Remember when we all had to stay home, and were forced to find new activities to stave us from boredom? Home baking, indoor workouts, and Netflix aside, what else is there? Games!
As Singaporeans too were kept indoors during the Circuit Breaker, many of us turned to beautifying virtual islands and visiting each other through games like Animal Crossings. Other multi-player games like Among Us also became extremely popular and spawned a number of local and relatable memes.
In 2020, gaming-related conversations increased on Twitter — where there were over 2 billion gaming tweets globally in the past 12 months, up 75% from 2019 with a 49% increase in unique authors. In Singapore alone, there were 35% more gaming-related tweets in 2020 than 2019.
The increase in conversation about games revealed that gamers were not only playing more games, but were also connecting with one another via Twitter.
Here’s what gamers got up to on Twitter in 2020.
Within the Asia-Pacific region, these are the top five countries that tweeted the most about gaming:
So, what games were the most popular?
Without a doubt, Animal Crossing came out first. The game saw its popularity soar during the Circuit Breaker, where players lived vicariously through their characters by building their islands and hanging out with their friends.
Among Us was also another popular pick for those who wanted to spend time with their friends virtually, and it also spawned a number of local and relatable memes. A notable example is SGAG’s (@SGAG_SG) popular Tweet about the public transport breakdown which made reference to the game.
Sometimes, gaming also overlapped with the other communities that use Twitter, such as the art community. Fan art, one of the most popular genres of amateur and independent art, was a favourite activity of some passionate gamers, such as the below examples for players of cross-platform hit Genshin Impact (@GenshinImpact). On Twitter, these players are able to combine their communities for their favourite titles, with the communities of other artists who appreciate and share their art.
While the gaming events landscape looked much different in 2020, that didn’t stop Singaporean gamers from watching big events like The Game Awards (@thegameawards) and Tokyo Game Show (@tokyo_game_show) for major game announcements as well.
During the period of uncertainty and separation, PC, console and mobile games undeniably all played a key role in helping us stay entertained and close to one another. Whether you’re a veteran or you’ve just begun your gaming journey, Twitter has become a place for gamers to convene and connect with one another virtually.
As 2021 kicks off, the conversation around gaming will continue to grow. Next-gen consoles will begin to make their mark as the latest major titles begin to arrive. Independent titles will become crowd favourites as streamers and other influencers play them. And new e-sports teams will rise to the forefront and challenge the hot topic organisations.
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