E3…The big one as it were; this is the place where the gaming industry comes together to celebrate all that is gaming, and what a celebration it is! The glitz and glamour of the LA setting certainly bleeds over onto the convention floor.
From left to right – Air Assaults, Omar, Matt, and Joshua with Stack Member Garret, and Air Assault liaison Dave Crouse.
All of the big names in gaming can be found here and they have all brought their best digital and pixelated wares for everyone to see. This is the time when for many of us, the titles we will be playing for the next year are revealed. Games big and small crowd the convention floors, and everyone can find their own little piece of gaming Nirvana.
Seeing the convention through the eyes of our guest Air Assaults, however, is a special privilege. It was both humbling and exciting to enjoy E3 alongside our Air Assaults, Omar Milan (USMC/SSgt) Matt Schaefer (USMC/ Sgt) and Joshua Burke (Army National Guard/SSG). The thrill of the games and the excitement of trying a new title is amazing to see when it is filled with the honesty of a fan.
The Air Assaults plan their next course of action.
I had a chance to sit down with these three amazing gentlemen and share some of their thoughts on the convention. One of the things I asked them was, what was their favorite E3 moment and the answers were unsurprisingly all over the place.
Omar chatting with the folks at Destiny.
Omar for his part being a huge Destiny fan was super stoked to meet the Destiny crew and just have a few moments to chat. For Joshua, it was getting his hands on the Oculus Rift and Touch Unspoken Demo (who wouldn’t be excited by that). Mathew however, was simply stoked to be there. In his own words, “The moment I realized I was at E3. It was sensory overload, this is like asking a child who spent 3 days in Disneyland what their favorite moment was.”
The conversation over the week was certainly dominated with game talk. When asked what their most anticipated title coming out of the convention was our Air Assaults had a hard time nailing it down, but they all had that special game they can’t wait for. Mathew, a huge Resident Evil fan is super excited to get his hands on the new RE title that was teased. Joshua was moved by the high-profile Xbox title “We Happy Few” and Omar can not wait for Unspoken.
What would a trip to E3 be without some amazing Swag and there was certainly no shortage of that. The Air Assaults really enjoyed all the amazing T-Shirts they acquired during the trip. Joshua was also pretty excited for the Legend of Zelda coin that was handed out. All in all the gang was more than happy with the new wardrobe of gaming themed shirts heading home with them.
The folks at ASTRO and CLGaming’s Devin Nash make sure the Air Assaults get the hook up!
The folks over at ASTRO also had some great stuff for the gang as well. ASTRO Gaming has promised that our Air Assaults will be receiving the latest in ASTRO headsets as soon as they release in August! A big shout out to them and all of the amazing folks who really helped to make sure our Air Assaults were treated like the VIPs they are!
From front to back, Matt, Omar, and Joshua get their game on!
Of course, it wasn’t all fun and games at the LA convention center. The Air Assaults really enjoyed their time outside of the convention hall as well. One of their favorite things to do was surprisingly low key, simply hanging out with the Stack-Up crew at the AirBnB. I for one share that sentiment as it was simply amazing to hang out with these veterans and hear their stories.
This chill time can be some of the best had at a convention and it is really where friends are made. What better way to relax after a long day walking the con hall than sharing all the amazing events of the day together as we relax and plan for the next day’s festivities.
Air Assaults Matt and Omar hang out with Liaison Dave Crouse and Stack Member Quinn!
Matt, Omar, and Joshua certainly enjoyed their time at E3 and it was simply amazing to be there with them. I asked our Air Assaults if there was anything they would want to say about the trip and wish to share that with all of you”¦
Omar”¦
“A very special thank you to everyone at Stack-up for giving me the opportunity to attend such an awesome event with such awesome people.”
Matt”¦
“I just want to attempt to express my gratitude to Stack-Up.org and any and all partners who make these things possible. The Stack-Up.org crew is the definition of “going above and beyond”. Their dedication to their cause is on a personal level. They are some of the most real people I’ve met and it’s easy to see that they’re making a real difference. This isn’t me just blowing smoke, it needs to be recognized that Stack-Up.org created an experience for us that would have otherwise been impossible to have. I guess what I really want to say is, thank you.”
Joshua”¦
“Stack-Up.Org does wonders for veterans with PTSD and physical disabilities by taking advantage of a true common enjoyable past time, Video Games, and that’s amazing to be able to do that.”
Thank you all so much for the kind words about Stack-Up it is much appreciated. For us, however, the best part of E3 was being able to spend it with great people like yourselves.