Best known for its vibrant settings and gratuitous violence,Grand Theft Auto Vhas been given a new lease on life online. A single mod has turned it into a community-led RPG that has as many spectators as it does players, demonstrating how open gaming worlds can foster large-scale collaboration.

Boasting over 45 million players and the Twitch record for most live viewers on a stream, third-person shooterFortnite Battle Royalehas taken the gaming world by storm. But given that it uses a free-to-play model, how is it avoiding the controversy that often surrounds in-game microtransactions?

Now touted as a multi-billion dollar industry, e-sports has brands queuing up to tap into a highly engaged audience and the players that are capturing their hearts and minds. What transformed a relatively niche entertainment model into a sporting leader?

Predominantly found on TikTok, e-girls are redefining what it means to be a female gamer, tackling the prejudice this community faces with weird, self-aware, and ironic humor. How exactly did this subculture arise, and what can these girls teach brands about Gen Z’s favorite new social platform?