Why Streaming E3 is Better Than Being At E3 (For a Fan)

By LUDWIG VON KOOPA - If you're more than a fan, this doesn't apply.

You all know that the Electronics Entertainment Expo wasn't always open to the public, right? That's a really recent thing. For a while, it was industry players (game companies, retail representatives) and gaming journalists. It's formally a trade show. But for the past couple of years, gamers could buy a pass to E3 and try to enjoy it. It's not even that expensive, until you have to do things like fly/travel/rent a hotel.

$250 to get into E3 isn't at all unreasonable. You're getting what you pay for.

What does enjoying E3 as a gamer look like? Well... you basically can either stand in line for hours in crowded, noisy rooms for hours to play demos for a few minutes, or you can check out the relatively new E3 Coliseum which features not-that-exciting panel discussions from a non-diverse set of game developers, moderated by the ever-annoying Geoff Keighley. (It existed in 2017, but the most interesting thing that came from it was a not-very-interesting spotlight that caught on fire.)

Meanwhile, while you're standing in line like a sucker or listening to Keighley, game industry players are trying to make deals (that's return on investment), and various publisher marketing departments are catering to mega-fans watching E3 through online streaming services (which results in a lot of free media from places like KoopaTV, which helps sales, which helps return on investment). These publisher-led productions give a much clearer sense of what the upcoming games are, and often give you insight that you wouldn't get even if you were on the show floor.

There's quite a number of people here, and that's just who they let in the booth.

You won't get any exclusive insight on your favourite game because you went to E3 and your friend did not. In fact, you are less likely to have insights, because while you were in line to play Super Smash Bros. Ultimate for a couple of minutes (and you might not ever get to the front of the line by the end of the day), the folks at home have watched several hours of it already. Playing isn't equivalent to watching, yes, but is that difference really worth all that time and money? I mean... the games are going to come out and be on open betas and whatever soon enough, anyway.

You're also not going to break into the industry based on attending E3. Go to Game Developers Conference (GDC) as a volunteer if that's your goal. Plus, the panels there actually have insights worth discussing. I haven't seen anyone talk about anything that came out of Geoff Keighley's Coliseum.

I also heard a rumour that E3 smells. Like, rancid.

In the interest of being fair and balanced, we have to acknowledge that KoopaTV's very own Kamek has been to multiple E3 conferences, including E3 2018; and the first year that E3 allowed the public to participate at E3, E3 2016. (Kamek also photobombed the event in E3 2015.) Here's a statement from Kamek on his participation and experience, though it's up to you to determine if it makes any sense:

“As official human resource representative of KoopaTV, it's my job to make sure that we are all represented in as many KoopaTV functions as possible. These include parties as you can see.”

I think Kamek was referencing that his E3 appearances are related to Mario Party games. If you're wondering what Kamek does as a human resources guy, keep in mind that KoopaTV employs no humans on the staff. Either way, he said nothing about enjoying his time at E3, and even he wasn't able to actually play any games. I think that proves my point.


KoopaTV, as a media organisation, doesn't meet E3's basic qualifications for its staffers to get a media pass. The questionable reporting from former KoopaTV staffer (the only human staffer in KoopaTV history) Roxy also contributed to the site's press passes being denied. Regardless, this is KoopaTV's 1400th published article!