Commentary

Ranked Up: The Next Evolution Of Gaming

The demand for gaming content has grown exponentially over the past two years, and competitive gaming organizations are using content creators to satiate enthralled viewers. Alongside contracted competitive players, renowned gaming orgs like Sentinels, Cloud 9, and Team Liquid are signing creators to generate entertainment content outside of competitive matches.

This concept is exemplified by FaZe Clan, which focused its player roster to turn out captivating content. By building out its team of social media moguls and streamers, gaming organizations like FaZe Clan are becoming a new type of content house that encourages collaboration, community, and creativity.

Now, content houses are going beyond one-off brand partnerships to build new models of collaboration. Lexus recently built an exclusive content house to “delight the 100 Thieves community with elevated experiences developed uniquely for them.” The luxury car dealer and gaming organization also built a physical Lexus Lounge to shoot content for 100 Thieves' online channels. The successful partnership illustrates the vast potential brands can tap with new content houses.  

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Transmedia Storytelling in Gaming

Gaming has long provided a space for aficionados to create complex worlds with compelling narratives. While some have attempted to adapt these world stories to feature-length films and television series, most have failed to drive lasting impact. However, Riot Games and League of Legends’ shows hope for the future of video game-centric transmedia storytelling through its animated Netflix series “Arcane.” 

Released last year, the show has spurred fantastic critical reception globally. Riot Games's success with the League of Legends universe demonstrates the power stories have within gaming and out of game. 

For brands, this offers an opportunity to interact with gaming studios, artists, and players beyond in-game purchases. We anticipate electrifying collaborations that integrate characters and plots to create interactive brand stories. Through new forms of gaming media, audiences can gain a deeper understanding of story and brand, and when done correctly, brands can create immense audience loyalty through storytelling. 

Favorite Streamers to Watch

Gaming has been a landscape characterized by young males -- with  hypermasculinity, Monster, and toxic games like Call of Duty. However, as gaming becomes a common denominator in every house, an influx of new personalities will drive a torrent of creative narratives. Among newcomers, the most exciting are women and underrepresented communities. With platforms like Twitch creating space for all identities, new creators are forging their own legacies in an ever-evolving landscape of gaming.

Powerzsurge

For example, Aerial Powers, aka Powerzsurge, is not only an WNBA Champion, but a rising star in streaming. Signed to Team Liquid as a diversity ambassador and streamer in 2021, Powerzsurge gained notoriety for her entertaining NBA 2K, Valorant, NASCAR Racing, Apex Legends, and Call of Duty streams.

Joshseki

A fan-favorite streamer, Joshseki is known for cheeky Valorant TikToks where he goofs off with teammates. A beacon of positivity in a competitive and sometimes toxic game, he cultivates a tight-knit Twitch community of over 39k followers and 130k followers on TikTok.

At the foundation of gaming is a desire to tell new stories. The plethora of narratives portrayed through the lens of gaming, be it streaming personalities, characters, or players, continues to capture the hearts of Gen Z. And, it is still early days for exciting stories to be told.

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