In a Big Year for Video Games, These Players Are Shifting the Culture

It should come as no surprise that 2020 was a monumental year for the video game industry. While other business sectors saw revenues shrink and storefronts close, gaming companies have profited over these many months when millions of people have been spending more time at home.

Some of those people were always gamers, but the year has also drawn a new crop of players. Streaming platforms like Twitch, previously reserved for competitive gamers and fans, grew to host chess grandmasters and politicians making campaign stops. Sellers on Amazon and other online marketplaces began listing the Nintendo Switch, released in 2017, at jacked-up prices in the early months of the pandemic to match an unexpected surge in interest. And now, demand for the new consoles released by Sony and Microsoft has made them nearly impossible to buy (unless you want to pay a premium).

The year also delivered…