#June2018
Best of 2013 – Budrickton’s Picks
Like OL magistrate and chief jester Caffeine Powered, 2013 was a bit of a banner year for me. Overwhelming change in my personal life — from a return to postgraduate education, to a complete re-invention of my career and life direction, to the advent of a serious, life-changing relationship — it’s been a year of serious upheaval for me, and one that I now realize deeply affected the entertainment I enjoyed.
I promise, I ain’t full of shit when I say this – what you do, and who you do it with has a huge effect on what you partake in and what you’re drawn to. My new career has me in Communications and Public Relations. It’s no coincidence then that my great fascination this year in the nerd sphere was the amazing PR landmarks and media fiascos that accompanied the console gaming space. E3 in particular was THE shitshow of 2013, a spectacularly-enjoyable ride for gamers everywhere, and one that meant so much more to me now that my mind was tuned to the Comm/PR-perspective on everything. The way a business conducts itself publicly, the way it announces its products, the way it does damage control – these things fascinate me. They rocked me. I loved every second, and this year more than any, was aware of my own consumer agency as I allowed myself to partake in the stories businesses were trying to weave and tell to their audiences.
Here’s what captured me this year:
WATCH: AWKWARD GAMER GUY at E3 pretty much NAILS IT
Props to our own Faux Bot for shoving this gem across my path. It becomes quickly evident that this video is a gag. However, that doesn’t stem the awesome and accurate representation of a good portion of people you’ll meet cruising the aisles at conventions. And furthermore? I genuinely love everyone who matches this portrayal. I don’t know.
E3 vs PR – Part III: Microsoft Monday and Mixed Messages
Let’s talk about how important Monday was for determining the game industry’s narrative for the coming months.
Let’s also talk about what it means to gamers like you, and me, and how industry giants like Microsoft and Sony communicated with us via the grand stage of E3.
Monday saw PR-beleageured Microsoft take the stage first, around 9:30 a.m. Pacific Time. There’s no beating around the bush – they had an uphill battle to wage, one very much set up by their own PR snafoos over the last month.
E3 vs PR – Part II: The Whirlwind of E3’s Media Days
The Monday and Tuesday of the annual E3 week are always a fascinating pair of days to watch unfold from a PR perspective. The show floor opens its doors to attendees on Tuesday afternoon, but by then, an entire story has been told to the media through a series of conferences, briefings and events that kick off the week.
E3 seems unlike any other industry trade show on the planet. It’s equivalents in other industries, from television, to film, to fashion, to food, all seem tame by comparison. At least, from the perspective of public relations.
‘THE LAST GUARDIAN’ is ‘ON HIATUS.’ Confirmed to be SPENDING WEEKENDS with ‘HALF-LIFE 3.’
The Last Guardian is “oh hiatus”? Uhhh. I know it’s not the same thing, but a game that hasn’t been shown for years isn’t one that I consider active. Hiding, “on hiatus”, in development Hell. These are all roses by another name. At least to me.
