Skip to main content

The Eurogamer E3 2012 Scrapbook: our experience in photos and words

Booth babes, Snoop Dogg, Carmack's VR headset and pole dancers.

Last week, Eurogamer flew on an aeroplane to Los Vegas - oops, Freudian slip - Los Angeles, to report from the annual video gaming extravaganza, E3. You'll have read some of our coverage already, and there's plenty more to come. But, headlines aside, we also wanted to share what it's like to be at E3, and so we asked each Eurogamer writer - Oli Welsh, Fred Dutton, Robert Purchese, Jeffrey Matulef - to document their adventure via a gallery of smartphone or compact camera images. These were to be quick, rough pictures to capture a moment - not exposures for a photography contest. We also asked the writers for a brief summary of their E3 2012 tour of duty. Behold, the Eurogamer E3 2012 Scrapbook.

Bertie

E3 2012 - the one where Bertie rapped questions to Snoop Dogg. That actually happened. And how odd it all was. John Teti had agreed to video it, so we hatched a plan allowing plenty of time to meet and set up. But then, a phone call. The appointment has been rushed forwards because Snoop wants to go. I run from the E3 press room over to Namco Bandai's stand, but we can't get hold of John Teti. Namco Bandai rejig an appointment, allowing more time. John Teti is 15 minutes away, I discover. What followed was the most anxious wait I can remember. Without Teti, without video, the interview would be rendered obsolete - what sensible questions could I ask a rap star like Snoop Dogg for a news story later? Nevertheless, I couldn't bin an interview with Snoop Dogg, so I scribbled questions in a panic. Time ran out and I was called, and then lo and behold there was John Teti, like a 1930s angel come to save me.

Nerves shot, with still the most intimidating part to come, we entered the room, and there was one of the world's most famous rap stars, sitting in his armchair waiting for us. Shaking - I was convinced the microphone was wobbling - I rapped my questions to him. I even ended up pulling my favourite question and answer because it was deemed too offensive. I shouldn't have agreed, of course, but I wasn't thinking clearly by then. At the end of the interview, Snoop Dogg told me I was going far. Shocked, I blurted, "What, as a rapper?!" "Hell no, man!" he laughed, and the whole room fell about.

"At the end of the interview, Snoop Dogg told me I was going far. Shocked, I blurted, "What, as a rapper?!" "Hell no, man!" he laughed, and the whole room fell about."

This was my first trip to E3, and that memory of Snoop Dogg will stay with me forever. The show itself? Disingenuous, gaudy, fleeting and superficial. But it was a spectacle nonetheless, and I'm thrilled to have experienced it first hand.

Oli

This was my fifth E3 in a row, and aside from an incredible meeting with John Carmack, it was the least memorable of the lot. There were some impressive games, but most of them looked the same, and there was a strong sense of everyone marking time - aside from Nintendo, doing its own thing as ever, but appearing to get rather lost in the process. Mind you, that's what we all said about DS.

But I wonder if that's also because I'm starting to take the experience of going for granted. E3 is a mental event - it always beggars belief that all this effort is put into a show that's not for the general public. And as ever, I have a series of images in my mind's eye which I didn't capture on my camera.

A jetlagged drink on the Standard's rooftop bar, feeling like an extra in a Michael Mann film. Wandering the completely deserted and featureless corridors of Sony's Santa Monica offices on Sunday afternoon, like something out of the Shining, on the way to see David Cage's new game. John Teti, leaning into the mike and gesticulating as he introduced one of our Eurogameological podcasts, looking for all the world like a 1950s radio ace. Capcom's Yoshinori Ono beaming at me as I handed our Game of the Show award to someone else entirely on a different publisher's booth.

Someone said in the comments of the Carmack piece that I have the best job in the world. Maybe not, but it can't be far off.

"Someone said in the comments of the Carmack piece that I have the best job in the world. Maybe not, but it can't be far off."

Fred

Let's not beat around the bush - E3 2012 was hardly a banner year for the game industry's annual hoedown. Microsoft bewildered with its lopsided, core-baiting presentation, Nintendo did its best to make the Wii U look as unexciting as possible despite plenty of evidence to the contrary on the showfloor, while Sony lumbered along, just about taking top honours by virtue of a smattering of promising new IP.

Still, as ever, it was a privilege to be on the ground and watch this year's story unfold. While the big three's stagnant showings did their best to suck the life out of the room, there were plenty of fascinating games on the showfloor, and plenty of thoughtful, passionate creators ready to talk about them, as I hope our coverage bears witness.

"It dawned on me that this was my fourth E3 and every year the overwhelming sentiment was the same; 'this is the worst E3 yet.'"

A few of my personal highlights - chewing the fat with Day Z's passionate chief mod Dean Hall, digesting Watch Dogs' extraordinary ambition with producer Dominc Guay, witnessing legendary Nintendo designer Takashi Tezuka fail miserably at playing his own game New Super Mario Bros. U, and, of course, that glorious Snoop Dogg versus Purchese showdown. Naysayers be damned - E3 was as fun as ever. Roll on June 2013.

Jeffrey

My low point of E3 was entering the DmC demo room, wherein a scantily clad woman bearing a bored expression danced around a pole in the centre of the space. It was a degrading role made more so by the fact that everyone had their backs to her, as they were too busy playing the game along the wall. Is this what marketing departments think we want? I began to wonder if her position is worse than an actual stripper's, as at least they feel appreciated... maybe. Not so with DmC girl, pole dancing her way to an audience of backs. Adding insult to injury, DmC looks very impressive, making her presence even more unwelcome and sad.

The highpoint was vicariously living through Michael "Brainy Gamer" Abbott's first experience at E3. The night the show ended he told me that several people he'd talked to said this was the worst E3 yet, but he had a ball regardless. It was then that it dawned on me that this was my fourth E3 and every year the overwhelming sentiment was the same: "This is the worst E3 yet." I told him everyone's first E3 is the best, but beneath my jaded disposition his enthusiasm shone through and I realised that despite the abundance of sequels and the psuedo-stripper booth babes, E3 is pretty f***ing rad after all.

Read this next

seductrice.net
universo-virtual.com
buytrendz.net
thisforall.net
benchpressgains.com
qthzb.com
mindhunter9.com
dwjqp1.com
secure-signup.net
ahaayy.com
tressesindia.com
puresybian.com
krpano-chs.com
cre8workshop.com
hdkino.org
peixun021.com
qz786.com
utahperformingartscenter.org
worldqrmconference.com
shangyuwh.com
eejssdfsdfdfjsd.com
playminecraftfreeonline.com
trekvietnamtour.com
your-business-articles.com
essaywritingservice10.com
hindusamaaj.com
joggingvideo.com
wandercoups.com
wormblaster.net
tongchengchuyange0004.com
internetknowing.com
breachurch.com
peachesnginburlesque.com
dataarchitectoo.com
clientfunnelformula.com
30pps.com
cherylroll.com
ks2252.com
prowp.net
webmanicura.com
sofietsshotel.com
facetorch.com
nylawyerreview.com
apapromotions.com
shareparelli.com
goeaglepointe.com
thegreenmanpubphuket.com
karotorossian.com
publicsensor.com
taiwandefence.com
epcsur.com
southstills.com
tvtv98.com
thewellington-hotel.com
bccaipiao.com
colectoresindustrialesgs.com
shenanddcg.com
capriartfilmfestival.com
replicabreitlingsale.com
thaiamarinnewtoncorner.com
gkmcww.com
mbnkbj.com
andrewbrennandesign.com
cod54.com
luobinzhang.com
faithfirst.net
zjyc28.com
tongchengjinyeyouyue0004.com
nhuan6.com
kftz5k.com
oldgardensflowers.com
lightupthefloor.com
bahamamamas-stjohns.com
ly2818.com
905onthebay.com
fonemenu.com
notanothermovie.com
ukrainehighclassescort.com
meincmagazine.com
av-5858.com
yallerdawg.com
donkeythemovie.com
corporatehospitalitygroup.com
boboyy88.com
miteinander-lernen.com
dannayconsulting.com
officialtomsshoesoutletstore.com
forsale-amoxil-amoxicillin.net
generictadalafil-canada.net
guitarlessonseastlondon.com
lesliesrestaurants.com
mattyno9.com
nri-homeloans.com
rtgvisas-qatar.com
salbutamolventolinonline.net
sportsinjuries.info
wedsna.com
rgkntk.com
bkkmarketplace.com
zxqcwx.com
breakupprogram.com
boxcardc.com
unblockyoutubeindonesia.com
fabulousbookmark.com
beat-the.com
guatemala-sailfishing-vacations-charters.com
magie-marketing.com
kingstonliteracy.com
guitaraffinity.com
eurelookinggoodapparel.com
howtolosecheekfat.net
marioncma.org
oliviadavismusic.com
shantelcampbellrealestate.com
shopleborn13.com
topindiafree.com
v-visitors.net
djjky.com
053hh.com
originbluei.com
baucishotel.com
33kkn.com
intrinsiqresearch.com
mariaescort-kiev.com
mymaguk.com
sponsored4u.com
crimsonclass.com
bataillenavale.com
searchtile.com
ze-stribrnych-struh.com
zenithalhype.com
modalpkv.com
bouisset-lafforgue.com
useupload.com
37r.net
autoankauf-muenster.com
bantinbongda.net
bilgius.com
brabustermagazine.com
indigrow.org
miicrosofts.net
mysmiletravel.com
selinasims.com
spellcubesapp.com
usa-faction.com
hypoallergenicdogsnames.com
dailyupdatez.com
foodphotographyreviews.com
cricutcom-setup.com
chprowebdesign.com
katyrealty-kanepa.com
tasramar.com
bilgipinari.org
four-am.com
indiarepublicday.com
inquick-enbooks.com
iracmpi.com
kakaschoenen.com
lsm99flash.com
nana1255.com
ngen-niagara.com
technwzs.com
virtualonlinecasino1345.com
wallpapertop.net
casino-natali.com
iprofit-internet.com
denochemexicana.com
eventhalfkg.com
medcon-taiwan.com
life-himawari.com
myriamshomes.com
nightmarevue.com
healthandfitnesslives.com
androidnews-jp.com
allstarsru.com
bestofthebuckeyestate.com
bestofthefirststate.com
bestwireless7.com
britsmile.com
declarationintermittent.com
findhereall.com
jingyou888.com
lsm99deal.com
lsm99galaxy.com
moozatech.com
nuagh.com
patliyo.com
philomenamagikz.net
rckouba.net
saturnunipessoallda.com
tallahasseefrolics.com
thematurehardcore.net
totalenvironment-inthatquietearth.com
velislavakaymakanova.com
vermontenergetic.com
kakakpintar.com
begorgeouslady.com
1800birks4u.com
2wheelstogo.com
6strip4you.com
bigdata-world.net
emailandco.net
gacapal.com
jharpost.com
krishnaastro.com
lsm99credit.com
mascalzonicampani.com
sitemapxml.org
thecityslums.net
topagh.com
flairnetwebdesign.com
rajasthancarservices.com
bangkaeair.com
beneventocoupon.com
noternet.org
oqtive.com
smilebrightrx.com
decollage-etiquette.com
1millionbestdownloads.com
7658.info
bidbass.com
devlopworldtech.com
digitalmarketingrajkot.com
fluginfo.net
naqlafshk.com
passion-decouverte.com
playsirius.com
spacceleratorintl.com
stikyballs.com
top10way.com
yokidsyogurt.com
zszyhl.com
16firthcrescent.com
abogadolaboralistamd.com
apk2wap.com
aromacremeria.com
banparacard.com
bosmanraws.com
businessproviderblog.com
caltonosa.com
calvaryrevivalchurch.org
chastenedsoulwithabrokenheart.com
cheminotsgardcevennes.com
cooksspot.com
cqxzpt.com
deesywig.com
deltacartoonmaps.com
despixelsetdeshommes.com
duocoracaobrasileiro.com
fareshopbd.com
goodpainspills.com
hemendekor.com
kobisitecdn.com
makaigoods.com
mgs1454.com
piccadillyresidences.com
radiolaondafresca.com
rubendorf.com
searchengineimprov.com
sellmyhrvahome.com
shugahouseessentials.com
sonihullquad.com
subtractkilos.com
valeriekelmansky.com
vipasdigitalmarketing.com
voolivrerj.com
zeelonggroup.com
1015southrockhill.com
10x10b.com
111-online-casinos.com
191cb.com
3665arpentunitd.com
aitesonics.com
bag-shokunin.com
brightotech.com
communication-digitale-services.com
covoakland.org
dariaprimapack.com
freefortniteaccountss.com
gatebizglobal.com
global1entertainmentnews.com
greatytene.com
hiroshiwakita.com
iktodaypk.com
jahatsakong.com
meadowbrookgolfgroup.com
newsbharati.net
platinumstudiosdesign.com
slotxogamesplay.com
strikestaruk.com
trucosdefortnite.com
ufabetrune.com
weddedtowhitmore.com
12940brycecanyonunitb.com
1311dietrichoaks.com
2monarchtraceunit303.com
601legendhill.com
850elaine.com
adieusolasomade.com
andora-ke.com
bestslotxogames.com
cannagomcallen.com
endlesslyhot.com
iestpjva.com
ouqprint.com
pwmaplefest.com
qtylmr.com
rb88betting.com
buscadogues.com
1007macfm.com
born-wild.com
growthinvests.com
promocode-casino.com
proyectogalgoargentina.com
wbthompson-art.com
whitemountainwheels.com
7thavehvl.com
developmethis.com
funkydogbowties.com
travelodgegrandjunction.com
gao-town.com
globalmarketsuite.com
blogshippo.com
hdbka.com
proboards67.com
outletonline-michaelkors.com
kalkis-research.com
thuthuatit.net
buckcash.com
hollistercanada.com
docterror.com
asadart.com
vmayke.org
erwincomputers.com
dirimart.org
okkii.com
loteriasdecehegin.com
mountanalog.com
healingtaobritain.com
ttxmonitor.com
nwordpress.com
11bolabonanza.com