The Electronics Entertainment Expo (E3) is a three day consumer electronics trade show that focuses mostly on video games and the tech advancements that go along with it.
1. Before E3, video game publishers attended the Consumer Electronics Show (CES).
2. The CES felt that video games had little merit as a product. Because video games were considered a kids toy, many members of the CES treated video games as a fad that wouldn’t last. This meant that the biggest names in gaming, Nintendo, Sega, and Sony, were typically placed in the back of the hall or lowest levels of the basement and to see them people had to walk past less family friendly displays such as porn.
3. Video game companies broke off their association with CES after the 1994 show. That year CES took place in Las Vegas during a heavy rain storm. Video game publishers were placed in a large tent outside the convention center. Heavy rains leaked through the tent ruining several new gaming systems. Most notably the brand new SEGA Genesis system that brought to run demos was ruined by the rain.
4. E3 was officially founded in 1995 with its first show in May of that year.
5. E3 was founded by the Interactive Digital Software Association (IDSA). The IDSA was founded in response to a US senate investigation into violence in video games. The IDSA’s primary job was to develop a rating system for video games as well as function as a trade organization to represent the industry.
6. 50,000 people attended the first E3.
7. In 2003 the IDSA changed its name to the Entertainment Software Association (ESA).
8. The fewest number of people to attend E3 was 5,000 in 2008. This was due to a change in format to scale back the amount of people in attendance.
9. The Nintendo 64 was debuted at E3 1996. It appeared with Mario 64 and Star Wars. Shadows of the Empire. It was the first time many American’s had been able to use the system.
10. Game Developer Bethesda held their first press conference in E3 2015. During that and each subsequent press conference, every game they have announced has been released by the following E3.
11. E3 has been held at the Los Angeles Convention Center since the beginning. There have only been 3 years where it was held somewhere else. In 1997 and 98 the show was held at the Georgia World Congress Center in Atlanta because the LA Convention Center had been reserved by other events. In 2007 in a move to cut back on the presence of E3 the event was scaled down and held at the Santa Monica Airport.
12. According to the ESA, workers at E3 use more than 10 miles of extension cords, 5 miles of duct tape, and 5 miles of carpet.
13. Nintendo and Sony are the only companies to have a major presence at every E3. This could included floor space, press conferences, and advertisement.
14. The PC Gaming Showcase debuted in E3 2015. Hosted by Sean “Day9” Plott the showcase focused on upcoming PC games and technology from a variety of publishers. This included several smaller Indi publishers.
E3 is always a packed house.
15. In 2017 the event was opened to the public for the first time. Up to that point some non-industry people could attend as contest winners, guests, or under other special circumstances. 2017 was the first time tickets were sold to the general public.
16. Several gaming consoles have been revealed at E3. These include the Playstation 2, 3, and 4; the Nintendo Wii, Wii U, and Switch; and the X Box 360, One, and One X.
17. E3 introduced the Coliseum in 2017. The event spans most of E3 and features interviews with developers, YouTubers, Streamers, industry insiders, and publishers.
The Coliseum stage has some of the most interestign guests.
18. There are over 150 companies attending E3 this year.
19. According to the ESA, E3 uses more bandwidth in the 3 days it’s operating than most US cites do in a year.
20. 2018 will mark the first year that the ESA and the Electronic Sports League (ESL) will team up to host the first E3 Sports Arena. The event will feature several E-Sports tournaments.
21. The first ever world Splatoon tournament will be held at E3 2018 in the new E3 Sports Arena.
22. E3 2018 will host the first Change the Game Design Challenge finals. The contest will feature 5 women and the mobile games they designed. The 5 finalists will debut their games at E3. The person whose game is chosen with receive a $10,000 scholarship and $15,000 for their school or community tech program.
23. According to the ESL, more than 55 miles of fiber optic cable will be used at E3.
24. In 2017 gamers around the world watched 777,878,160 minutes of E3 footage on twitch.
25. In 2017 roughly 240 products at E3 featured virtual or augmented reality.
26. According to the ESL there will be more than 35,000 monitors used at E3.
27. In 2013 the Oculus Rift debuted at E3. This began what many consider the modern age of Virtual Gaming.
28. According to the ESL, the business and meeting rooms at E3 would fill 8 football fields.
29. In 2011 the ESA launched the E3 Insider program. It was designed as a way for people all over the world to view the event online. It included a news feed, virtual booth tours, press conference coverage, and video interviews. The program was shut down in 2015 due in part to the wide spread use of Twitch, YouTube, and other social media outlets.
30. Twitch officially covered E3 for the first time in 2014.
31. E3 employs more than 3000 people over the course of the event.
32. 68,400 people attended E3 in 2017.
Are there any facts, figures, or bits of information I missed. Leave a comment down below and let us know. Also, let us know if there was any piece of trivia you found really interesting.
