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3 in 10 Brits Have Skipped a Shower or a Meal to Play Video Games in Lockdown
More Brits than ever played video games last year to beat the boredom of staying home, and our third lockdown in 2021 has seen the trend gain even more traction. With games being released on more platforms, and more genres than ever now is an excellent time to be a gamer!
Fresh Student Living took a deep dive into the gaming industry in the UK to see just what an impact Covid has had on gaming.
More than four in ten UK gamers say they’ve been gaming more during the COVID-19 outbreak (43%). Plus, UK gamers now make up over two thirds of the population (67%); six in ten of this group say they play mobile games (52%); a quarter PC games (25%); and three in ten console games (28%).
When the pandemic first put a stop to everyday life, the gaming world expanded with regular players putting in even more time, and new people joining the trend to connect with friends, kill time and indulge in much-needed escapism. As more people picked up controllers, the UK gaming population exploded by a whopping 63%! People reported feeling happier and calmer, with a higher sense of freedom, thanks to how immersive the best video games are.
The Average Gamer Spent the Equivalent of 39 Days Playing Last Year
Games like FIFA 21, Call of Duty, Animal Crossing and Last of Us were some of the most played games of 2020, with 3 in 10 people skipping showers and meals to play uninterrupted. Almost 6 in 10 Brits also admit to losing sleep due to gaming sessions.
Pre lockdown, the average gamer spent around 13 hours a week playing their favourites. This increased by 5 hours during lockdown with Brits spending 18 hours or more exploring new worlds online – that’s equivalent to 39 whole days spent gaming!
The average gamer usually sets aside a conservative 1-3 hours to play, but in the UK, at least 3% of the population confesses to playing for 15 hours or more in one sitting.
What Video Games is Everyone Playing?
Most Played Video Games of 2020 According to Units Sold
FIFA 21 dominated in 2020 as one of the most anticipated games in the UK, with around 14 games selling per second in the UK last year.
- FIFA 21 (2.18 million)
- Call of Duty: Black Ops Cold War (1.4 million)
- Grand Theft Auto 5 (1.1 million)
- Animal Crossing: New Horizons (800,000)
- Assassin’s Creed Valhalla (660,000)
- The Last of Us Part II (530,000)
- NBA 2K20 (480,000)
- Tom Clancy’s Rainbow Six Siege (430,000)
More Brits Are Hooked on Video Games
Lockdown has given us all more time to kill, and today the split between male and female video gamers is strictly 50-50. In the UK, 54% of men and women play a game most days, lowering stress and connecting with others being two of the primary motivators.
Multiplayer Games Keep us Connected
With time to kill and social distancing in effect for most of last year, multiplayer games’ popularity soared as more people jumped online to chat and connect. Even ex-gamers again picked up their controllers to join online communities playing games like Call of Duty, Animal Crossing or Fortnite.
Unsurprisingly, lockdown saw most Brits opt for action-packed and interactive genres, with most gamers choosing fighting, action and huge multiplayer Battle Royale games with lots of other players!
Most played genres in 2020
- Fighting – 81%
- Action – 79%
- Massively multiplayer online games – 78%
- Multiplayer online battle arena games – 75%
The Rise of Covideogamers in 2021
Lockdown has massively changed the gaming community across the world. In the UK, younger gamers spend loads of time playing while self-isolating and spend around two hours a month watching other people play online – a pastime that has increased since lockdown began.
The pandemic has also created a whole new subgenre of gamers known as Covideogamers, who exclusively started gaming during lockdown. Compared to 36% of existing gamers between the ages of 18 – 34, Covideogamers now make up 46% of the population in the same age group – 35% of these new gamers have also admitted it’s so relaxing and stress-relieving, they’re going to start playing more, long after lockdown ends!
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AB Trav och Galopp
Mindway AI Partners with ATG to Enhance Responsible Gambling with GameScanner
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Kong’s Jungle Tower
Climb Kong’s Jungle Tower to reach epic wins
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Red Papaya’s debut slot combines feature rich gameplay with an adventurous theme, cinematic visuals and big sound
Players are being told to brace themselves for an expedition into uncharted territory in Kong’s Jungle Tower, the debut slot from Red Papaya, which is powered by Microgaming.
This is a slot where fortunes are found hidden within a forgotten temple, deep within the jungle. It’s been designed to deliver an immersive audio and visual experience – this includes sound cues from Kong which help to build anticipation and then intensify as the features get closer.
Kong’s roar builds up and sounds like he’s getting closer while the reels begin to shake and ignite with fiery effects, creating the sense that a big, thunderous win is about to land.
The Cash Collect slot sees players helped on their adventure by several features, including the legendary Jungle Tower which includes 15 Cash Prizes to be won.
Then there are Monkey Coins that sweep across the reels, gathering instant treasures and unlocking the mightiest prizes from the summit of the tower.
When a Kong symbol lands without a Collect symbol, it adds a Multiplier to one of the Jungle Tower values. This is a sort of consolation prize for the player and means that Kong never leaves them empty handed – instead, he helps players power up with Multipliers so that when Kong and Collect do land, the win is Multiplied.
Up to five Kong symbols can land on reel three in a single spin, with each boosting the Multiplier value. Multipliers are then applied to the awarded values when they are collected.
So what about those monkeys?
Red Monkey Coins land one reels one, two, four and five and randomly collect a Jackpot value from the Jungle Tower when at least one Kong symbol appears on the same spin.
Blue Monkey Coins, which also appear on reels one, two, four and five, randomly collect a Cash value from the Jungle Tower when at least one Kong symbol appears in the same spin.
Even when the reels fall silent, Kong’s adventurous spirit electrifies the Tower with multipliers, charging up Cash Prizes for spectacular wins.
But that’s not all. Three Bonus Symbols trigger eight Free Spins. Once activated, the reels increase to a 5×5 setup for even more win opportunities – the base game offers 720 bi-directional ways and increases to 3,125 ways.
As the Free Spins play out, three Bonus Symbols will award eight additional Free Spins while two Bonus Symbols will grant three more Free Games.
Kong’s Jungle Tower is a high volatility game and comes with two RTP options of 96% and 94%.
Madelein Ozok, Head of Studio at Red Papaya said: “This is a slot packed with thrilling visuals, adventurous soundscapes and Kong leading the charge towards big wins.
“Kong’s Jungle Tower has been designed to deliver an expedition of epic proportions, with those Cash and Jackpot prizes always within reach of the red and blue monkeys.
“This is our debut slot and really sets the tone for what players can expect from Red Papaya.”
Red Papaya made its debut earlier this month and is set to disrupt the online slot market with games that blend creativity, features and data to deliver edge-of-the-seat experiences that captivate players around the world.
For more information and to play the Kong’s Jungle Tower demo, visit our brand new website https://microgaming.io/
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Annexio
St8 goes live with first UK partner, LottoGo
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Casino games aggregator St8 has gone live with its first partner in the United Kingdom, following a successful integration with Annexio-owned lottery betting brand LottoGo.
Through the partnership, LottoGo now gains access to St8’s complete portfolio of premium casino content from hundreds of top-tier suppliers, along with a steady pipeline of upcoming releases all delivered through a single API.
The launch represents St8’s official entry into the UK market, coming shortly after the company secured its UK Gambling Commission (UKGC) remote gambling software licence in July this year.
Tom Brodie, Founder and CEO at LottoGo, said: “It’s an honour to be St8’s first partner in the UK. The integration has been remarkably fast and stress-free, with the St8 team supporting us at every step. With access to such a deep pool of high-quality content through a single API, we’re now able to bring LottoGo players an even richer selection of world-class casino content.”
Vladimir Negine, founder and CEO at St8, added: “LottoGo is a fast-growing, forward-thinking brand and an ideal match for us at St8. We’re proud to offer LottoGo seamless access to the industry’s best content. Delivering top-tier service is central to who we are, and we’re excited to support LottoGo as they scale their casino offering.”
St8 continues to rapidly expand its regulated footprint. As well as the United Kingdom, the aggregator holds licences or certifications in Romania, Malta, Isle of Man, Anjouan, and, most recently, Ontario.
Operators in regulated markets worldwide are choosing St8 not only for its deep content portfolio but also for the rich functionality offered beyond the core offering. This includes its powerful Bonus API for tailored promotions and instant rewards, a sophisticated reporting system with real-time, regulation-ready dashboards, and one of the industry’s most comprehensive thumbnail libraries- all available through St8’s unified API.
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