Gaming is rapidly emerging as the top pastime of the 2020s. Already, as an industry, it generates more revenue per year than the movie and music sectors put together. These days, gaming is not just the domain of young, male demographics, if it ever was. On the contrary, the male / female split is close to 50/ 50 and there are more older gamers around than ever.
With that in mind, it shouldn’t really surprise us that plenty of famous names like to pull out their phone or maybe even take up a console controller for a game or two. Nevertheless, the following celebrities and their gaming habits might raise an eyebrow or two.
Russell Crowe loves casino games like any true Aussie
Australia’s most popular export since Skippy the Bush Kangaroo, Russel Crowe has achieved worldwide fame for his roles in movies like Gladiator and The Mummy. But his most recent movie, Poker Face, which he also directed, gives a clue as to where his true passion lies.
The cliches about Australians loving a wager are based on fact – Australians spend far more per capita on gambling than any other nationality. Crowe is a true Aussie at heart. The most popular gambling activity in Australia is playing the pokies, and Crowe can take advantage of several safe casinos across Australia that offer literally dozens of Australian internet pokies via his phone. But his major passion is card games. Crowe enjoys online blackjack and also plays a mean hand of poker.
Serena Williams is a retro gaming nerd
One of the most inspirational women of her generation, Serena Williams is famous for having diverse interests that go beyond the tennis court. For example, she has launched numerous fashion lines under two different brands, she has performed work as a voice actor and she even appeared in a music video with close friend Beyonce.
When you add to that the commitments of motherhood and the numerous charities that she is involved in, you might think she has no time for playing games. You would be wrong. Serena has a passion for old-school Nintendo games from the 80s, and in 2020, she told Essence magazine that her favorite titles include Duck Hunt and Mike Tyson’s Punch-Out!!
Jamie Lee Curtis, the scream queen turned eSport mom
The star of Halloween, The Fog and Terror Train was born into showbiz royalty, so it’s no surprise she became known as the Scream Queen in her early career. Jamie is now a grandmother in her late 60s, but her screaming days are far from over.
About 10 years ago, her son, who was then in his early teens, introduced his mother to Street Fighter and League of Legends. She was instantly hooked, even attending gaming events in disguise. Over the past year or two, she has become more deeply involved in eSport and has helped to raise money for the Twin Galaxies organization.
Drake and Ninja almost broke the internet
OK, so unless you have spent the past decade in a cave, Drake’s fondness for Fortnite will not come as a big surprise. However, the depth of that passion is such that we definitely have to give him a mention here.
The multi-award winning singer has teamed up with game streaming legend Ninja on several occasions, and their streams always attracted healthy followings. However, when fellow rapper Travis Scott and New England Patriots wide receiver JuJu Smith-Schuster joined them they attracted an unprecedented 600,000 concurrent views, a number that comfortably beat all previous records and almost brought the internet to a grinding halt. In recent months, Ninja has teased on his social channels that a rematch could be coming up some time soon, so watch this space!
