How Colorado’s Gaming Habits Measure Up Among Other States

When you think of Colorado sports, you probably think of the skiers zipping down the Rocky Mountains or extreme rowers fighting against the crashes of white rapids. But, inside Colorado’s walls and sheltered from the great outdoors, video games are slowly rising to become a major activity for adventurous Coloradans. The state and its residents are no exception to the nationwide video game craze.

According to a report from the Denver Post, Coloradans’ love for the video game world has grown from the confines of their living room into greater cultural hubs, including esports teams, events for competition and spectatorship, and even massive gaming festivals. This applies to people of all ages and backgrounds and fits well into the national rise of video games, which are now part of a $60 billion industry. Still, Colorado stands out from the national movement in a few ways.

First, Colorado’s favorite games differentiate the state from others. According to a report from Insight Pest Solutions, Coloradans’ favorite video game of all time is God of War, which despite also being a top-played game in neighboring New Mexico, was not a national video game giant. Instead, many American states joined in on the Sonic the Hedgehog bandwagon, making the blue racer the most popular video game figure in the country.

Further, the most popular mobile game in Colorado of all time was Lara Croft: Go, a choice shared only by the gamers of Kentucky. These niche games make Colorado stand out in video-game-obsessed United States. The study, which tracked video game and mobile game trends across the country before during COVID-19 can be found here.

Another way that Colorado stands out in its video game habits is its embrace of collegiate esports. According to the Denver Post, every four-year college in Colorado has established a collegiate esports program, meaning that the younger generations who have grown up playing video games can pursue their passions into their college years, and, hopefully beyond, while in Colorado. In fact, at Colorado University at Boulder, the student organization CU Gaming has become one of the school’s largest student organizations, with over 600 students participating online.

Finally, Colorado leads the country in its adoption of esports as a major sporting industry beyond the collegiate scene. According to the Denver Post, Kroenke Sports, which owns the Colorado Avalanche, Denver Nuggets, and the Colorado Rapids, has also put down the cash to back esports teams. Further, in 2018, a huge gaming arena opened in Lakewood, CO to host the esports team Mile High eSports as well as other competitors and gamers. As the gaming industry only continues to grow, it will be interesting to see if this arena becomes a popular center for gaming tournaments and festivals or if competing locations in Las Vegas might steal the show.

Of course, video games aren’t just limited to esports, as other types of games explore creativity and problem-solving instead of competitive challenges. But, in a state like Colorado, where sports and competition are a part of residents’ collective personality, it will be interesting to pay special attention to which games, collegiate programs, and overall industry changes become a part of Coloradans’ lives. Game on!