These are the best cities to live in if you're a gamer

Mario Odyssey Mario In New Donk City
Mario Odyssey Mario In New Donk City (Image credit: Nintendo)

What you need to know

  • The video game industry is steadily increasing and becoming a hobby amongst more people.
  • WalletHub conducted a study to determine which U.S. city is most gamer-friendly.
  • Coming out on top was Irvine, California, with a score of 73.63.

Gaming is an incredibly popular holiday, with conventions like the annual E3 expo being referred to by some as "video game Christmas". Many companies like Nintendo have reported record sales in the midst of the global pandemic despite the Nintendo Switch being over four years old, as persons look for new hobbies to occupy their time.

Persons engage with gaming in various ways, from watching streams on Twitch, playing on their home and handheld consoles, or even playing mobile games like Pokémon GO. eSports has also become more common, to the point that eSports teams like Natus Vincere getting their own gaming chairs. Needless to say, gaming is a big deal now.

So where in the U.S. would gamers feel most at home? A study was conducted by WalletHub to determine which cities across the United States gamers would feel most comfortable in. Variables considered were factors such as:

  • Average internet speed
  • Internet cost
  • Number of video game stores per capita
  • Number of arcades per capita
  • Percentage of households that have a broadband connection
  • Percentage of adults who own a smartphone
  • Percentage of households that own a computer
  • Percentage of the population aged 18 to 49

The winning city ended up being... Irvine, California, with a total score of 73.63!

Wallet Hub Top Gaming Cities

Wallet Hub Top Gaming Cities (Image credit: WalletHub)

Irvine ended up placing third in the categories of highest average internet speed and highest percentage of households with a broadband connection, and also has the highest percentage of adults owning a smartphone. Of the cities with the highest percentage of households owning a computer, Irvine placed second. For persons looking to play great games on the Nintendo Switch, it looks like a move is in order!

What did you think of the list? Is your city gamer-friendly? Let us know in the comments!

Nadine Dornieden
Contributor

Nadine is a freelance writer for iMore with a specialty in all things Nintendo, often working on news, guides, reviews, and editorials. She's been a huge Nintendo fan ever since she got to pet her very own Nintendog, and enjoys looking at Nintendo's place in the video game industry. Writing is her passion, but she mostly does it so that she can pay off her ever-growing debt to Tom Nook. Her favorite genres are simulation games, rhythm games, visual novels, and platformers. You can find her at @stopthenadness on Twitter, where she'll more than likely be reposting cute Animal Crossing content.