History of video games/2020-2029

__NOTOC__ Trends COVID-19 The game industry booms, as people hunker down at home during the COVID-19 pandemic.Browne Ryan Game consoles may haul in $45 billion this year, and big changes are coming https://www.cnbc.com/2020/11/20/microsoft-sony-nintendo-how-video-game-console-industry-is-changing.html CNBC 20 November 2020 en 20 November 2020 Some game retailers initially resisted closing down during lockdowns by declaring themselves essential businesses, to widespread criticism.GameStop closes all stores https://www.cnn.com/2020/03/20/tech/gamestop-open-essential-business/index.html 9 February 2021 CNN Numerous high profile games are delayed due to COVID-19.McWhertor Michael No More Heroes 3 delayed to 2021 https://www.polygon.com/2020/9/10/21430485/no-more-heroes-3-delayed-release-date-nintendo-switch Polygon 20 November 2020 en 10 September 2020Warren Tom Microsoft delays Halo Infinite to 2021 https://www.theverge.com/2020/8/11/21363769/halo-infinite-delay-launch-2021-release-date-xbox-series-x The Verge 20 November 2020 en 11 August 2020 Game development companies move to work from home, with some such as Square Enix planning to allow work from home after the pandemic ends.G Alec Nintendo Developers Experiencing 'Big Limitations' From Working at Home Because of COVID-19 Pandemic https://www.techtimes.com/articles/249785/20200521/nintendo-developers-having-trouble-working-from-home-due-to-big-limitations-caused-by-covid-19-pandemic.htm Tech Times 27 November 2020 en 21 May 2020Clayton Natalie Square Enix will let employees work from home permanently https://www.pcgamer.com/square-enix-will-let-employees-work-from-home-permanently/ PC Gamer 27 November 2020 25 November 2020 Animal Talking leverages the Animal Crossing: New Horizons as a medium to create a highly successful talk show that rivals and outcompetes traditional media during early pandemic restrictions.Farokhmanesh Megan Late night’s hottest talk show is in Animal Crossing https://www.theverge.com/2020/5/14/21257183/animal-talking-new-horizons-elijah-wood-danny-trejo-gary-whitta-late-night-show The Verge 2 December 2020 en 14 May 2020 In contrast to many other economic sectors that are drastically affected by the pandemic, the video game industry has been more resilient. Most video game developers, publishers, and operators have been able to maintain operations with employees w:remote working to sustain game development and digital releases, though some productivity issues arose. https://www.nytimes.com/2020/04/21/technology/personaltech/coronavirus-video-game-production.html Gaming Sales Are Up, but Production Is Down Jason Schreier Jason Schreier 21 April 2020 22 April 2020 The New York Times With many people globally at home and unable to work, online gaming has observed record numbers of players during the pandemic as a popular activity to counter physical distancing for society, a practice recommended by the w:World Health Organization that helped boost revenues for many companies in the gaming industry. https://ew.com/gaming/coronavirus-videogames-industry-impact/ Game (still) on: How coronavirus is impacting the gaming industry Nick Romero 19 March 2020 27 March 2020 Entertainment Weekly https://finance.yahoo.com/news/coronavirus-world-turning-to-video-games-150704969.html The world is turning to video games amid coronavirus outbreak Daniel Howley 18 March 2020 27 March 2020 Yahoo! The pandemic simulation game Plague Inc., which was originally released eight years prior in 2012,How to Get Rich Simulating the Deaths of Billions of People https://www.wired.com/2012/12/plague-inc/ 21 January 2021 Wired en-us gains massive popularity, with the developers releasing an update to enhance the educational experience of the game in light of the COVID-19 pandemic.Thompson Benjamin Howe Nick Could you prevent a pandemic? A very 2020 video game Nature 16 December 2020 10.1038/d41586-020-03594-6 https://www.nature.com/articles/d41586-020-03594-6#MO0 21 January 2021 en The developer of Plague Inc. also donated $250,000 to CEPI and WHO to help fight the pandemic. The older 2008 flash game Pandemic 2 also experiences a surge of popularity.Leskin Paige An old flash computer game is getting a 2nd life because of its eerie similarities to the coronavirus outbreak, and its website's CEO says it has too much of an 'educational value' to shut it down https://www.businessinsider.com/coronavirus-pandemic-2-computer-game-second-life-amid-outbreak-2020-3 27 January 2021 Business Insider thumb|As things began to reopen, masks were still common at gaming events, such as can be seen here at the 2021 Taipei Game Show. In 2021 the Truck Simulator series held a virtual trucking event in solidarity with real truckers delivering COVID-19 vaccines.Good Owen S. Truck Simulator event invites players to deliver COVID-19 vaccines https://www.polygon.com/2021/1/22/22244780/euro-truck-simulator-2-american-hauling-hope-covid-event-dates 23 January 2021 Polygon 22 January 2021 en Players from around the globe organized a virtual graduation ceremony using Minecraft.Anderson Pearse Inside a Global Graduation Ceremony, Held Entirely in 'Minecraft' https://www.rollingstone.com/culture/culture-features/global-graduation-quaranteen-minecraft-1007713/ 29 January 2021 Rolling Stone 1 June 2020 COVID-19 increased the public profile of virtual reality applications,Coronavirus: Is virtual reality tourism about to take off? https://www.bbc.com/news/business-54658147 1 January 2021 BBC News 30 October 2020 potentially increasing interest in VR gaming as a result. AR gaming proved to help some seeking reprieve from isolation.Ellis Louise A. Lee Matthew D. Ijaz Kiran Smith James Braithwaite Jeffrey Yin Kathleen COVID-19 as 'Game Changer' for the Physical Activity and Mental Well-Being of Augmented Reality Game Players During the Pandemic: Mixed Methods Survey Study https://pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/33284781/ 1 January 2021 Journal of Medical Internet Research 22 December 2020 e25117 10.2196/25117 As gyms closed, interest in Exergaming greatly increased by those looking to get fit while isolating.Viana Ricardo Borges de Lira Claudio Andre Barbosa Exergames as Coping Strategies for Anxiety Disorders During the COVID-19 Quarantine Period Games for Health Journal June 2020 9 3 147–149 10.1089/g4h.2020.0060 https://pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/32375011/ 1 January 2021 2161-7856Sarkar Samit Ring Fit Adventure is sold out everywhere, Nintendo confirms https://www.polygon.com/2020/3/13/21177214/ring-fit-adventure-sold-out-stock-coronavirus-nintendo-switch 1 January 2021 Polygon 13 March 2020 en Though its launch was delayed by COVID-19, the first Super Nintendo World theme park in Osaka, Japan was shown in a video tour online by Mario creator Shigeru Miyamoto.Peters Jay Shigeru Miyamoto tours Super Nintendo World theme park in new video https://www.theverge.com/2020/12/18/22189601/super-nintendo-world-theme-park-universal-studios-japan-mario-shigeru-miyamoto 19 December 2020 The Verge 18 December 2020 enMachkovech Sam Miyamoto leads fans through Super Nintendo World—and it looks incredible https://arstechnica.com/gaming/2020/12/miyamoto-leads-fans-through-super-nintendo-world-and-it-looks-incredible/ 19 December 2020 Ars Technica 19 December 2020 en-us Groups dedicated to tracking the availability of game consoles during the shortages sometimes assisted in finding COVID-19 supplies.Carpenter Nicole COVID-19 tests are so hard to find that console trackers are stepping in https://www.polygon.com/22872150/covid-19-testing-ps5-xbox-console-tracker-help 8 January 2022 Polygon 7 January 2022 Games as a Political Vehicle In the run up to the 2020 United States elections, politicians used online multiplayer games and game streaming to reach out to voters safely during the pandemic.Smith Noah The gamer vote: Democrats lean into video games to aid Biden campaign https://www.washingtonpost.com/video-games/2020/10/22/video-games-2020-presidential-election-biden-trump/ Washington Post 2 December 2020Park Gene Joe Biden’s ‘Animal Crossing’ island was definitely made by a pro gamer https://www.washingtonpost.com/video-games/2020/10/16/biden-animal-crossing-island/?itid=sf_technology-video-gaming Washington Post 2 December 2020 The Biden campaign operated a custom Fortnite island with its own minigames.Joe Biden Has A Fortnite Island Now https://kotaku.com/joe-biden-has-a-fortnite-island-now-1845539140 15 February 2021 Kotaku en-us In Animal Crossing: New Horizons, which supports user made content, digital yard signs were distributed by the Biden campaign.Taylor Derrick Bryson Ortiz Aimee Biden Campaign Courts the Animal Crossing Island Vote With Yard Signs https://www.nytimes.com/2020/09/01/us/politics/biden-animal-crossing.html The New York Times 2 December 2020 1 September 2020 Though the official Trump campaign mocked campaigning in games,Pesce Nicole Lyn Trump camp mocks Joe Biden for ‘campaigning for president of “Animal Crossing” ’ with virtual yard signs https://www.marketwatch.com/story/trump-camp-mocks-joe-biden-for-campaigning-for-president-of-animal-crossing-with-virtual-yard-signs-2020-09-01 16 February 2021 MarketWatch independent efforts by his supporters also made Animal Crossing signs,Kim Allen 'Animal Crossing' players can deck their virtual yards with Joe Biden campaign signs https://www.cnn.com/2020/09/01/tech/animal-crossing-biden-trnd/index.html 16 February 2021 CNN as well as using the massively popular game Among Us to promote their candidate.When even Biden has an "Animal Crossing" island: Games are the new battleground state https://www.latimes.com/entertainment-arts/story/2020-10-30/election-games-animal-crossing-biden-among-us-aoc-twitch-propaganda 16 February 2021 Los Angeles Times 30 October 2020 Following the election a video was posted of President Biden playing Mario Kart Arcade GP DX with Naomi Biden at Camp David.President Joe Biden Apparently Plays Mario Kart - IGN https://www.ign.com/articles/president-joe-biden-apparently-plays-mario-kart 15 February 2021 enPresident Biden Only Just Beat His Granddaughter At Mario Kart https://kotaku.com/president-biden-only-just-beat-his-granddaughter-at-mar-1846270984 15 February 2021 Kotaku en-us Developer Welfare Concerns Concerns for developer welfare continued from the previous decade into the 2020's. In particular there were a number of high profile incidents at major game developer companies.Needleman Kirsten Grind, Ben Fritz and Sarah E. Activision CEO Bobby Kotick Knew for Years About Sexual-Misconduct Allegations at Videogame Giant https://www.wsj.com/articles/activision-videogames-bobby-kotick-sexual-misconduct-allegations-11637075680 30 December 2021 Wall Street Journal 16 November 2021Riot Games agrees to pay $100 million in settlement of class-action gender discrimination lawsuit https://www.washingtonpost.com/video-games/2021/12/27/riot-discrimination-100-million-settlement/ 30 December 2021 Washington Post This lead to increased calls for, and corporate pushback against, unionizing.Allyn Bobby Embattled Activision Blizzard to employees: 'consider the consequences' of unionizing https://www.npr.org/2021/12/10/1063230658/embattled-activision-blizzard-to-employees-consider-the-consequences-of-unionizi 30 December 2021 NPR 10 December 2021 enThe video game industry is closer to unionization than ever before https://www.seattletimes.com/business/the-video-game-industry-is-closer-to-unionization-than-ever-before/ 30 December 2021 The Seattle Times 27 December 2021D'Anastasio Cecilia Why 2021 Was the Biggest Year for the Labor Movement in Games https://www.wired.com/story/2021-biggest-year-labor-movement-video-games/ 30 December 2021 Wired Concerns of child labor in the industry were also raised.The sketchy economy that helps Roblox make its millions https://www.theguardian.com/games/2021/dec/21/pushing-buttons-roblox 30 December 2021 the Guardian 21 December 2021 enAn Esports Team Signed An 8 Year Old, But Nobody Is Sure If It's Legal https://kotaku.com/an-esports-team-signed-an-8-year-old-but-nobody-is-sur-1845898629 30 December 2021 Kotaku en-us Popular Genres Skateboarding Clayton Natalie Skateboarding games are back, here's why they're better than ever https://www.pcgamer.com/skateboarding-games-are-back-heres-why-theyre-better-than-ever/ 28 May 2021 PC Gamer 2021-05-27 2020 thumb|A Manhattan GameStop is boarded up in the turbulent year of 2020. Many American retailers boarded up their windows in preparation for turbulent events.Corkery Michael Maheshwari Sapna Boarded-Up Windows and Increased Security: Retailers Brace for the Election https://www.nytimes.com/2020/10/30/business/retailers-election-protests.html 10 December 2020 The New York Times 30 October 2020 Apple vs. Epic In August 2020, Apple and Epic begin disputing payment systems on the Apple App store, resulting in the game Fortnite being removed from the App Store.'Fortnite' Developer Epic Games Is Suing Apple for Anti-Competitive Practices https://www.vice.com/en/article/akzaa8/fortnite-developer-epic-games-is-suing-apple-for-anti-competitive-practices www.vice.com 20 November 2020 en Coupled with increasing scrutiny from lawmakers, Apple reduces their cut from 30% to 15% for developers making under a million dollars annually, a move said to benefit indie game developers.Leswing Kif Apple will cut App Store commissions by half to 15% for small app makers https://www.cnbc.com/2020/11/18/apple-will-cut-app-store-fees-by-half-to-15percent-for-small-developers.html CNBC 2 December 2020 en 18 November 2020Axon Samuel Apple drops its cut of App Store revenues from 30% to 15% for some developers https://arstechnica.com/gadgets/2020/11/apple-lowers-its-cut-of-app-store-revenues-for-some-developers/ Ars Technica 2 December 2020 en-us 18 November 2020 Ninth generation of video game consoles The first ninth generation consoles launch in November 2020.Yin-Poole Wesley Are the PS5 and Xbox Series X too buggy at launch? It's the Eurogamer next-gen news cast! https://www.eurogamer.net/articles/2020-11-20-are-the-ps5-and-xbox-series-x-too-buggy-at-launch-its-the-eurogamer-next-gen-news-cast Eurogamer 20 November 2020 en 20 November 2020 3D audio, SSD storage, and raytracing support is a common trend in this generation.Warren Tom Welcome to the next generation of gaming https://www.theverge.com/2020/9/10/21430284/microsoft-sony-xbox-series-ps5-nvidia-rtx-3080-next-gen-gaming The Verge 20 November 2020 en 10 September 2020What 3D Audio Means for Next-Gen Games - IGN https://www.ign.com/articles/3d-audio-ps5-xbox-series-x 20 November 2020 en Initially supplies of new PS5 and Xbox Series consoles are quickly bought up.Will there be another PlayStation 5 and Xbox restock at retailers this year? https://www.cbsnews.com/news/ps5-restock-coming-question/ www.cbsnews.com 2 December 2020Sold Out? How to Beat the Rush and Score an Xbox Series X, PS5 From Retailers Online https://www.pcmag.com/news/sold-out-how-to-beat-the-rush-and-score-an-xbox-series-x-ps5-from-retailers PCMAG 2 December 2020 en 2021 Economy GameStop Stock thumb|GameStop stock chart from 2021. Defying expectations, in January 2021 Redditors send the stock of the physical game retailer GameStop soaring over 1600%.Lopatto Elizabeth How r/WallStreetBets gamed the stock of GameStop https://www.theverge.com/22251427/reddit-gamestop-stock-short-wallstreetbets-robinhood-wall-street 27 January 2021 The Verge 27 January 2021 enLopatto Elizabeth Memes have broken the brokerages https://www.theverge.com/2021/1/27/22252864/wallstreetbets-stocks-memes-broker-outages-limits-amc-gamestop 28 January 2021 The Verge 27 January 2021 en This had broader implications for the overall market, as the reactions from some firms caused some members of Congress to begin looking into the event.Reis Patrick Bort Ryan AOC, Rashida Tlaib Rip Robinhood Over GameStop Trading Restrictions https://www.rollingstone.com/politics/politics-news/gamestop-reddit-alexandria-ocasio-cortez-rashida-tlaib-hedge-funds-1120334/ 29 January 2021 Rolling Stone 28 January 2021 Blockchain thumb|CryptoDragons, one of many NFTs which attempted to find a niche in gaming. Some game developers and game artists turn to non-fungible tokens as an additional revenue stream, with concerns over environmental impact and issues with rights leading to controversy.Gaming Crypto-Artists Court Controversy While Cashing in on NFTs https://www.bloomberg.com/news/articles/2021-03-09/gaming-crypto-artists-court-controversy-while-cashing-in-on-nfts 16 March 2021 Bloomberg.com 9 March 2021 enHollister Sean Maybe don’t sell your friend’s art as an NFT https://www.theverge.com/tldr/2021/3/15/22332357/nft-art-jason-rohrer-castle-doctrine-selling-friend-art 16 March 2021 The Verge 15 March 2021 enGame Artists Not Happy That Developer Is Selling Their Nearly Decade-Old Work As NFTs https://kotaku.com/game-artists-not-happy-that-developer-is-selling-their-1846465316 16 March 2021 Kotaku en-us Major PC game distributor Valve banned games using blockchain, NFT, and cryptocurrency from it's distribution platform Steam by October 15th, 2021.Steam Boots Blockchain-Based Video Games From Its Platform https://finance.yahoo.com/news/steam-boots-blockchain-based-video-220703381.html 20 October 2021 finance.yahoo.com Competitor Epic continued to allow such games on it's Epic Games Store.Yin-Poole Wesley Valve bans blockchain, crypto and NFT games from Steam, but Epic is on-board https://www.eurogamer.net/articles/2021-10-16-valve-bans-blockchain-and-nft-games-from-steam-but-epic-is-on-board 20 October 2021 Eurogamer 16 October 2021 en Collectables Collectables soared in value, with a sealed and graded copy of Super Mario 64 selling for over 1.5 million US dollars.Peters Jay Super Mario 64 probably won’t be the last million-dollar video game https://www.theverge.com/2021/7/24/22587929/super-mario-64-heritage-auctions-most-expensive-wata-games 25 July 2021 The Verge 24 July 2021 enPicheta Rob A copy of 'Super Mario 64' sold for over $1.5 million, the most ever paid for a video game https://www.cnn.com/style/article/super-mario-auction-video-game-record-scli-intl/index.html 25 July 2021 CNN en This was the first publicized instance of a single copy of a video game selling for over one million US dollars.Mamma Mia! Super Mario 64 Is The First Video Game To Sell For More Than $1 Million https://www.npr.org/2021/07/14/1016037499/super-mario-64-video-game-auction-million-dollars 25 July 2021 NPR.org en This was quickly surpassed, with an unopened copy of Super Mario Bros. selling for 2 million dollars.Browning Kellen A Super Mario Bros. game sells for $2 million, another record for gaming collectibles. https://www.nytimes.com/2021/08/06/business/super-mario-bros-sale-record.html 7 August 2021 The New York Times 6 August 2021Gray Kate A Copy Of Super Mario Bros. For NES Just Smashed World Records, AGAIN https://www.nintendolife.com/news/2021/08/a_copy_of_super_mario_bros_for_nes_just_smashed_world_records_again 7 August 2021 Nintendo Life 6 August 2021 Mint The United States Mint mixed game collecting with coin collecting with the production of the manganese-brass 2021 New Hampshire American Innovation $1 coin, which honored Ralph Baer, and the development of the Magnavox Odyssey.American Innovation $1 – New Hampshire U.S. Mint https://www.usmint.gov/coins/coin-medal-programs/american-innovation-dollar-coins/new-hampshire-home-video-game-system www.usmint.gov 27 October 2021 The reverse of the coin was designed by artist Christina Hess and depicted gameplay generated by the Odyssey prototype, the "Brown Box".U.S. Mint Honors Game Developer Ralph Baer https://spectrum.ieee.org/us-mint-honors-game-developer-ralph-baer 27 October 2021 IEEE Spectrum 21 July 2021 en Upon release the coin proved to be popular among collectors, selling 785,700 coins in 6 days.Sales strong for commemorative coin honoring NH video-game pioneer https://www.concordmonitor.com/ralph-baer-home-video-game-coin-nh-mint-41187818 27 October 2021 June 28, 2021 This is recognized as the first time the United States Mint created currency featuring a video game.Bulfinch Chris Coin Honors Inventor and the Birth of Videogame Culture https://coinweek.com/modern-coins/coin-honors-inventor-and-the-birth-of-video-game-culture/ 27 October 2021 CoinWeek 11 June 2021 Other 2021 also saw increased investment in gaming companies by sovereign wealth funds.Saudi Activision Blizzard Stake Rises Again Amid Controversy https://www.bloomberg.com/news/articles/2021-08-17/saudi-stake-rises-again-as-activision-blizzard-faces-controversy 29 October 2021 Bloomberg.com 17 August 2021 en Technology Neural Implants In 2021 the game Pong was used to demonstrate a wireless neural implant to the public.Timmer John The big advance in Elon Musk’s Pong-playing monkey is what you can’t see https://arstechnica.com/science/2021/04/the-big-advance-in-elon-musks-pong-playing-monkey-is-what-you-cant-see/ 10 April 2021 Ars Technica 9 April 2021 en-us Xbox 2042 In October 2021 Microsoft released a speculative concept of what an Xbox might look like in 2042.Microsoft imagines Xbox 2042 with 1 exaFLOP processor https://hexus.net/gaming/news/hardware/148579-microsoft-imagines-xbox-2042-1-exaflop-processor/ 2 November 2021 HEXUS 29 October 2021Xbox's Vision For 2042 Is 32K Resolution, 480FPS Gameplay https://www.gamespot.com/articles/xbox-vision-for-2042-is-32k-resolution-480fps-gameplay/1100-6497431/ 2 November 2021 GameSpot Technologies included in this work of speculative fiction included a holographic interface, a neural interface, Artificial Intelligence (AI), and quantum technology.Sheridan Connor Xbox 2042 video from Microsoft stars a tiny super-console that beams onto your contacts https://www.gamesradar.com/xbox-2042-video-from-microsoft-stars-a-tiny-super-console-that-beams-onto-your-contacts/ 2 November 2021 gamesradar 27 October 2021 enCould the Xbox 2042 Console Really Exist in Just 20 Years? https://www.dualshockers.com/could-the-xbox-2042-console-really-exist-in-just-20-years/ 2 November 2021 en The fictitious console were touted as being "90% smaller", while using 1 exaFlop of performance to output 32k video in between 240 and 480 frames per second.Stephenson Brad Microsoft's Xbox 2042 concept video teases 32K video, 240 FPS, holograms, and more - OnMSFT.com https://www.onmsft.com/news/microsofts-xbox-2042-concept-video-teases-32k-video-240-fps-holograms-and-more 2 November 2021 28 October 2021Next-gen Xbox 2042: 32K 480FPS perf with 1 exaFLOPs quantum processor https://www.tweaktown.com/news/82423/next-gen-xbox-2042-32k-480fps-perf-with-1-exaflops-quantum-processor/index.html 2 November 2021 TweakTown 27 October 2021 Nuclear Handheld Game Console Mod thumb|Tritium radioluminescence is responsible for powering the mod. Ian Charnas attracted much attention in 2021 with the development of a nuclear powered handheld game mod. The modded console captured the output of 25 vials luminescent Trintium vials placed between 2 conventional solarphotovoltaic cells, and then stored the continuous 1.5 microwatts of output energy in thin film solid state batteries.This Nuclear-Powered Game Boy Will Run for a Century https://www.hackster.io/news/this-nuclear-powered-game-boy-will-run-for-a-century-d3c1cb3c53e9 15 January 2022 Hackster.io enYouTuber Builds A Nuclear Powered Game Boy https://www.thegamer.com/nuclear-powered-game-boy/ 15 January 2022 TheGamer 15 July 2021 The console was not capable of continuous operation, but could play a clone of Tetris for 55 minutes once every one to two months.Jugaad Level Max! This Guy Charged His Game Boy With 'Nuclear' Batteries To Play Tetris https://www.indiatimes.com/trending/jugaad/youtuber-charges-game-boy-using-tiny-nuclear-generator-545018.html 15 January 2022 IndiaTimes 15 July 2021 en-IN The system power source should last for 25 years,This Tetris-Playing Game Boy Knockoff Runs on a Tiny Nuclear Generator https://gizmodo.com/this-tetris-playing-game-boy-knockoff-runs-on-a-tiny-nu-1847289167 15 January 2022 Gizmodo en-us though some media sources stated the system to have an operational life of 100 years. The system was raffled to raise proceeds for the charity Chernobyl Children International.Nuclear Powered Game Boy https://kottke.org/21/07/nuclear-powered-game-boy 15 January 2022 kottke.org enYouTuber Converts A Knock-Off Game Boy To Run On Nuclear Power https://www.gamespot.com/articles/youtuber-converts-a-knock-off-game-boy-to-run-on-nuclear-power/1100-6493948/ 15 January 2022 GameSpot Culture For the first time, the Hugo Awards included video games as finalists in 2021.2021 Hugo Award game finalists include 'Hades' and 'Animal Crossing' https://www.engadget.com/2021-hugo-award-game-finalists-210602810.html 15 April 2021 Engadget The International Olympic Committee hosted their first esports event, the Olympic Virtual Series, beginning on May 13th, 2021.Horiuchi Junko IOC weighs addition of pandemic-boosted virtual sports to Olympics https://www.japantimes.co.jp/sports/2021/06/28/olympics/ioc-esports-future-games/ 20 July 2021 The Japan Times 28 June 2021Note: Due to the COVID-19 pandemic, the 2020 Olympic games were held in 2021. The opening ceremony for the Tokyo 2020 Olympic games on July 23rd, 2021 included music derived from a number of video games.Olympics ceremony uses music from Japanese video games https://apnews.com/article/tokyo-olympics-video-game-music-8dbdfaff5de83c76b021d1dc0e25c871 23 July 2021 AP NEWS 23 July 2021 enMcWhertor Michael The Olympic opening ceremony was full of video game music https://www.polygon.com/22590146/olympics-2020-games-athletes-parade-of-nations-video-game-music-dragon-quest-kingdom-hearts 23 July 2021 Polygon 23 July 2021 en Some American politicians cited video games as a negative factor in society.Republican senator Josh Hawley worries feminism has driven men to ‘pornography and video games’ https://www.theguardian.com/world/2021/nov/01/josh-hawley-feminism-men-pornography-video-games 3 November 2021 the Guardian 1 November 2021 enBacharier Galen Sen. Hawley says American men are 'withdrawing' into pornography and video games amid 'crisis' https://www.usatoday.com/story/news/politics/2021/11/02/missouri-republican-hawley-men-withdrawing-pornography-video-games/6251225001/ 3 November 2021 USA TODAYSen. Josh Hawley says liberals’ attacks on manhood are driving men to pornography and video games https://www.washingtonpost.com/nation/2021/11/02/josh-hawley-pornography-video-games/ 3 November 2021 Washington Post Fall of Kabul Following the collapse of the Afghanistan government, gamers in Afghanistan feared that games would once again be banned in their country.Kabul gamers fret over favourite pastime with Taliban back in power https://www.reuters.com/world/asia-pacific/kabul-gamers-fret-over-favourite-pastime-with-taliban-back-power-2021-09-13/ 15 October 2021 Reuters 14 September 2021 en 2022 Gaming in Russia Major console manufacturers left the Russian market, though they were not popular with gamers there due to a preference for PC gaming.Orland Kyle Russia’s console game market no longer exists https://arstechnica.com/gaming/2022/03/russias-console-game-market-no-longer-exists/ 3 June 2022 Ars Technica 10 March 2022 en-us Notable Cross Platform Games of the 2020's Umurangi Generation A 2020 photography game set in an future apocalyptic Tauranga, New Zealand.Review ‘Umurangi Generation’: A photography game that urges you to look closer https://www.washingtonpost.com/video-games/reviews/umurangi-generation-photography-game-that-urges-you-look-closer/ 22 June 2021 Washington Post The game was developed by a Māori developer, and was noted for it's themes of colonization from the perspective of the colonized.Weidman George Umurangi Generation, Colonialism, UAPs, UFOs and Alien Invasion Stories https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=FhcYszdVRsw 22 June 2021 enInterview: Umurangi Generation's Developer On Fascism, Colonisation, And Donald Trump https://www.thegamer.com/umurangi-generation-interview-fascism-colonisation/ 22 June 2021 TheGamer 2021-06-05 Read more about Umurangi Generation on Wikipedia. Gallery External Resources 2020 in video games References 2100% 2010-2019 Computer games