This year has brought us many brilliant video games – but as wealth continues to concentrate, and games are used to exert economic and political influence, we need to keep an eye on the top playersI love playing video games, but what interests me most as a journalist are the ways in which games intersect with real life. One of the joys of spending 20 years on this beat has been meeting hundreds of people whose lives have been meaningfully enhanced by games, and as their cultural influence has grown, these stories have become more and more plentiful.There is another side to this, however. A couple of decades ago, video games were mostly either ignored or vilified by governments and mainstream culture, leading to an underdog mentality that has persisted even as games have become a nearly $200bn industry. As their popularity has grown, so have their political and cultural relevance. And the ways in which games intersect with real life are now coloured by the economic and political realities of our times. <a href="https://www.theguardian.com/games/2025/dec/22/state-of-play-who-holds-the-power-in-the-video-games-industry-in-2025">Continue reading...</a>

شهدت صناعة ألعاب الفيديو، التي تقدر قيمتها بحوالي 200 مليار دولار، نمواً كبيراً في كل من الشعبية والأهمية الثقافية، مما أدى إلى زيادة التأثير الاقتصادي والسياسي بين أبرز اللاعبين فيها. مع تطور الصناعة، أصبحت تقاطعات الألعاب مع القضايا الحياتية أكثر وضوحاً، مما يعكس تحولاً من التهميش إلى أن تصبح قوة ثقافية مؤثرة.

La industria de los videojuegos, valorada en casi 200 mil millones de dólares, ha experimentado un crecimiento significativo tanto en popularidad como en relevancia cultural, lo que ha llevado a una mayor influencia económica y política entre sus principales actores. A medida que la industria evoluciona, la intersección de los juegos con problemas de la vida real se ha vuelto más pronunciada, reflejando un cambio de ser marginados a convertirse en una poderosa fuerza cultural.

L'industrie du jeu vidéo, évaluée à près de 200 milliards de dollars, a connu une croissance significative tant en popularité qu'en pertinence culturelle, entraînant une influence économique et politique accrue parmi ses principaux acteurs. À mesure que l'industrie évolue, l'intersection des jeux avec des enjeux réels est devenue plus prononcée, reflétant un passage de la marginalisation à une force culturelle puissante.

The video game industry, valued at nearly $200 billion, has seen significant growth in both popularity and cultural relevance, leading to increased economic and political influence among its top players. As the industry evolves, the intersection of gaming with real-life issues has become more pronounced, reflecting a shift from being marginalized to becoming a powerful cultural force.

State of play: who holds the power in the video games industry in 2025?

If you’ve ever refused to knock down a game’s difficulty level, or chased a purposefully pointless achievement, you might have this pernicious but pleasurable affliction• <a href="https://www.theguardian.com/info/ng-interactive/2021/nov/24/sign-up-for-pushing-buttons-keza-macdonalds-weekly-look-at-the-world-of-gaming">Don’t get Pushing Buttons delivered to your inbox? Sign up here</a>Studies on gaming’s effect on the brain usually focus on aggression or the cognitive benefits of playing games. The former topic has fallen out of fashion now, after more than a decade’s worth of scientific research failed to prove <a href="https://www.theguardian.com/games/2020/jul/22/playing-video-games-doesnt-lead-to-violent-behaviour-study-shows">any causative link </a>between video games and real-world violence. But studies on the positive effects of games have shown that performing complex tasks with your brain and hands is actually quite good for you, and that games can be <a href="https://www.theguardian.com/games/2020/nov/16/video-gaming-can-benefit-mental-health-find-oxford-academics">beneficial for your emotional wellbeing</a> and stress management.That’s all well and good, but I’m obsessed with the concept of “gamer brain” – that part of us that is drawn to objectively pointless achievements. Mastering a game or finishing a story are normal sources of motivation, but gamer brain is inexplicable. When you retry the same pointless mini-game over and over because you want to get a better high score? When you walk around the invisible boundaries of a level, clicking the mouse just in case something happens? When you stay with a game longer than you should because you feel compelled to unlock that trophy or achievement? When you refuse to knock the difficulty down a level on a particularly evil boss, because that would be letting the game win? That’s gamer brain. <a href="https://www.theguardian.com/games/2026/jan/14/whats-behind-gamer-brain">Continue reading...</a>

ظاهرة ما يُعرف بـ 'دماغ اللاعب' تعكس زيادة الانخراط في ألعاب الفيديو، حيث يرفض اللاعبون غالبًا خفض مستويات الصعوبة أو يسعون لتحقيق إنجازات تبدو تافهة. يسلط هذا السلوك الضوء على التأثيرات النفسية والمعرفية للألعاب، التي كانت موضوعًا للعديد من الدراسات.

El fenómeno conocido como 'cerebro de gamer' refleja un creciente compromiso con los videojuegos, donde los jugadores a menudo se niegan a bajar los niveles de dificultad o persiguen logros aparentemente triviales. Este comportamiento destaca los efectos psicológicos y cognitivos de los juegos, que han sido objeto de varios estudios.

Le phénomène connu sous le nom de 'cerveau de gamer' reflète un engagement croissant envers les jeux vidéo, où les joueurs résistent souvent à abaisser les niveaux de difficulté ou poursuivent des réalisations apparemment triviales. Ce comportement met en lumière les effets psychologiques et cognitifs des jeux, qui ont été l'objet de diverses études.

The phenomenon known as 'gamer brain' reflects a growing engagement with video games, where players often resist lowering difficulty levels or pursue seemingly trivial achievements. This behavior highlights the psychological and cognitive effects of gaming, which have been the subject of various studies.

What’s behind the phenomenon of ‘gamer brain’

Betron.io is a blockchain powered prediction and gaming platform where people can forecast market moves, compete in skill based games, and interact with crypto in new ways.

State of play: who holds the power in the video games industry in 2025?

Was this article worth reading? Share it

Betron.io

Novogamer

Synthx

Pominis

CreativeDevJobs

DreamGen

Ready to build your own newsroom?