The pandemic has brought our spirits drooping to a record low. Yet the long hours spent at home have unearthed novel ways to boost activity. YouTube Gaming has provided billions with a chance to beat the boredom in these challenging times.
Popularity Galore
2020 has proved to be the prosperous year for YouTube gaming, with over 40 million gaming channels. Surprisingly, the Google owned video streaming giant witnessed a whopping 100 billion hours of streamed gaming content. “Creators across the board have seen massive increases in subscribers, audiences and viewership throughout 2020,” YouTube officials confirmed.
Games in the top-watched category include Minecraft, topping the list with a whopping 201 billion views. Following close by are Roblox with 75 billion views, Garena Free Fire with 72 billion, Grand Theft Auto V with 70 billion and Fortnite with 67 billion, all living their paradise in the virtual world. They grabbed the consecutive spots in the live games segment too.
Streak of Stardom
It is a good time to be a gaming video creator. More than 80,000 YouTube Gaming creators struck 100,000 subscribers and over 1000 creators hit 5 million subscribers. The toppers are basking in their glory, with over 350 gaming creators crossing the 10 million mark.
The tremendous leap in live game streaming hours has shot some creators to stardom. To publicize their success, creators like Dream and TheFamousFilms and publishers like Supercell and PlayStation have staged premieres. Fans have gathered virtually and shared a marvelous gaming experience. There were in-game concerts like Travis Scotts’ in Fortnite and big announcements for this year’s newest gaming consoles.
YouTube became a hot destination for major e-sports tournaments from all around the globe. Some popular names are Call of Duty League, Valorant First Strike, Overwatch League, League of Legends Worlds, Free Fire League Championship, and several more.
COVID-19 Efforts
YouTube has also played a part in dousing the flames of the pandemic. While reflecting on their best gaming creators of 2020, the official YouTube blog mentioned how Rooster Teeth, TheDonato, and CoryxKenshin have lent their voices and channels to the cause of COVID-19 relief efforts. The video giant has also hosted charity events for battling the pandemic in the USA, Mexico and Europe.
