Let's face it, E3 has been kind of a bummer the last few years. I was glad to see this change, at least for me.

I graduated last summer. And since that moment my life has consisted mainly of trying to find a job (and playing music), a task that I know alot of other young people are struggling with at the moment, especially in the country I live. There's just something about people responding to that with "Well then you must've had alot of time to play Video games!" as I slowly shake my head in response.

I bought XCOM: Enemy Unknown the week it came out, and I absolutely loved it. But as I checked my steam a few weeks ago I realized I've only played 4 hours of it... that is in over 6 months. This made me realize something: The reason I have barely played any video games in the last few years is not lack of time, but lack of interest.

The summer of 2005 was way to long ago for me to dare count the years, yet I remember the excitment that I felt over video games. A new generation of consoles, technology and graphics that tickled the imagination and paved the way for a bright future for the industry. The Killzone 2 demo, the rubber ducks (where were they yesterday, sony? where?), J Allard in all his glory, giving a 360 presentation SITTING DOWN:

This is what I've always admired about Video games, the excitment of innovation. Wether it be amazing graphics, a gripping story or an awesome gamplay concept that creates new possibilities for the medium. It is what caught my interest in the first place.

Perhaps this is the reason that spark has disappeared lately for me. Up until last year, we had seen little effort to move the medium forward. And instead, "Military shooters" is what came to mind when mentioned.

But yesterday, I felt that spark again.

Last year, I spoke alot about how I saw a light at the end of the tunnel. With games like Journey, The Walking Dead, and other indie games that really took center stage and showed that there are still amazing things that can be done with this medium. And most importantly, that people were ready for it. It was a sign that good things were to come, that we are ready to grow up and really show our full potential. But it wasn't until yesterday that it all hit.

When the Microsoft press conference started and they opened with the MGS 5 trailer, I felt that excitment again. With the knowledge of the new consoles in the back of my head, and the amazing trailer that Kojima put together, something happened inside of me. I was 12 again, and it was a great feeling.

Both Microsoft and EA had solid press conferences. Heavy on games, while maybe not adressing some of the fundimental questions that people had about the console itself. And the bat shit crazy Sony event is something we won't easily forget. But it wasn't the content of the conferences themself that got me excited, it was just the fact that there was something new happening, that innovation that I mentioned earlier. New consoles are always fun, I don't care what anyone says, and I'm not a technology guy otherwise. No really, I'm really not. I've never owned a smartphone.

It's clear that graphics isn't the main focus of this new generation. The games look great, and it's definitely an improvement but what strikes me this time is that so much focus is on new concepts. Ways to create new experiences and try new things. That is at the center of the new generation of video games, and THAT is exciting.

I mean, the fact that you can sit on the bus with your iPad and help your friends out in a game of Battlefield they're playing on they're Pc at home, is fucking cool. I don't care about the fact that I'll probably never use it, and know that alot of people feel the same way, but it's just a really really cool thing. Seriously, imagine hearing about it ten years ago, it'd be insane.

Just the scope and ambition of some of these games are amazing. The Division could be a really cool experience from what they've been saying. Heck, even The Crew looked interesting.

It all makes me hopefull for the future, and where the medium can go from here. I think we're going to see some really cool things in the coming years, and I'm looking forward to sharing it with you. Even if this feeling lasts temporarily and I'll be back to my usual business next week, it feels good to have experienced that feeling of being a kid again. For the first time in a long time, Video games are really fun again

-Filip