Posts tagged with "gamers"

UFC GYM × NRG

UFC GYM® and UFC FIT® to Partner with NRG for a Product Collaboration and Complimentary 30-Day Membership

UFC GYM®, the first major brand extension of UFC®, has announced a partnership with NRG, one of the most successful professional gaming and entertainment companies in the world, for an exciting product collaboration including a complimentary 30-day membership at select UFC GYM® and UFC FIT® locations.

With each company having a broad reach into the e-sports and fitness industries, this unique collaboration between the two market leaders will provide a glimpse into both worlds of each brand. With the purchase of co-branded merchandise, NRG customers and UFC GYM members will receive a complimentary 30-day membership at select UFC GYM® and UFC FIT® locations across the country.

“We are very excited to partner with NRG and expand our reach into the gaming world. Gamers love fitness, and we are thrilled to welcome gaming enthusiasts to UFC GYM, where they can ‘train different’ with the best coaches and exercise equipment in the industry,” said Adam Sedlack, CEO of UFC GYM®.

“UFC GYM is the perfect first partner for collaboration with NRG! This merge brings together two great brands from different worlds. Our fans will love the fun, durable, high-quality merchandise represented in the capsule and will also get rewarded with a complimentary 30-day membership to check out the amazing facilities and programs at UFC GYM,” said Andy Miller, NRG Founder and CEO.

UFC GYM® was the first to unite the benefits of MMA with fitness. The brand’s TRAIN DIFFERENT® approach provides members with the ultimate fitness experience and programming that secures results for all ages and training levels. With 160 locations opened and 500 additional locations currently in development globally, UFC GYM® has revolutionized the fitness industry and positively impacted countless lives worldwide. For more information, please visit www.ufcgym.com or www.ufcfit.com.

ABOUT UFC GYM®

UFC GYM® is the first major brand extension of UFC®, the world’s premier MMA organization, created in alliance with New Evolution Ventures™ (NeV), developers of many of the world’s most successful fitness brands. As the first to unite the benefits of MMA with fitness, the brand is not what you expect, and more than you can imagine. UFC GYM’s TRAIN DIFFERENT® approach provides members with the ultimate fitness experience and programming that secures results for all ages and training levels. With 160 locations opened and 1,000 additional locations currently in development globally, UFC GYM has revolutionized the fitness industry and positively impacted countless lives worldwide. In addition to its corporate-owned clubs, UFC GYM offers the opportunity to own and operate a franchise domestically and internationally through the UFC GYM® or UFC FIT® model. For franchise information, contact franchiseinfo@ufcgym.com or visit UFCGYMfranchise.com. For more information, please visit UFCGYM.com or UFCFIT.com. Follow UFC GYM on Instagram and Twitter @UFCGYM, Facebook.com/UFCGYM, and youtube.com/UFCGYM.

About UFC®

UFC^® is the world’s premier mixed martial arts organization (MMA), with more than 688 million fans and 207 million social media followers. The organization produces more than 40 live events annually in some of the most prestigious arenas around the world, while broadcasting to nearly 900 million TV households across more than 170 countries. UFC’s athlete roster features the world’s best MMA athletes representing more than 75 countries. The organization’s digital offerings include UFC FIGHT PASS^®, one of the world’s leading streaming services for combat sports. UFC is owned by global entertainment, sports and content company Endeavor, and is headquartered in Las Vegas, Nevada. For more information, visit UFC.com and follow UFC at Facebook.com/UFC, Twitter, Snapchat, Instagram and TikTok: @UFC.

ABOUT NRG ®

NRG is a professional gaming and entertainment company headquartered in Los Angeles, California. Founded in 2016, NRG has embodied competitive esports excellence and the best of gaming culture over the last half-decade. Known for championship teams and innovative gaming lifestyle content, NRG is one of the most-watched organizations in the world on Twitch and YouTube, and the most watched org across platforms in North America for 2021.
NRG boasts the most-viewed and storied competitive Fortnite roster in the game, a World Championship Rocket League team, an Apex Legends squad with numerous national and international titles under its belt, and a top ranked fan favorite Valorant squad. Additionally, NRG is home to the San Francisco Shock, the org’s Overwatch League team, who is the winningest and most popular Overwatch team of all time, having won 2019, 2020 back-to-back Grand Finals.
NRG’s content channels span YouTube, TikTok, Instagram, Twitter, Facebook and multiple Snap Discover shows. NRG’s social gaming brand, Full Squad Gaming, has become an instant powerhouse amassing millions of followers on TikTok and YouTube in its first year since launch! Currently, NRG content channels reach over 60M uniques a month throwing off over 3 million views a day!

Millennials and the Metaverse: Here’s where Gaming and Engagement Come into Play

The digital age has taken over our daily lives. We now have technology that does everything for us – wake us up, read us our daily news, count our calories – the list goes on. But what the digital age has done for us most: provide fun and engaging ways for us to spend our downtime.

The gaming universe has become one of the most flourishing industries of all time. With millions of games to choose from, like Bubble Hit, people of all ages can connect, engage, and enjoy. Recent reports show that the younger the generation, the higher the likelihood of engagement in the mobile gaming industry. Studies have shown that every 8/10 Millennial and Gen Z consumers are playing video games. Gaming is even on track to replace movies and television as the preferred form of entertainment. With numbers like this, it is a no brainer to begin ventures into this highly grossing marketplace.

This thought is actually what created the staple of today’s gaming: the metaverse. With gaming on the rise, something had to be done to take it to the next level. The metaverse is an immersive virtual reality. Gamers enter this virtual world, “live”, and participate in activities in this virtual world. You may, in fact, have seen or heard of the metaverse in many different aspects besides gaming. The idea of NFT’s/cryptocurrency, for example, is another aspect of the metaverse. Games like Roblox, Minecraft, and Fortnite are examples of popular gaming sites that have immersed their users into the metaverse.

But what exactly about the metaverse makes it so attractive?

You can have fun with your friends anywhere,anytime. In the past, games could only be played together in person. But the metaverse extends the fun. Just the click of a button can take you into a new reality with all your friends. But the metaverse does more than just connect you with your friends – it can actually make you money.

“I want to level the financial playing field and give the masses the opportunity to reach financial wealth,” remarks CEO John Vitti of VersusGames.

Vitti transcended the already futuristic metaverse by going a step above and beyond – instead of simply having fun, you can have fun and earn money. VersusGames is a prediction-based gaming app, allowing you to make predictions that test your knowledge on all things pop culture. You enter a one-on-one match up, earning money through correct predictions. In addition to those earnings, by referring a friend, you earn 5% of their earnings. Players are earning so much that they’re even quitting their jobs! Here, the idea of the metaverse takes on a new meaning. The metaverse extends from the virtual world to reality, allowing you to turn your gaming into real-life profit.

VersusGames also allows influencers and celebrities to engage with their fans. As creators host games, they are able to earn consistent profits from their engagement. Unlike other big tech giants that only have a small pot of funds for all of their creators, VersusGames ensures creators get value for their time. But VersusGames is more than another PR opportunity – celebrities like Kevin Hart, Jason Derulo, and internet superstars Josh Richards and David Dobrik find VersusGames a meaningful way to form genuine connections with their fans.

VersusGames is a great example of how engagement is enhanced through the metaverse. By turning virtual fun into real-life profit, consumers aren’t just engaging with the product once, but consistently coming back for more. Besides a higher retention rate, the metaverse provides another layer of enhanced gaming. With tools like virtual reality sets, you aren’t simply playing a video game, you are inside of one. Gaming goes from a 2-D to 3-D experience. The physical gaming experience has become more immersive than ever, as well as the real-life opportunities that go with them. Gaming isn’t simply a passtime anymore. Thanks to the metaverse, it has become a lifestyle.

With every innovation comes its skeptics. Many are worried about the impacts of the metaverse on privacy. With new technology like the metaverse, so much is unknown. From tracking your physical movements and patterns when you play games, to tracking personal and financial information in transferring gaming money to money in the bank, a lot of consumers are worried about the implications of these actions. Companies are ensuring that with this brand new technology, consumers remain the priority. Privacy laws regarding the new metaverse technology are now being developed to protect consumer privacy first and foremost.

Another fear with the metaverse is its implications on its players’ physical and mental health. By entering such an immersive world, some players have experienced a feeling similar to a hangover or depression period after exiting the game. When switching from such an exciting and immersive world, the switch back into reality can sometimes be challenging. Companies like VersusGames have worked to ease the transition by providing real-life opportunities for advancement from the games, and allowing social interaction to be a large part of the game. By staying connected to others in the metaverse, players’ confidence in their abilities to interact is high, helping bridge the gap of social anxiety, and encouraging more genuine connection in reality.

To sum up, here are the key features the metaverse provides your gamers:

An immersive and engaging gaming experience
Opportunities for profit
A great way to connect with friends/family

Gaming is redefining the entertainment industry. As the younger generations are now engaging with entertainment more often, gaming has become at the forefront of priorities. The era of the metaverse is here – it is time to get on board!

Fifteen Health Tips for Gamers

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Gaming is a fun pastime, but it’ll only stay fun if you keep yourself healthy enough to enjoy it for years to come. Nourish your body properly and give it time away from screens to relax and repair. If you start taking excellent care of yourself, you may notice that your mood and energy levels improve, too

Gaming has become one of the most popular pastimes in the last few decades. The world contains around 3.24 billion self-proclaimed gamers, all people who take comfort in fictional worlds or pave their paths through a story. With gaming being so interactive and engaging, it can be hard to pull yourself away or take care of yourself as you need to. Try out these tips to keep yourself healthy through your long gaming sessions and beyond.

1. Take Breaks

When you’re gaming for multiple hours in a row, your body is bound to feel it. When you start to feel like you’re getting stiff or can’t remember the last time you stood up, take a break. Use your break time to stay away from technology, as tempting as it may be to check your phone. This practice gives your eyes a rest from straining against technology, and you can take the time you need for a bathroom break or rehydrate yourself.

2. Sit Up Straight

Gaming doesn’t always mean you have the best posture. You should watch your posture, especially when in front of electronic devices. When you angle your head the wrong way for hours at a time, you apply more pressure to your neck than necessary, rivaling the weight of a child. If you’re gaming on a couch, try to adjust your posture and sit up straight. If you play from a chair, make sure the one you’re using supports your body well.

3. Hydrate Adequately

Many gamers turn to energy drinks and other liquids laden with sugar to keep their energy levels high while gaming. While these drinks can give you a boost, they aren’t the greatest for your body and don’t give you much nourishment. Opt for water instead — you can always mix in flavor powder if you don’t like the taste of plain water.

Lots of people try to follow the eight cups of water a day rule, but how much water you need depends on several factors like your height, weight and activity level. If you’re concerned, talk to your doctor about the water requirements your body needs.

4. Take Care of Your Teeth

Your teeth are one of the most important parts of your body. If you don’t care for your oral hygiene, you might get toothaches or other preventable issues that could affect your body as a whole. Poor oral hygiene can lead to tooth decay, but it can also affect the rest of your body by keeping you at risk for other diseases. You should aim to brush at least twice a day, and brush thoroughly, not just the spots you can see.

5. Get Enough Sleep

Sleep is your body’s time to relax. It’s best not to use any technology for a while before your bedtime so that you can transition easily into sleep. Set a “winding down” period where you can ensure that you unplug from your gaming setup and start preparing for bed.

You’ll want to aim for around seven or eight hours a night if you’re an adult and more than that if you’re a teenager. Getting enough sleep ensures that your body will function properly in the days ahead.

6. Snack on Wholesome Foods

Instead of snacking on processed foods while playing games, consider swapping them out with healthier options. Opt for an apple instead of potato chips if you’re searching for something with a crunch factor. You can even make chips by baking kale. Find a sugar-free substitute for your favorite candy — or if you need a dose of sugar, consider eating some naturally sweet fruit instead.

7. Eat a Balanced Diet

Even if you don’t change your snacking habits, you should consider eating balanced meals to offset the processed foods. Healthy foods can make you feel stronger and give you the proper energy you need for long gaming sessions.

To best safeguard your health, focus on eating lean meats and other proteins, fruits and vegetables. Since you aren’t very active while you’re gaming, you don’t need a ton of carbohydrates, but you shouldn’t cut them from your diet entirely. A balanced diet consists of all food groups in moderation, with healthier foods being more plentiful.

8. Find an Active Game

Gaming can take up a lot of time, so if you’re dedicated to getting in a few hours of games every night, you may not find yourself as active as you want. Consider picking up a game that requires you to be involved, such as “Just Dance,” which can get your whole body moving.

You also have the option to go for “Ring Fit Adventure,” a popular Nintendo Switch game that lets you progress through a fantasy world by keeping you active. Active games will help you feel good about yourself while also giving you the pride of accomplishing something.

9. Wear Blue Light Protection

Staring at a screen for hours on end can mess with your eyes and impair your vision. Consider focusing on something far away for around 20 seconds after every 20 minutes of gameplay. By following this 20-20-20 method, you can safeguard your eyes against some damage.

Another option is to wear blue light protection. Some special glasses, with or without prescription, can limit the amount of blue light rays that your eyes take in. If you’re planning to sit down for a more extended gaming session than usual, consider putting on a pair of these glasses to protect your eyes.

10. Improve Your Social Life

When you spend hours gaming, you’re away from your phone or other people who may want to talk to you. Instead of gaming alone, try to pull your loved ones into your favorite game with you. Whether you play co-op or competitive, you’ll have a fun time socializing with friends and family while introducing them to your interests.

Having a thriving social life could be linked to being healthier. When you have a great support system, you can feel more confident and more likely to accomplish your goals. Gaming with your loved ones might be an excellent stress relief.

11. Remember to Stretch

Reduce stiffness in your joints by stretching now and then. When you work at a desk, you’re supposed to take short breaks every hour or so. Why should it be any different when gaming? Giving yourself a break means allowing time for stretching.

Research some stretches for your hands and push in the direction you aren’t using them. For example, if you find your thumbs stiff from clamping down on the controller too long, you may choose to bend your thumbs back or rotate them to alleviate some of the soreness.

12. Stand Up

When you’re sitting for a long time, you open yourself to risks you may not have been aware of. Sedentary lifestyles can lead to more blood clots in your legs, leading to more complications or even death.

Make time to move during your gaming sessions, and stand up if you can. While it may be challenging to stand up and game with PC setups, you can easily stand up when playing on a console. Move around and pace a bit to get the blood flowing, especially if you’ve been sitting for a long time.

13. Care for Your Mental Health

Even your favorite game can take a toll on your mental health. If you find yourself becoming overly sensitive to the events that happen while you’re gaming — whether it’s the topics in the content or the frustration of PvP matches — it might be time to step away for a bit. Do something else to refresh your mind so you can come back to your game with a renewed mood.

14. Rest Your Eyes

If your eyes start to hurt while gaming, it should be time to take a break and rest them. Allow your eye muscles to relax by pausing your game and leaning back. Close your eyes and just rest for a few minutes, allowing your eyes to relax from any straining they had been doing. After a few minutes of letting your eyes rest, you can get right back to gaming while feeling fresh.

15. Start Today

The best thing you can do for your health is to start now. When you’ve already done the damage, making adjustments later on won’t help you prevent the adverse outcomes you could potentially face. You can choose to make changes one step at a time. Each step forward is a move toward a better and brighter future.

Get Your Head in the Game

Riot Games × VALORANT

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Riot Games MENA breaks cultural barriers to unite gamers with the launch of Anta Al Batal a new music beat for VALORANT

Listen Here

Anta Al Batal serves as an anthem for MENA teams vying for the ultimate prize at VALORANT’s professional and semi-pro tournaments

Anta Al Batal reinforces Riot Games’ commitment to regional gamers with first-of-its-kind Arabic music video; Creative Partnership with Dubai based Regional Record Label Sony Music Entertainment Middle East.

Riot Games MENA today unveiled a first-of-its-kind Arabic music video and track for gamers across the Middle East and North African (MENA) region, uniting its VALORANT fanbase under a common language, love of music and passion for gaming.

The VALORANT Music Beat ‘Anta Al Batal’ (You Are The Champion), produced and conceptualized by RIOT Games MENA and Sony Music Entertainment Middle East, brings together some of the Arab world’s biggest and emerging music stars; Moroccan rap sensation, Issam Harris; Egypt’s Trap Legend, Marwan Moussa; and female vocalist, Fafa, a rising star from the UAE and regional music scene.

Celebrating the passion of MENA gamers for VALORANT, which has quickly established itself as a fan-favorite in the first-person shooter community, Anta Al Batal is the latest milestone in Riot Games’ growing commitment to its Arab-speaking fanbase and follows the launch of the Bahraini servers, localization of VALORANT into Arabic and Strike Arabia.

Riot Games worked in partnership with Sony Music Entertainment Middle East to conceptualize the unique audio and video style of Anta Al Batal, that merged languages, melodies and cultural themes from Egypt, Morocco, UAE and beyond. The project took inspiration from the many cultural banners that exist across MENA, to unite gamers under their common passion for VALORANT and music.

Anta Al Batal serves as an anthem for MENA teams vying for the ultimate prize at VALORANT’s professional and semi-pro tournaments. Teams across MENA are gearing up for the second season of the Strike Arabia Championship in June and July for a spot in the Grand Finals. Winners of the regional tournament will earn the right to take part in VALORANT Last Chance Qualifier in Europe and potentially the global showdown that pits the world’s best teams and players against each other.

Anas al Hakim, Content Manager at Riot Games MENA, who masterminded creative direction of the music video, said: “Prior to online multiplayer games, music was the number one thing that transcended the MENA region. Now, with music and gaming we have a winning combination to unite our players through unique experiences that they can all enjoy. Our hope is that the bridges we build are not only between us but also with players from all around the world.”

Mike Fairburn, General Manager at Sony Music Entertainment Middle East commented ‘Music is a global connector – it binds us all and reflects the varied cultural narratives of our region. Our company culture is built around this positive force and with the Riot Games team, we found a perfect partnership focused on collaboration, as well as an openness to use music and gaming to make deep connections. We are incredibly excited and proud to share our collective creative efforts with the world”.

The vision behind Anta Al Batal was to create a celebratory moment in the region’s history of gaming, give VALORANT players a soundtrack that is truly theirs, and mark another significant milestone of Riot Games’ commitment to Arabic gamers.

About VALORANT:
VALORANT is a competitive 5v5 character-based tactical shooter for the PC developed by Riot Games. VALORANT is a precise and lethal multiplayer game with high-fidelity gunplay, a diverse arsenal of guns, agents with unique abilities, and competitively tuned maps for thousands of hours of play.

VALORANT is a free-to-play game and optimized to perform on a wide variety of PC hardware, allowing for a global audience to compete. Demonstrated by the game’s best-in-class game server quality, global infrastructure, and proprietary anti-cheat technology, Riot Games is committed to preserving the core tenets of the tactical shooter genre and upholding the competitive integrity of the gameplay experience.

VALORANT quickly established itself as a fan-favorite among the global first-person shooter community after launching its closed beta in April 2020. The game made history on its first day, breaking viewership records with 34 million hours-watched in a single day, and surpassing 1.7 million peak concurrent viewers, a peak concurrent record second only to Riot Games’ 2019 League of Legends World Championship Finals. Over the course of VALORANT’s two-month beta testing period, an average of nearly 3 million players logged on each day to play. Fans also demonstrated their enthusiasm for the shooter by watching more than 470 million hours of VALORANT closed beta streams on Twitch, the world’s leading service and community for multiplayer entertainment, and Korean video-streaming service AfreecaTV.

About Riot Games:
Riot Games was founded in 2006 to develop, publish, and support the most player-focused games in the world. In 2009, Riot released its debut title, League of Legends, to worldwide acclaim. League has gone on to be the most-played PC game in the world and a key driver of the explosive growth of esports.

As League enters its second decade, Riot continues to evolve the game while delivering new experiences to players with VALORANT, Legends of Runeterra, Teamfight Tactics, League of Legends: Wild Rift, and multiple work-in-progress titles, while exploring the world of Runeterra through multimedia projects across music, comic books, TV, and more. Founded by Brandon Beck and Marc Merrill, Riot is headquartered in Los Angeles, California, and has 2,500+ Rioters in 20+ offices worldwide.

Distributed by APO Group on behalf of Riot Games.

Fortnite Most Streamed Game on Twitch

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Fortnite Most Streamed Game on Twitch for March 2021 – 7M Hours Streamed

According to data presented by Safe Betting Sites US, Fortnite was the most streamed game on Twitch for March 2021 – a total of 6.99 million hours streamed for the month.

Fortnite Leads Several of Twitch’s Key Metrics

Fortnite continues to dominate charts in 2021 and was the most streamed game on Twitch for the month of March. The popular online Battle Royale game logged a total of 6.99M hours streamed on the platform. The second most streamed game on Twitch was Call of Duty: Modern Warfare with a total of 5.03M hours streamed for the month of March.

Fortnite also led the charts in the number of streamers for the month of March 2021. A total of 669,749 streamers streamed Fortnite for the month. Minecraft had the second largest number of streamers with 468,017. Overall, the top 10 leading games in terms of the number of streamers for the month of March, were streamed by an estimated 3.2M streamers on Twitch.

The top 10 games on twitch with the most channels accounted for over 50K channels. Twitch had an almost 20% share of this total with 9,707 channels in March 2021. The second most was COD: Modern Warfare with just under 7K channels.

League of Legends had the largest recorded peak viewers on Twitch in March 2021 with 704,375 peak viewers. The second-largest belonged to Minecraft which recorded 663, 533 peak viewers in March 2021. Fortnite had the fifth largest peak viewers with 641, 227.

Rex Pascual, Esports Editor at Safe Betting Sites US commented: “Despite the rise of many other titles within the same game mode such as PUBG and Warzone, Fortnite continues to attract large audiences on video game streaming platforms. Fortnite’s status as the pioneer of the increasingly popular Battle Royale game mode gives it a loyal and avid fanbase that will keep it near the top of Twitch’s charts for years to come.”

You can read more about the story with more statistics and information here.

Lexus Puts Gamers in the Driver’s Seat

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Luxury automaker reveals Gamers’ IS: the first vehicle designed by and for the Twitch community as the ultimate gaming space

Gamers, start your engines. Lexus is unveiling the Gamers’ IS: the first vehicle designed by and for the Twitch community as the ultimate gaming space. In a livestream hosted by popular streamer Fuslie last month, more than 554,000 unique viewers watched and weighed in on their favorite features. They voted on modifications ranging from the gaming-themed exterior wrap, to the custom controller to their “game fuel” beverage of choice. Lexus then worked with the fabrication experts at SCPS to bring the custom, crowdsourced car to life as a totally immersive gaming vehicle.

“The Twitch community dives headfirst into their passion of gaming, just as we did in designing the new 2021 Lexus IS as a pure expression of a sports sedan,” said Vinay Shahani, vice president of marketing at Lexus. “We asked for their help designing their dream gaming space, and they answered in spades. Together, we created the ultimate fusion of design and performance in automotive and gaming.”

The exterior of the Gamers’ IS, a modified Lexus IS 350 F Sport, is adorned with the “Infiltrate” design custom vinyl wrap, as chosen by 48 percent of voters in the Twitch poll. This look exudes a technical, interface-driven, HUD-centric design territory reminiscent of first-person gaming, black ops and reconnaissance.

For the interior, more than half (55 percent) of Twitch voters selected the “Neon Tokyo” style featuring an electrified, neuron-exploding Japanese pop art aesthetic. The ceiling of the cab is decked out with a clear layer of acrylic embedded with resin “raindrops” all backlit with programmable RGB LED lights, giving off the effect of driving under the lights of downtown Tokyo at night in a light rain. Behind the rear seats, LED panels project programmable content onto the rear window, creating an animated backdrop. SCPS included many custom upholstery elements into the design of the Gamers’ IS interior. Smart Tint on the windows dims the cabin for gameplay.

A custom-built gaming PC with an MSI Gaming GeForce GPU + AMD CPU is installed in the vehicle’s trunk. It has sleek custom housing, all highlighted by programmable RGB LED’s. A fog machine and automated RGB lasers were installed for maximum reveal effect.

In the passenger’s side is a fully integrated gaming system complete with haptic feedback in the seat and a high-def, fully positional curved monitor. The curved monitor was chosen over a flat one by nearly two-thirds (64 percent) of Twitch voters. The system features a retractable keyboard and mouse platform, and a one-of-a-kind 3D printed game controller. Nearly half (42 percent) of voters chose the “Cyber” design for the controller, featuring a metallic space gray and dark teal with neon accents.

Filling the six-drink center console cooler is the community’s “game fuel” of choice–coffee drinks–as selected by nearly two-thirds (61 percent) of voters. The entire vehicle is custom wired, including all the electronics and programmable lighting.

Walker Jacobs, Chief Revenue Officer at Twitch, said “Lexus has effectively leaned into the community and connectivity that define Twitch. Our viewers crave being a part of the action, and through this collaboration we were able to create a truly immersive experience that celebrates their passion for gaming. The result is a first-of-its-kind gaming vehicle. Bravo Lexus!”

The transformation of the Lexus IS into the ultimate gaming vehicle required “all hands on deck” at fabrication expert SCPS. The project involved 20 different members of their team, including concept artists, designers, 3D modelers, electrical and structural engineers, metal fabricators, craftsmen, artists, custom upholsterers and computer technicians—most of whom are serious gamers themselves. From designing the initial concepts to the reveal, the entire build took five months.

Fuslie is a variety streamer who first made her mark within the PUBG community. She has played in multiple tournaments, including Twitch Rivals. She is also known for her singing voice and her urban exploration streams around Los Angeles.

This partnership is part of a new “All In” campaign for the 2021 Lexus IS. The campaign celebrates those who fully embrace their passions, while showcasing Lexus’ own obsession: an unapologetically pure sports sedan.

For more information on the new IS, visit Lexus’ website.

About Lexus

Lexus’ passion for brave design, imaginative technology, and exhilarating performance enables the luxury lifestyle brand to create amazing experiences for its guests. Lexus began its journey in 1989 with two luxury sedans and a commitment to pursue perfection. Since then, Lexus has developed its lineup to meet the needs of global luxury customers in more than 90 countries. In the United States, Lexus vehicles are sold through 243 dealers offering a full lineup of luxury vehicles. With six models incorporating Lexus Hybrid Drive, Lexus is the luxury hybrid leader. Lexus also offers eight F SPORT models and two F performance models. Lexus is committed to being a visionary brand that anticipates the future for luxury customers.

About Twitch

Launched in 2011, Twitch is a global community that comes together each day to create multiplayer entertainment: unique, live, unpredictable experiences created by the interactions of millions. It brings the joy of co-op to everything, from casual gaming and world-class esports to anime marathons, music, and art streams. Twitch also hosts TwitchCon, the biggest community event of the year, where tens of thousands of people come together to celebrate and connect with others who share their interests and passions. We’re always live at Twitch. Stay up to date on all things Twitch on Twitter and on our Blog.

WoW Classic: The Big Finale

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Measuring Success

With all of the original content being added to World of Warcraft (WoW), and the next possible Classic expansion pack being announced in a manner of weeks, it’s a good place to look back at all of the experiences we’ve had with the game. It’s not a question of if the game is worth it or not because, of course, it is worth it. It’s more of a question of: Did this version of the Vanilla game patch live up to your expectations? The experience of playing this game was a rollercoaster, and not everything went well with the first try. That being said, you have to admit, it was pretty epic. The game stood the test of time these past 12 months, though many had doubted that the hype would last, even the game’s own developers.

The legendary server queues lasted for a while. Respected forum experts had predicted that it would only take a month until the masses will stop flooding into the game, when their first month of subscription ends. However, the experts and prophets were wrong–huge queues lasted until November 2019, when they finally began to thin out. By that time, the developers opened up a few new servers, which, weirdly enough, nobody really visited. They also increased the server’s capacity to accept more players. Still, the hype hasn’t faded away for some time, it was revived for a second wave when the quarantine kicked in. All responsible workers who moved to work from home often mistook the WoW shortcut with other work-related shortcuts on the desktop, which also increased its popularity. Based on all of those factors, the experiment with reviving Vanilla Wow was successful.

The Spirit of Vanilla

What a lot of players liked about experiencing this older version of the game is the feeling of playing a true RPG. All of the older mechanics in the game that made it more difficult and not very player-friendly at the same time encourages players to really get in the shoes of their chosen characters. It’s hard to get the same feeling in Retail (another WoW expansion) with all of the systems and mechanics that make the game’s interaction with the fantasy world as seamless as possible. The Classic game mode feels nostalgic, while also giving gamers lots of new memories like taking part in the server’s opening, or realizing what it means to farm yourself to sleep. Many gamers witnessed the opening of the Ahn’qiraj Gates opening for the first time, which in itself was one of the most essential events in the history of this game. The paradox of the spirit of Vanilla is an interesting one.

On the one hand, you have the turtle-like speed of leveling in Vanilla, an almost meditative gameplay that creates a unique experience. On the other hand, in 2021, not a lot of us are ready to spend time in something as calm and tranquil. If 15 years ago, this game had too much content, today, it doesn’t have quite enough. We constantly desire to be entertained every second. That being said, there are a lot of ways to speed up the boring routine. One of the best methods to do so is using a WoW Classic boosting that speeds up the progress only when gameplay starts to feel like a drag, making World of Warcraft truly special.

Has eSports Become a Part of Pop Culture?

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A couple of decades ago, when video games burst into the mainstream audience for good, everyone could have guessed that gaming would soon become an important part of the entertainment industry. But what no one could have predicted is just how popular it would become not to play video games yourself, but to watch other people play. So popular in fact, that competitive video gaming, i.e. eSports, has slowly but steadily grown to become an important part of pop culture. But how and why did eSports gain so much momentum?

eSports expand their reach into the mainstream audience

When the first organized competitive gaming tournaments emerged where professional players vie for a prize, analysts very aptly dubbed the new practice “eSports”. And research reported by the Influencer Marketing Hub reveals that this new industry has quickly expanded its appeal and gained unprecedented growth. In 2017, eSports reached an audience of 335 million viewers, which climbed to 380 million in 2018. It is now estimated that until 2021 that number will reach roughly 557 million, exhibiting an annual growth rate of 14%. Out of those, 250 million will be regular viewers but another 307 million will be casual spectators. This means that casual viewers will constitute the majority of the eSports audience.

Furthermore, according to the same source, even people who do not watch eSports have still heard of them. In 2015, an impressive 800,000 people were aware of the industry. But a year later, over a billion people have reportedly heard of eSports – a jaw-dropping growth. In 2019 alone, eSports awareness was estimated to have reached 1.57 billion people around the world. The combination of these two facts, i.e. the number of casual viewers and the tremendous growth in awareness, lead us to the conclusion that eSports has now become an important part of pop culture.

How eSports became a part of pop culture

But if you want even more proof, just take a closer look at eSports betting. That’s right: betting sites now consider eSports as a sub-category of the traditional realm of sports betting, and punters can place wagers on the biggest eSports tournament just like they would on the NBA finals or the Super Bowl. It is no surprise, when you consider the hype surrounding the biggest eSports competitions. In 2019, the League of Legends World Championship gathered an audience of almost 4 million viewers, and the Fortnite World Cup Finals amassed an impressive 2.3 million. Speaking of Fortnite, it is perhaps the game that best encapsulates how video gaming and eSports are now part of pop culture in their own right.

Who could forget the iconic and hilarious scene in Avengers: Endgame that saw Thor compete against “Noobmaster69” on Fortnite? Just like people are still not over the live concert series that now takes place within the Fortnite game. Travis Scott was the first to take the leap of faith and performed virtually to raving reviews. Now, the digital concerts continue, with J Balvin reportedly set to headline the Fortnite Halloween Concert series, in a perfect blend of these divergent strands of pop culture that has had audiences going wild. Much like the music industry, other sectors have realized the potential of eSports and gaming that allows them to reach to a wider audience and are jumping at the chance. For example, Oakley has already announced that they would launch a new type of lenses specifically designed for gaming.

If we want to understand better how eSports have so quickly become a part of pop culture, we also need to look at the channels that enabled them to connect with their audience. Millennials are now in their 20s and 30s, and they have grown up in an increasingly digital world. Watching their favorite gamers play live on Twitch or YouTube, and interacting with them on chat or social media was an organic way for them to connect. Steven Spielberg’s recent blockbuster Ready Player One took the concept one step further. In a dystopian future, taking place in a VR gaming tournament has become the one shot its protagonist has at fixing everything wrong with the world – competitive gaming has somehow turned into something more real than real life itself.

For the young adults that are right now the driving force behind market trends, and are shaping pop culture, eSports are an integral part of life and culture.

Nintendo Switch: Top-Selling Game Console of 2020

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As one of the most popular consoles globally, Nintendo Switch witnessed a surge in the number of new players since its release in 2017. With millions of people spending more time playing video games during the coronavirus lockdown, 2020 brought an influx of new Nintendo fans.

According to data presented by SafeBettingSites.com, Nintendo Switch is the top-selling gaming console in 2020, with 15.6 million units sold as of September, 65% more than PlayStation 4 and Xbox combined.

Nintendo Switch Sales Grows, PlayStation 4 and Xbox Consoles Drop

One of the key reasons for the Switch’s success is the popularity of Nintendo’s first-party titles. Blockbuster series like Mario, The Legend of Zelda, and Pokémon are exclusive to Nintendo, meaning that fans can only play them on Nintendo consoles. These Nintendo exclusive games dominate the list of top-selling Switch titles worldwide, with Mario Kart 8 Deluxe being the most popular game.

Statista and VGChartz data revealed that PlayStation 4 represents the second most popular gaming console this year, with 7.22 million units sold as of September. Xbox One ranked third, with 2.17 million units sold in the nine months of 2020. During the same period, gamers bought 330,000 Nintendo 3DS consoles.

The annual sales of Nintendo Switch consoles have been increasing continuously in the last three years, while PlayStation 4 and Xbox are being affected by a downsizing trend.

A year after its launch in March 2017, the Nintendo Switch hit 15.5 million units sold worldwide. The growing popularity of Nintendo’s gaming console continued in 2019, with the lifetime sales reaching 49.8 million units in December, a 55% jump from the year before. Nintendo sold nearly 4 million Switch consoles in the first quarter of 2020, with its lifetime sales growing to 53.7 million. However, between March and August, another 9.6 million units were sold, with the cumulative sales surging to 63.4 million units.

In 2017, Sony sold almost 20 million Playstation 4 consoles all around the world. By the end of 2019, annual sales dropped to 14.2 million, a 30% plunge in two years. Statistics indicate that the sales of the third most popular gaming console, Xbox One, fell by 35% in this period, decreasing from 7.6 million units in 2017 to 4.9 million last year.

Playstation 4 Leads in Lifetime Unit Sales

Although Nintendo Switch is ranked as the world’s most popular gaming console, Playstation 4 still dominates in terms of lifetime unit sales.

In the first three years after its launch in 2013, Sony sold 35.9 million PlayStation 4 units. Between January 2016 and December 2017, the lifetime unites sales surged by 105% to 73.6 million. Since then, another 40 million units were sold worldwide, with the cumulative sales of Sony’s PlayStation 4 gaming console rising to almost 113 million, as of August. Xbox One hit 48.2 million units in lifetime sales as of August, a 22% increase in two years.

Colin Kaepernick x Madden 21

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by Justin Lyons

Colin Kaepernick is officially back in Madden.

For the first time since 2017, football fans and Colin Kaepernick fans will have the chance to use the ex-49ers quarterback in the signature football game from EA SPORTS.

The announcement came from EA SPORTS themselves, saying, “Colin Kaepernick is one of the top free agents in football and a starting-caliber quarterback. The team at EA SPORTS, along with millions of Madden NFL fans, want to see him back in our game.”

Though Kaepernick is not signed to a team in real life or in Madden, he is available to sign to any team in Franchise mode. He’s also available in Play Now mode.

His jersey is also available in The Yard, a mode new to Madden this year that allows users to express themselves creatively. His signature celebration, which is available upon scoring with Kaepernick, depicts the quarterback raising his fist in the air to signify Black Power.

Kaepernick has been rated 81 overall, which is good for the 15th best quarterback in the league, tied with Ben Roethlisberger of the Pittsburgh Steelers.

According to EA SPORTS, that number was determined using data-driven simulations. They did take into account the fact that Kaepernick has not played since 2016, but his mobility and big play ability earned him the 81 overall rating.

EA SPORTS also said players looking to have complete control over their Franchise mode can change his rating however they see fit, including bringing him up to 99 overall. Adjusting his stats to 99 overall would make his only company the likes of Aaron Donald, Christian McCaffrey, Michael Thomas, Stephon Gilmore and the only 99 rated quarterback in the game, Patrick Mahomes.

Kaepernick was among the first in professional sports to kneel during the American National Anthem in protest of police brutality. Kaepernick opted out of his contract after the 2016 season, and not one of the 32 NFL teams has made a move to acquire him.

Largely suspected of being a victim of blackballing, Kaepernick has since worked as an activist in the community, especially with children. He has led rights campaigns and camps and was the face of a Nike campaign in 2018 that carried the slogan “Believe in something. Even if means sacrificing everything.”

Roger Goodell encouraged teams to sign Kaepernick in a conversation on ESPN in June, just weeks after George Floyd was killed in Minneapolis.

The killing of George Floyd seemed to awaken large corporations throughout the United States, leading many to make statements, including the NFL.

Though criticized for not speaking out sooner, the NFL and Commissioner Goodell released a statement via Twitter on June 5 saying, “We, the NFL, condemn racism and the systematic oppression of Black People. We, the NFL, admit we were wrong for not listening to NFL players earlier and encourage all to speak out and peacefully protest. We, the NFL, believe Black Lives Matter.”

NFL teams cancelled practices and scrimmages in the past month after the shooting of Jacob Blake by police in Kenosha, Wisconsin.

Action taken after these events could remove the stigma NFL owners appeared to have when it came to signing Kaepernick, and fans who believe in his message and talent would love to see him on the field again soon.