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3 in 10 Brits Have Skipped a Shower or a Meal to Play Video Games in Lockdown

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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.

  1. FIFA 21 (2.18 million)
  2. Call of Duty: Black Ops Cold War (1.4 million)
  3. Grand Theft Auto 5 (1.1 million)
  4. Animal Crossing: New Horizons (800,000)
  5. Assassin’s Creed Valhalla (660,000)
  6. The Last of Us Part II (530,000)
  7. NBA 2K20 (480,000)
  8. 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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N1 SEO Traffic Cup: Multiply Your Traffic & Unlock Luxury Rewards

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The N1 SEO Traffic Cup, the first tournament in the global N1 Traffic Cups series by N1 Partners, is approaching its midpoint, and competition between teams is getting stronger. Participants continue scaling volumes, refining their strategies, and actively adding new brands to boost their N1 Cup Score and secure positions in the reward tiers.

More than 200 teams are still in the game, striving to achieve KPIs to gain participant status and reach the prize levels.

Win Big with N1 Partners

The prize pool of the N1 SEO Traffic Cup is one of the most extensive and flexible in the industry. Participants are grouped into performance-based levels: the more points they earn, the greater the rewards, and each team can choose a prize or cash equivalent from their level.

Level 1 (7,000+ points) – €25,000 per team

  • VIP experience at the Formula 1 Monaco Grand Prix
  • Trip to a FIFA World Cup 2026 match in the USA
  • 7 nights in the Maldives with business class flights
  • Rolex Cosmograph Daytona
  • BMW S 1000 XR motorbike
  • Hublot Unico Titanium

Level 2 (3,500–6,999 points) – €15,000 per team

  • One week of golf at Monte Rei with a private villa stay
  • Private island getaway in the Seychelles (Four Seasons Desroches Island)
  • Ducati Monster motorbike
  • Bottega Veneta travel kit

Level 3 (1,500–3,499 points) – €7,000 per team

  • Zero-gravity flight (90 minutes)
  • Custom Luxury ski or snowboard gear set of your choice
  • Balenciaga Snowboard
  • Cartier Juste un Clou bracelet
  • Kronos Massage Chair

Level 4 (500–1,499 points) – €5,000 per team

  • Apple Vision Pro
  • MacBook Pro M4
  • Cartier LOVE ring
  • Pioneer OPUS-QUAD DJ system
  • Sonos Arc Ultra home audio system
  • Dior beauty set

Participant Giveaways

Even if a team doesn’t reach a reward level, the opportunity doesn’t end there. Bringing just 20 FTD on any brand unlocks participant status and access to a separate prize draw, featuring PlayStation 5 Pro, iPhone 17 Pro Max, and exclusive N1 Partners merch.

This means you still have a real chance to win prizes, even with a late start or smaller volumes.

How to increase your chances of winning

The key tournament metric is the N1 Cup Score, calculated as: FTD × brand coefficient.

The coefficient depends on how many brands you run:

  • 1 brand – 1x
  • 2–3 brands – 2x
  • 4+ brands – 5x

This means teams that diversify traffic across multiple products gain a strong strategic advantage and scale results much faster.

Why join the race now

The final stage of the tournament is not just about holding positions. It’s the perfect moment to rethink your strategy, test new approaches, and maximize the value of your current traffic.

Late entry is no longer a limitation. With the right approach to brands and GEOs, teams can quickly scale FTD and break into the reward tiers.

Join the N1 SEO Traffic Cup

Period: March 1 – April 30, 2026

Results announcement: by May 10

Entry: from 20 FTD per brand

N1 Partners means:

  • 14+ casino and sportsbook brands with up to 70% Reg2Dep
  • 10+ Tier-1 GEOs
  • CPA up to €700 and RevShare up to 45% + NNCO for top partners

Be number one with N1.

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The Playa for Slotegrator: why personalized player experiences are the future of growth

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As player expectations rise, generic casino lobbies are no longer enough — AI-driven personalization is becoming essential to engage, retain, and grow audiences.

In this evolving landscape, The Playa is positioning itself at the forefront of iGaming personalization. Slotegrator spoke with Viktoriia Grygorenko, CEO, about the company’s journey, emerging industry trends, and how data-driven experiences can boost revenue by up to 25%, and often beyond.

Founded at the intersection of artificial intelligence and iGaming, The Playa started as a small experimental project and quickly grew into a full-scale platform. Today, the company delivers solutions across the entire player lifecycle — from lobby personalization and acquisition intelligence to VIP insights and retention optimization — serving operators with a monthly GGR of over $10 million.

According to Viktoriia, the industry has long underutilized one of its most valuable assets: player data. “iGaming generates enormous amounts of behavioral data — from game preferences to betting patterns — but most operators still rely on basic segmentation,” she explains. “That’s a missed opportunity.”

The gap is even more obvious compared to global entertainment platforms competing for audience attention. As Viktoriia points out, top companies invest billions in learning what their users want and delivering it instantly, while many online casinos offer identical experiences to all players. However, the industry is beginning to catch up.

Internal research by The Playa shows that 77% of iGaming companies leaders believe AI will be a key competitive advantage within the next two to three years. At the same time, major operators are rapidly expanding their data science capabilities — a clear signal of where the market is heading.

Beyond technology, player behavior itself is evolving. A new generation of users is entering the market, bringing different expectations around user experience. Behavioral data can reveal differences in preferences and risk patterns — opening the door to more effective personalization strategies.

Looking ahead to 2026, Viktoriia highlights three major trends shaping the industry: a stronger focus on retention, the rise of true one-to-one personalization, and a redefinition of loyalty. Retention, in particular, is becoming critical as rising acquisition costs and tighter regulations put pressure on margins.

Read the full interview to discover how The Playa is transforming player experiences with AI-driven personalization and why growth in iGaming depends on understanding players at every step of their journey.

Contact Slotegrator to learn how customized solutions can help grow your business.

Slotegrator

ABOUT THE COMPANY

Since 2012, Slotegrator has been one of the iGaming industry’s leading software and business solution providers for online casino and sportsbook operators.

The company’s main focus is software development and support for online casino platforms, as well as the integration of game content and payment systems.

The company works with licensed game developers and offers a vast portfolio of casino content: slots, live casino games, poker, virtual sports, table games, lotteries, casual games, and data feeds for betting.

Slotegrator also provides consulting services in gambling license acquisition and business incorporation.

ABOUT THE PLAYA

The Playa is a leading iGaming company specializing in AI-powered personalization solutions, enabling operators to deliver tailored player experiences across the full lifecycle — from lobby personalization and acquisition intelligence to VIP insights and retention optimization.

Through advanced behavioral profiling and personalized player recommendations, the company provides iGaming operators with the tools they need to grow, retain players, and maximize revenue.

The post The Playa for Slotegrator: why personalized player experiences are the future of growth appeared first on Eastern European Gaming | Global iGaming & Tech Intelligence Hub.

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ELA Games

2026 SiGMA Americas Awards Features ELA Games in Two Major Categories

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ELA Games, the innovative slot developer, has secured nominations in two prominent categories at the upcoming SiGMA Americas Awards, one of the most prestigious events on the Latin American iGaming calendar.

The awards celebrate creativity, technical excellence, and market impact among the industry’s leading suppliers and operators. These nominations highlight ELA Games’ growing influence and its ability to create engaging slot content that resonates with players across Latin America and beyond.

ELA Games’ Nominations:

  • Delegate Vote: Best Game Studio 2026
    ELA Games is in the running for Best Game Studio, recognizing studios that make a significant impact on their local industry through innovative design, technical expertise, and creative excellence.
  • Public Vote: Most Played Game – Joker Winpot
    The studio’s fan-favorite slot, Joker Winpot, has been nominated for Most Played Game. Departing from classic themes, Joker Winpot delivers high-energy gameplay, featuring a strikingly animated Joker and the strategic, interactive Winpot feature that has captivated players worldwide.

“It’s always an honor to be recognized by SiGMA, particularly in a region where we’ve focused so much effort,” said Marharyta Yerina, Managing Director at ELA Games. “Being nominated for Best Game Studio in Latin America shows that our games are resonating with local operators. Joker Winpot’s public vote nomination further proves that the interactivity of Winpot is appreciated globally, exactly as we intended.”

The winners will be revealed at the BiS SiGMA South America Expo, hosted at the Transamerica Expo Center in São Paulo, Brazil, from April 6 to 9, 2026. The official awards night will take place on April 6.

Voting is open until March 30, and players and iGaming enthusiasts are encouraged to visit the official SiGMA website to cast their votes for ELA Games and Joker Winpot.

The post 2026 SiGMA Americas Awards Features ELA Games in Two Major Categories appeared first on Eastern European Gaming | Global iGaming & Tech Intelligence Hub.

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