poppy 🐈‍⬛

im literally her || priv - @p0p5priv

[poppy 🐈‍⬛ @ppopatron]

A little announcement… 💜💜

I'm really excited to share that I'm rejoining @TeamCoalesce, but this time I'm getting involved in something a little different, CLS Live!

I'll be working alongside some amazing people with years of experience in the gaming and content industry, helping build something currently focused on supporting TikTok LIVE creators.

The aim is to help creators grow their communities, develop their streams, expand their reach and open doors to some exciting opportunities along the way.

I'm really looking forward to getting stuck in, meeting new creators and seeing what we can build together.

If you're a streamer looking to take things further, or you're thinking about getting started, I'd love to hear from you. Send me a message here or on dc - popatron

Excited to see everything come fully into place, this is going to be big!! 👣

[poppy 🐈‍⬛ @ppopatron]

@oce9nvlr @LogitechG SMALL HAND LEFT HANDERS RISE UP

[poppy 🐈‍⬛ @ppopatron]

@Holy1VALO @Shadow1val he had to sleep at some point...

[poppy 🐈‍⬛ @ppopatron]

@ModyValo @puppymuncher i swear ur a year older than me and mads is a year younger than me????? this is literally our ages rn and im in the middle wym new gen

[poppy 🐈‍⬛ @ppopatron]

@ModyValo @puppymuncher send what bro

[poppy 🐈‍⬛ @ppopatron]

@Holy1VALO for #HMPoppy

[poppy 🐈‍⬛ @ppopatron]

be respectful to daddy.

[mgmt @mgmtcsgo]

that being said, I'm looking for beta testers

need a few active puggers to:
play your usual FACEIT games with it on
help me find bugs before release
tell me what you'd add or change

reply or DM me if you're up for it

[poppy 🐈‍⬛ @ppopatron]

@lyonscsgo @mgmtcsgo @prrrristine @natzurrp @1ARMgod i have a dick wys

[poppy 🐈‍⬛ @ppopatron]

@mgmtcsgo @prrrristine @natzurrp @1ARMgod @lyonscsgo WHERES MY @?

[poppy 🐈‍⬛ @ppopatron]

@ziyrVLR @Shadow1val oh hi

[poppy 🐈‍⬛ @ppopatron]

@crossmyheartwpm OOOOOOOOOH FUCKKKKKKKKKKKKKKKKKKKKKKKKKKKKKKKKKKKKKKKKKKKKKKKKKKKKKKKKKKKKKKKKKKKKKKKKKKKKKKKKKKKKKKKKKKKKKK

[poppy 🐈‍⬛ @ppopatron]

@qwivyx @vvv1ni @lewivalo @picklevlr @FlackyVal and they said "UK val is dead" they obviously didnt know about lengerz

[poppy 🐈‍⬛ @ppopatron]

@x0wey @qwivyx @vvv1ni @lewivalo @picklevlr @FlackyVal say it with ur chest man

[poppy 🐈‍⬛ @ppopatron]

@PapaKannyy its like 1 depo

[poppy 🐈‍⬛ @ppopatron]

@EPICLAN nah because i was ranting the other month about how i wished there were lan hotels in europe (untapped market)

[poppy 🐈‍⬛ @ppopatron]

@prrrristine do you think my pc will get there in one piece if i put it in my checked luggage?

[poppy 🐈‍⬛ @ppopatron]

@edeninhooo now i know how @porridgeorge feels every time he tweets

[poppy 🐈‍⬛ @ppopatron]

I don't think the criticism is necessarily that EpicLan shouldn't increase its prices because that's what it genuinely costs to run the event. I think the bigger issue is the increasing cost of attending major lan events in the UK, particularly when there aren't really any comparable alternatives.

And £99 isn't the actual cost of attending. There's accommodation, petrol, food, drinks and everything else on top. A weekend that starts with a £99 BYOC ticket can very quickly become a £250–£400 event, three times a year.

I also think it's important to consider the demographic of people attending, particularly within the Valorant scene. A lot of the community is made up of students, young adults and people who are only just starting out in the workforce. Not everyone has a disposable income or savings to fall back on. A lot of people are living paycheck to paycheck, struggling to find stable employment or simply trying to make ends meet nowadays.

Whilst to some people it's "just" a £300 weekend away, to someone else that could be a month's worth of disposable income or money they don't have. For some people, it's the cost of being able to see their friends and be part of a community they otherwise wouldn't get to experience.

I've paid £40 for a spectator ticket myself, which gave me a wristband and access to the venue facilities, including the bar (pints aren't getting any cheaper!!). I appreciate that running an event costs money, but from an attendee's perspective, the overall experience is becoming increasingly expensive.

I also think the lack of alternative large scale UK lan events is worth discussing. It's not as though attendees can choose another event offering a similar experience if the price becomes too much. But that's what I commend EpicLan for, they have done so much for the UK esports scene and there's a reason for why they are the largest dedicated, long running community lan.

There's also a bigger consideration for grassroots esports, particularly Valorant. EpicLan provides an opportunity for up and coming UK talent to showcase themselves, compete, network and potentially get noticed by smaller organisations. For some young players, these events are a genuine stepping stone into competitive esports. But these are also often the people least likely to be able to afford the increasing costs of attending.

We're in a position where we want to encourage grassroots esports, develop UK talent and give emerging players opportunities, but the financial barrier to accessing those opportunities keeps getting higher.

So many people involved in grassroots esports are already putting their own money into keeping things going. Players, managers, coaches and org owners are often going out of pocket just to give teams opportunities to compete. There simply isn't much money in grassroots esports, and the people trying to build the scene are doing it because they love it. But that raises a bigger question: how do we actually fix this? How do we make these events financially sustainable for organisers, affordable for players and viable for organisations to attend? Because if a large proportion involved is struggling to fund participation, something needs to change if we want the UK grassroots esports scene to grow.

I know for sure that EpicLan has genuine costs to cover, and I don't want an event organiser to operate at a loss. But explaining why prices need to increase doesn't mean we can't discuss whether the hobby is becoming inaccessible. It's a shame that attending something like this is increasingly becoming a luxury rather than something more of the gaming community can realistically afford.

Ultimately, I don't think this is just about whether £99 is a reasonable price for a BYOC ticket. It's about who gets to participate in the UK Lan scene, who gets access to grassroots competitive opportunities, and whether we're gradually pricing out the very community that keeps these events alive.

And just for clarification, I genuinely think EpicLan and everyone behind it do an amazing job for the UK esports and gaming community. If they say £99 is the lowest they can realistically charge to keep the event running, I have absolutely no reason not to believe them.

I also think the "I could just go on holiday for that money" argument is a bit redundant, because you're not going to EpicLan for the same reason you'd go on holiday. You're going to play games, compete, see your friends and be part of a community. They're two completely different experiences. I just think we should be able to acknowledge the incredible work that goes into putting these events on whilst also having an honest conversation about the increasing financial barriers to attending them.

Thought I'd use the most of my twitter premium haha, I'm open to hear other perspectives!!!

[EPIC.LAN UK Gaming & Esports Events @EPICLAN]

Yep, it costs £1.38 per hour to attend, if you compare that to every other form of entertainment out there it’s still pretty competitive.

Bearing in mind so many of our costs ultimately route back to fuel, energy and components, we can all see the global impact of those financial challenges and it’s no different to us at events.

Ultimately we only run the events to cover the costs and charge on a breakeven basis and sadly a £4 increase is what we needed to apply to make sure the event exists again next year. We hate doing it, but we love putting the events on and that’s what it takes.

[poppy 🐈‍⬛ @ppopatron]

@Shadow1val @Holy1VALO cute #boyfriends

[poppy 🐈‍⬛ @ppopatron]

@madsismaulding 100% agree :(((