Hello again friends!

This week is brought to you by E3(unofficially). One of the biggest struggles of my career has been the age-old debate of “Console vs PC.” On occasion, when this debate stirs, I always hear at least one “PC Master Race!” or “XBOX rules!”

If you had asked my high school self, I would tell you that console gaming was the way of the future. And at the time, it had really seemed so. I can’t remember a day when I didn’t pick up my 360 controller and play at least a game or twenty of Call of Duty: Modern Warfare (aka CoD 4). Up until sophomore year of college, you couldn’t separate me from my 360. It is because of that console that I chose to go to a school to make video games for a living. Games back then were my entire life, and have shaped who I am today.

I ended up building my first gaming rig to play the much anticipated Guild Wars 2, and slowly became enveloped in the world of Steam games, being swept up by the incredible amount of Steam sales that made my wallet cry. At points, it seemed a definitive choice that I would never touch my console ever again. In fact, one of the only games that has made me really want a console game this past year is GTA V, which took me 2 months after buying it to actually play it.

Now, in the world of changing guards, the PS4 and the XBOX One are the new “thing” for consoles. The problem is that they are just so expensive. It has become seemingly unwarranted to buy a new console for a handful of games like Destiny or Battlefield. Nowadays, most of my friends play on PC, so why would I go buy a new console to play with nobody?

It has become a personal existential gaming crisis. Especially, in a point of my life where money is precious, it just becomes impossible to even buy some games for the PC. Where would I be now without the consoles of old? How can I justify paying an extra $500 for one or two games to come?

Now, how does any of this relate to E3 at all? Because, E3 is the epicenter of all things gaming in North America. It represents all factions, from the major console companies like Microsoft, Sony, and Nintendo, to the publishers like Activision and EA. It represents my past, present, and (hopefully) future. It is important to me both as a consumer and as a professional. How can I claim to be knowledgeable in my craft if I can’t even stay up to date on current trends? By limiting myself to one platform, there’s no way I’ll be able to experience the best content from all aspects of the gaming world.

All personal struggles aside, E3 showed some really cool content to come. A few sneak peaks into the new Star Wars: Battlefront 3 (finally) and Mass Effect 4 were a few games I’ve been waiting for a long time. Another look into Project Spark from Microsoft was especially cool, since one of the developers is actually an alumnus from both my college AND high school.

The coming years could arguably be one of the most influential revolutions in the gaming world. With so much cool content and amazing technology coming out, it will prove to be an exciting time. For a better look into some of the biggest headlines at E3 this year, check out Polygon for the best news in gaming.

Carl, Out