Paste Goes to E3: Day 2

Some things kind of amaze me about E3 this year:

1. We still are talking about 3D (even though it’s a new kind)
2. We are still trying to perfect the shooting game.
3. Nintendo fans love Nintendo more than everyone else likes all other game makers put together.
4. Despite rumors, the booth babe culture is alive and well.
5. Lakers fans make game fans seem normal.

Now I don’t want to pick on the Lakers, even thought I’d be perfectly happy to see the Celtics win. But in an amusing twist of fate, the sixth game of the Lakers-Celtics championship series was played right at the same time the first day of the E3 expo was ending. So, as swarms of tired game fans poured out of the convention center, thousands of painted, pumped and quite strange Lakers fans were pouring into the Staples Center arena next door.

And by weird, I mean weird. Middle-aged moms dressed like Playboy bunnies, one-legged men throwing peace signs, evangelists in gold and purple handing out Bibles and carrying signs reminding everyone that God would judge them all. Presumably, no matter how well Kobe played. And I especially liked the old man wearing, what I assume was, a homemade Lakers uniform printed with the words:

‘If you don’t like the Lakers, F&*# You!’

When you see such a passionate display of love about a sport, a town and a team, having just left an air conditioned world filled with space marines, Storm Troopers, zombies and girls wearing a bare minimum of space age fabric doesn’t seem that odd at all.

And Lakers fan enthusiasm reminded me that even though I found Nintendo’s press announcement today a bit dull—really, you are making a new Mario Sports, a new party game, a new Donkey Kong, Kid Icarus, Goldeneye, Kirby and Nintendogs? What the hell? What about a new Wario game? It’s easier to forgive the fanboy enthusiasm. It’s fun to be in love, even if it is with a company or pro sports team.

As for this 3D obsession, I think that has about as much to do with technology for the average fan as Paul Pierce’s 3-point percentage during the playoffs. It’s not about numbers, it’s about immediacy and wanting to feel connected to things.

So Nintendo did the right thing queuing up massive lines to let people see the new glasses-free 3D DS. They were methodically creating a great pining for the system. They want fans to lust after this new object and crave it. It’s 3D, so it must be more real, because those feelings the people in line have feel were very real.

Nintendo’s 3DS is neat. But technically, that’s it. It’s neat. I was waiting in line for the 3DS demo talking to a fellow journalist, when in a conspiratorial tone he says, “Take a look at this.” He flipped over his notebook and showed the cover. It was a lenticular image of a kitty that batted at a toy when you tilted it back and forth.

The Nintendo 3DS is just like that.