Power Schmoozing

There are many ways to approach E3. Some games journos are on a strict schedule, bouncing from meeting to meeting then quickly retreating to their fortresses of solitude to crank out news items and previews on the fly. One of the great luxuries and benefits of working for Crispy Gamer is that that the powers that be understand that first doesn't always mean best. The encourage us to allow our ideas to ferment, our opinions to develop and our nagging questions to fester. That leaves us more time to do the two things that E3 was meant for -- looking at new games and schmoozing with people who make, sell and write about games. My week, so far, has been a non-stop stream of such encounters. Fleeting looks at new games, drunken converstations with people I admire and people I'm interested in learning more about. I've met employees of some of my favorite design teams and up-and-coming writers, wet behind the ears, but eager to share their work and opinions with the world. Many parties were crashed, many beers were swilled and, most importantly, a ton of brains were picked. A bunch of the stuff I've heard will never see print. It goes on background as the foundation or starting point for future stories. I can't imagine there's a job in the world you could offer me that would be nearly as stimulating. I'm sure there are a few, though, that allow for a bit more sleep.