The Long Ride Home
By Andy Robinson

Divine Intuention

Late one Saturday night in 2000 I was reading a few websites when I noticed that this year’s ECTS show in London was only a week away. Looking forward to a fresh batch of impressions and screenshots I clicked onward to find out what videogame companies and specifically Nintendo were exhibiting. “hmmmm… Dinosaur Planet, Majora’s Mask, Conker’s Bad Fur Day, Gameboy Advance” I thought what a great time it must be for all those lucky journalists who get to go to the show the following Sunday, then a thought struck my head, “why shouldn’t I go?”

A lot of my online friends went to ECTS year in, year out and they certainly weren’t journalists at all. I consulted my good friend Aaron Holt for advice and he told me all the information I needed to get into the show. “That’s it then, I’m going” I thought, I pre-ordered my press pass (only the best for me) and one for a friend in case he wanted to come. There was only a week to go until the show started so it’d be very close to the show when (if) my passes arrived.

There’s one problem however that I haven’t mentioned, ECTS was a trade only show and no under 18’s were admitted but I was only a young 15 year old game fanatic. My friend Aaron assured me I’d get in if I received the passes in the mail and that he had seen lots of young looking people at the show the following year. I decided to try and get into the show anyway.

I phoned my best friend Mo the following morning

“Hi, you alright?”

“Yeah, what’s wrong?”

“There’s going to be this game show on Sunday, fancy going?”

“Game show?”

“There’ll be loads of games there that aren’t even out yet and it’s free too.”

“OK then, yeah. Where is it?”

“West London.”

“That’ll be ages on the train”

“Don’t worry, my dad will give us a lift.”

“Oh cool, sure I’ll go then.”

"Cool, I’ll phone you closer to Sunday.

“Alright, cya later.”

“Cya, bye.”

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