I recently got the opportunity to fly out to gorgeous San Francisco to check out Eliminate, ngmoco’s online competitive FPS for the iPhone and iPod touch. It was a tremendous experience, and the first time I felt like part of the industry, instead of a blogger who piggybacks off of established writers and press releases. I love my daily duties, but it was invigorating to go out and grab my own story.

Also, I got to fire a shotgun. A real, honest-to-God, smoking-chamber shotgun. Had a bit more kick than Big Buck Hunter.

My trip started off surprisingly well, as both Tuesday flights were miraculously on time. Rarely have I had such luck, and I was expecting some freak event to delay my arrival to SFO.

Upon landing, I was chauffeured to the W Hotel, a popular spot for industry parties. It’s a pretty swanky joint, featuring spacious bathrooms, a lobby bar, and a freaking Ms. Pac-Man/Galaga machine near the check-in desk.

The rest of the night was pretty chill. We – myself and the six other Community Day invitees – dined with a few ngmoco reps, and then returned to the hotel for some drinks and late-night chatter. I was a tad worried that, being a greenhorn, I might feel like an outsider, but my fears were all for naught. I felt immediately at ease with the group, which included Godfree of Gamertag Radio, Trina of Gaming Angels, John of Gearheads and Matt of Thunderbolt. Nearly every conversation was about the industry, something that could only happen with a gaggle of enthusiastic gamers.

Wednesday began with breakfast at the ngmoco office, followed by an introduction from Eliminate producer Chris Plummer, some hands-on time with the game, and a round-table discussion with engineers Stephen Detwiler and James Marr. Providing feedback brought extreme satisfaction, as, for the first time ever, I was part of the development process.

After lunch, we were whisked off to the Bullseye shooting range, in a stretch Hummer limo. Apparently it was the first of its kind in the city, as numerous motorists snapped photos while driving on the highway.

Many in the group had never handled genuine, screw-up-and-someone-goes-to-the-hospital weapons, so the tension was definitely palpable. I was visibly shaking while holding the shotgun, something that was surely comforting to those in the vicinity. Though, the anticipation was far worse than the deed. It was actually harder to handle the kick of the 9mm handgun, as the shotgun rested firmly against my shoulder.

The shotty is always my go-to gun in any shooter, so this was without doubt one of the coolest moments of my 24 years. Not to sound like a dweeb, but pumping that firearm, and seeing the shell pop out of the chamber, made me feel like a badass.

When finished murdering defenseless paper targets, we were taken for a nice drive through Sausalito, and later over the Golden Gate Bridge. It was the first time in over a decade I had crossed the modern marvel, a sight equally as impressive the second time around.

For dinner we went to Espetus Brazilian Steak House, where the servers assaulted us with an endless supply of skewered meats. In all, there had to be more than 18 cuts, including parmesan pork tenderloin, chicken hearts, flank steak, lamb chops, homemade sausage and prawns. The goal was to sample each meat, limiting the pastas, rices, cheeses and vegetables from the salad bar. My eyes, as usual, were much bigger than my stomach, and I nearly ate myself into a coma.

With stuffed stomachs, we went for some shots and karaoke at a Korean restaurant. My camera died at the shooting range, so I couldn’t document my performances of Eye of the Tiger and Ghostbusters, but know that I crooned like an angel. An angel whose throat had been crushed by a boulder, that is.

That essentially put a cap on my trip, save for the the complimentary hotel breakfast and the daylong voyage home. There’s honestly no amount of words that could do the trip justice, but I will say that it was a blast, and I only hope that my next event is as much fun.

Tweet This Post