If there’s one thing 2020 taught us – and there are so many lessons learned – it’s that the gaming and the esports community made it possible to connect with others in a world where face-to-face engagement was just no longer smart or safe.
Gaming created a sense of normality, filling a void created by travel bans, closed entertainment destinations, and social restrictions. As a result, the gaming community welcomed a ton of new gamers, indie-game titles, like Among Us, became household names, and more gamers took up content creation to meet the demand for game streaming.
With no sign of ‘normal’ (physical) social life returning any time soon, what does the gaming and esports community anticipate being the highlights of 2021?
More spectator gaming:
Siblings or friends are no longer battling it out on the couch for the opportunity to get their hands on the gaming controller, because they’re rather choosing to watch the pros battle it out. Whether it’s to marvel at leading players’ skills or to learn some new hacks and tricks to boost their gameplay, gaming is more of a spectator sport than ever, even if there isn’t a tournament on the go.
We can expect gaming to become even more of a spectator sport in 2021. Newzoo’s 2020 Global Esports Market Report shows a growing audience that’s more interested in watching gamers battle it out in the virtual world than in watching regular sports broadcasts, with significant growth expected over the next couple of years.
This is great news for gaming content creators looking to start up their channels!
Gaming subscriptions:
Much like Netflix’s disruptive video subscription model, gaming subscriptions that allow players to pay a monthly fee to access their favourite titles, without spending a fortune on individual game copies, have continued to grow in popularity – and demand.
Heading into 2021, platforms like Xbox Game Pass for PC will undoubtedly attract even more gamers with relatively low subscription prices and access to a library of over 100 titles by popular developers like EA and Bethesda.
“These services provide so much value to gamers by offering so many amazing titles under one umbrella,” says Sam “Tech Girl” Wright, Logitech G South Africa Influencer. “We might even see more platforms offering this as a service for gamers, considering how successful these platforms have been.”
Better gaming hardware:
Levelling up as a gamer is as much about getting the best gear as it is about investing gameplay hours.
Much like previous years, gamers can look forward to more advanced gaming gear in 2021, with gaming peripherals manufactures, like Logitech G, working tirelessly to produce better, faster, lag-free equipment to keep players performing at the top of their game.
“We want 2021 to be a fantastic year for our gaming community. That’s why we remain committed to producing wireless gaming equipment with improved latency, connectivity and power,” says Alexander Lizzard Olls, Logitech G Marketing Manager. “We want gamers to play at their peak this year, whether they’re streaming for their followers, competing in esports, or just having fun with friends.”
Some things are unpredictable, such as the release of highly anticipated titles like Halo Infinite and Grand Tourismo 7, and whether games like Among Us, Call of Duty: Warzone and Apex Legends will be as popular in 2021 as they were in 2020.
There’s one thing that’s for sure, though: the gaming industry continues to raise the bar in entertainment, continually offering new ways to play and engage at a time when real-life opportunities to do so are more limited than ever.
