In 2020, with more people working from home than ever before, the online entertainment industry is booming. In between Zoom meetings and nights in during quarantine, people are turning to their phones and laptops for their leisure needs as well as work necessities. So with the rise of games like Among Us and Fortnite, and fun new social networking apps such as Houseparty and TikTok, what new entertainment trends can we look forward to in the new year?
Social deduction games
With Among Us turning out to be a surprise hit in 2020, the genre of social deduction games looks to be a trend set to stay in the year ahead. Games where players must deceive and often murder their friends in order to survive are becoming more and more popular, and some exciting new releases are on the cards for 2021. These include:
Untrusted
Currently in its beta stage, Untrusted is currency free to play. Inspired by the Werewolf/Mafia genre, this game involves hackers from the fictional NETSEC group and AGENTs that arrest hackers or try to turn them into double-agents. Role-playing, deception and deduction are all essential elements to the game, which currently features 22 playable classes with more than 70 unique skills.
Republic of Jungle
Set to hit your PC, Playstation 4, and Xbox in summer 2021, Republic of Jungle is a party game where five to 10 players can get involved at once on separate devices and come together as the staff of the ‘Bite House’. President Puma’s administration has an informant, and depending on which team you’re on, your job is to either stop the leak or sabotage the President’s loyal workforce. Colourful graphics, smooth gameplay, and fun animal characters bring out the best in this game of bluff, deduction and intrigue that will have you on the edge of your sofa for hour
More social media platforms
It seems hard to believe, but we could be in store for even more social media apps in 2021. This year, we’ve seen TikTok take the world by storm and other apps like WeChat are up to 1.3b users worldwide. Some other platforms to keep an eye on next year are:
Meaning ‘micro blog’ in Chinese, Weibo is similar to Twitter in that users must keep their posts to under 2000 characters. It already has 480m users and is getting more popular by the day.
LINE
Similar to WeChat and Whatsapp, LINE is a South Korean app which lets you connect with friends and family through a messenger service. However, a feature which sets it apart is the ability to make automatic payments and order taxis.
SNOW
Another South Korean offering, SNOW is similar to Snapchat, with users sharing photos and using filters. A cool addition to SNOW’s abilities is the use of augmented reality features.
Online gambling
This year we’ve turned to online gaming and gambling to keep us entertained more than any other, and this trend looks set to stay. Some of the most popular ways to gamble that are:
Poker
The ultimate game of deceit and deception, poker is a casino classic that’s still holding its own in the modern age of online gaming. With gambling on the rise across the world once more, online poker can be a great training tool for other social deception games. With multiple sites offering poker games just for fun, you don’t even need to gamble with cash.
Online betting
Another practice which isn’t new but remains as popular as ever, betting on your favourite sports is another popular way we’ve been keeping ourselves entertained this year. While professional sport has been affected just as much as any other industry this year, many matches and games are still being played; including international soccer, hockey, football, and basketball. If you fancy trying your hand at some sports betting but aren’t sure where to start, go to usbetting.xyz where they will guide you through the different types of bets you can make and how to place them.
Slot machines
Still a firm favourite with casino-goers, slot machines have been a gambling staple for years. Virtual slot machines, with their crazy colours and instant prizes are on the up again and look set to be one of the most popular ways we spend our downtime online next year too.
