Is it time to press pause on gaming?

From casual mobile games to expansive role-playing games (RPGs), video games are a staple of modern entertainment for all ages. How is this source of entertainment deepening our culture? Let’s take a Deep Dive.

?? Video gaming has become a global social activity, engaging players and building community across continents.

?? It inspires various forms of art, from movies to music to animation.?

?? Gaming has replaced music as the most important aspect of youth culture in the 21st century.?

??? The popularity of video games has also given rise to gamification, especially in e-commerce, changing how we do business.?

QUOTABLE

“Every age has its storytelling form, and video gaming is a huge part of our culture. People are enthralled with video games in the same way as other people love the cinema or theatre.” — Andy Serkis, actor and filmmaker

BY THE NUMBERS

270 million Southeast Asia’s video gaming market comprised 270 million players as of November 2023.

3 As of 2020, three of the five largest gaming markets in terms of global market share are in Asia-Pacific. They are China, Japan and South Korea.

27% According to a digital media trends report by Deloitte, 27 percent of Gen Z teens in the US have named gaming as their favourite entertainment activity.

61% The same report found that 61 percent of Gen Z gamers consider customising their gaming avatar a form of self-expression.

QUIZ

As of November 2023, what was the best-selling video gaming franchise worldwide?

A. Call of Duty

B. Tetris

C. Pokémon

Scroll to the bottom for the answer.

DID YOU KNOW?

Popular amongst children, Roblox is a metaverse-style video game with a vast library of user-generated content and a virtual social environment. Its game-creation engine is helping children develop programming and problem-solving skills while exercising creative muscles. With the recent introduction of AI, ads and e-commerce, it is evolving from a gaming hub into a digital platform.?

THE EDIT

?? Game changers. A study in Asian countries showed that with the existence of huge gaming populations, particularly in China and South Korea, there is a higher prevalence of gaming disorders.

?? Clash of the Twitch-ers. The rise of e-sports, which is usually streamed on Twitch, has made competitive gaming a mainstream sport.

???? Powering up a revolution. Gaming culture is driving tech innovation and powering a creative economy.?

?? From pixels to Hollywood. The ‘70s and ‘80s saw several video games derived from film and TV. Since then, the roles have reversed, with video games inspiring several film and TV adaptations.

WATCH

In this Ted Talk, futurist Noah Raford talks about how video games and virtual reality are spawning real-world social movements, urging us to leverage this collective energy towards driving constructive change and progress in our shared reality.

THE FULL PICTURE

While mainstream media narratives mostly associate gaming with males, data from Newzoo and Gamescom Asia shows that the gender split of game players is more even across gaming platforms.

KEY PLAYER

Shigeru Miyamoto

Shigeru Miyamoto, the legendary game designer behind iconic franchises like Super Mario Bros, The Legend of Zelda and Donkey Kong, is widely regarded as the “father of modern video games”. His innovative approach to game design and storytelling has entertained millions and inspired generations of game developers and artists.

HONOUREE TO KNOW

Sean Zhang

Former investment banker Sean Zhang co-founded Talon Esports in 2017 with the aim of turning it into one of the world’s leading e-sports franchises. It boasts multiple businesses: e-sports team management, gaming marketing, merchandising and e-sports events.

ONE FINAL THING

The Playtest episode of Netflix’s Black Mirror disturbingly portrays a game that scares its players based on their fears. It was meant as an exaggeration of how people are overloaded daily with streams of negative information from multimedia, but the episode also raises concerns about the horrors of games that learn from you.

NEXT TIME

The answer to the quiz is B (Tetris).