drunk. So maybe the expensive wine will give me a chance to reconcile. Who knows?)
(And trying to figure out what to wear? Yeah. That's going to be a nightmare. I'm such a GIRL.)
All I know is I'm nervous, and this all feels like a whole new world. Things career-wise have really sort of started moving at light speed these past two weeks. It's amazing to think of where I was a year ago - nearly broke, depressed, and about to drive across the country to basically start a new life.
I leave tomorrow, and the Big Dinner is Thursday. Friday is a much less intimidating dinner with our team from Seattle, and I'm looking forward to that. I think Hunter is coming too, so that'll be cool.
"Only the Good Die Young..."
We also got some bizarre, really sad news today. An email was forwarded to the team saying that one of our artists had passed away over the weekend. He was very young and universally well-liked and respected, and it really surprised the whole team.
Apparently, he liked to go camping solo in Yosemite - he was quite the nature buff and loved rock climbing. He went camping this weekend - and from what they can discern, he for some reason decided to climb a power pole - to get a better view of something, perhaps? - and on his ascent, he touched a high-voltage line. The park ranger says the voltage was enough to stop his heart and kill him instantly, so the fall to the ground wasn't painful for him. 12 hours later, a family came upon the body and sent a member of their party to get the park rangers.
Several people thought the email was a joke - electrocuted while camping?? I have to admit, it all seems a little bizarre. They called a team meeting, and we all stood around in solemn shock and silence as an HR rep passed on the nature of his death and the family's current plans.
Apparently the artist had a twin brother, who is currently doing "field work" in Ecuador and is completely unreachable. So his *other* brother got on a plane to Ecuador this morning to break the bad news and bring the twin home. I can't imagine what that family is going through, two sons half a world away and one taken so soon.
The end of the meeting was awkward, because all of the team leaders are at E3, and they weren't here to act as an anchor for the rest of us.
He was just so young, you know? People pass around pictures of him in email, and it just seems impossible that this vibrant person is dead. It's almost like you need to see the body to believe it, and that's terribly morbid and yet foolishly hopeful at the same time.
I didn't get the chance to talk to Jay too often, since I sort of got pulled away from Console and onto GBA pretty fast. We talked at the ship party, and there were some group lunches, and brief chats in the hallway. You take people for granted when they're around every day. He was always friendly, always smiling, always gentlemanly. The last conversation I had with him was when he asked for my advice about a stuffed animal he had bought for his new baby niece. He wanted the stuffie to be different, so he bought this so-called "uglydoll" that looked sort of like a flat squid with one eye and three tentacle-legs. It was still cute, but in a very silly way. And it was sweet how excited he seemed.
And then, just like that, someone disappears. I feel really bad for the Art team - they're exhausted from E3 preparations, and now this. They're really tight-knit and I know they're all going to miss Jay terribly. Why does it seem like it's always the nice ones, the good ones, the ones who would make the world that much better?
:( I wish I had known him better, but there were people who did know him better, and they miss him greatly. Rest in peace, Jay.
