With all the talk of mobile games, home VR and augmented reality, it can often seem to non-gamers that the PC would be forgotten when it comes to gaming. But recent research shows this isn’t the case – people still love to game on a computer. How is PC staying so relevant?

It’s dark, gloomy and the glare of computer monitors highlights the faces of people hooked to their screens at an internet café in China. The past few years seemed to signal the death of these businesses, but surging interest in competitive gaming has seen people flock back to them.

Why are people using their downtime for self-improvement? Have we all become adrenaline junkies? Are packaged holidays really so passé? And is gaming the new gambling?

Not long ago, it was inconceivable that video games would be anything more than a niche pastime, let alone a path to a lucrative career. Yet e-sports now attract millions of fans and major brand sponsorships. How did they come to rival to traditional sports? And can they achieve mainstream success?