Students have long been one of the biggest demographics of gamers. They are the ideal
target for this form of interactive entertainment as young adults tend to fit perfectly into the three-way Venn diagram of people with plenty of free time, lots of disposable income, and a familiarity with technology.
Whilst students of previous generations may have had to cram into a dorm room and crowded around a TV to take turns at beating a Mario Kart lap time or a Doom high score, the internet and other popular technologies have allowed todayโs young gamers the ability to compete online with friends and complete strangers.
But just like music, clothes, and TV shows, games go in and out of fashion all the time. So letโs take a look at whatโs hottest right now.
Grand Theft Auto V
Fans of the popular Grand Theft Auto series are eagerly awaiting the release of the first new game in the franchise since 2013. However, thereโs still quite some time before GTA VI will hit shelves across the world, with Rockstar Games recently announcing that it planned to ship the game in late 2026.
Until Grand Theft Auto VI does get launched, players across Illinois, the USA, and the rest of the world continue to enjoy the 11-year-old GTA V.
Since its release in 2013, Grand Theft Auto V has continually boasted huge concurrent and monthly total players as Rockstar has expanded the GTA Online mode with new features and content.
GTA V is the most detailed game in the series so far, both in terms of map size and in features and functionality. This means players are going to have plenty to keep them busy and entertained for another year.
Blackjack
Card games have always been a popular choice amongst students, perhaps no more so than blackjack. This casino favorite has a long relationship with universities, particularly here in the United States after the MIT Blackjack Team created a network of collegiate card players to take on casinos in Las Vegas, New Jersey, and overseas cities like London.
Today, students donโt need to travel across the country to enjoy blackjack as online casinos have made it possible to play from just about anywhere through a smartphone, tablet, or computer.
Itโs not just about convenience, either. Blackjack is a popular choice amongst online players because many leading platforms like PokerStars Casino offer them a range of
different variants, such as classic, premium, and high roller. These titles cater to the many different tastes, bankrolls, and skill levels of players, helping blackjack to be both attractive and accessible to a very large demographic.
Counter-Strike 2
Counter-Strike 2 is, confusingly, the ninth game in Valveโs popular franchise which itself is a spin-off of its other hit series, Half-Life. The name choice is likely due to the fact that most of todayโs Counter-Strike players will have only played Counter-Strike: Global Offensive before.
CS:GO was originally released in 2012 and became a hit following a DLC update that allowed players to customise their characters. 12 years later, itโs finally received a sequel.
Like its predecessors, CS2 is a tactical first-person shooter that pits two teams of players against each other with one playing as a counter-terrorist team who tries to hunt down the bad guys. It offers significant graphics updates on CS:GO with several classic maps being being completely remade with new features.
Although it received mixed reviews following its initial release, it has continued to maintain high numbers of players. This has been thanks to a series of major updates, including the Steam Workshop support that lets players create, share, and play custom maps, and the inclusion of the Arms Race mode that was a hit in CS:GO.
Within just a couple of months after its release, CS2 generated more than $1 billion in revenue, demonstrating how popular it has been. It remains a hit today, particularly amongst student gamers.
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