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Revealed: worst areas in England for gamers during lockdown

Published

5 years ago

June 3, 2020

Reading Time: 4 minutes

South West bottom of the pile for broadband speeds, with five of the ten areas where gamers are most likely to disrupt gameplay
Cities of London and Westminster the worst area for access to superfast broadband
Kingston Upon Hull ranks the highest for the best place to play video games online based on average speeds and availability of superfast broadband

New research from comparethemarket.com reveals the areas in England that are the worst for gamers, with gameplay in Central Devon the most likely to be disrupted due to poor broadband speeds.

The research analyses the average download speed (Mbps), superfast broadband availability and the percentage of households’ ability to receive decent broadband.

Gamers based in the South West score the least points when it comes to connection speed, with five out of the top ten worst hit areas in England. With Central Devon having the dubious distinction of being the worst in the country, Torridge and West Devon, Forest of Dean, Somerton and Frome, and Tiverton and Honiton all suffer disruption from poorer broadband speeds.

Some may be surprised to see the Cities of London and Westminster ranked the 10^th worst constituency for gamers overall. When it comes to access to superfast broadband, this area takes the last place out of all areas, with a quarter unable to access the very fastest connection. By comparison, in Luton North and Leicester West, superfast broadband availability is 100%.

Prague Gaming & TECH Summit 2025 (25-26 March)

Kingston Upon Hull is hailed as the best place for gamers, ranking top in the country for average speeds and the availability of superfast broadband. Less than 2% of the area’s households have access to decent broadband. Other cities areas that rank highly for gamers include Grimsby, Gillingham and Rainham in the South East, and Nottingham North in the East Midlands.

Top 10 – England’s worst areas for gamers

Rank	Area Name	Region	Average speed (MBPS)	Superfast availability	Unable to receive decent broadband
10	Cities of London and Westminster	London	34.41	75%	0%
9	Somerton and Frome	South West	42.75	82%	10%
8	Harwich and North Essex	East of England	37.06	83%	9%
7	Tiverton and Honiton	South West	31.89	81%	9%
6	North Herefordshire	West Midlands	35.09	80%	9%
5	Penrith and The Border	North West	36.01	81%	12%
4	Ludlow	West Midlands	33.09	81%	11%
3	Forest of Dean	South West	31.61	79%	10%
2	Torridge and West Devon	South West	34.01	81%	12%
1	Central Devon	South West	34.05	77%	12%

Top 10 – England’s best areas for gamers

Rank	Area Name	Region	Average speed (MBPS)	Superfast availability	Unable to receive decent broadband
1	Kingston upon Hull East	Yorkshire and The Humber	137.44	99%	1%
2	Kingston upon Hull North	Yorkshire and The Humber	132.15	100%	1%
3	Kingston upon Hull West and Hessle	Yorkshire and The Humber	122.24	99%	2%
4	Crawley	South East	88.40	99%	0%
5	Filton and Bradley Stoke	South West	93.49	98%	1%
6	Luton North	East of England	84.10	100%	0%
7	Morecambe and Lunesdale	North West	87.70	99%	0%
8	Great Grimsby	Yorkshire and The Humber	89.56	98%	1%
9	Stevenage	East of England	86.93	99%	0%
10	Gillingham and Rainham	South East	86.61	99%	0%

Holly Niblett, head of digital at comparethemarket.com, commented:

“Lockdown has seen a surge in the number of people relying on the internet for work and leisure. There is a wide disparity in the connection speeds and access to superfast broadband across the country, with people facing a particularly hostile environment in parts of the south west. For many, a reliable internet connection is a lifeline during a difficult time.

“Our new speed-test tool allows people to see how fast their broadband speed is and what better deals and speed is available in their area, because for many households, a fast download speed is a deal-breaker when it comes to choosing a provider. Perhaps unsurprisingly, we have seen a steep rise in the number of customers switching online to the fastest packages during isolation.”

comparethemarket’s tips for improving your broadband speed:

1. Test the speed of your broadband connection

You can run a speed test on comparethemarket’s new speed-checker tool, which enables users to check how long it will take to download a film or game in their area: http://www.comparethemarket.com/broadband/speed-test You’ll be shown both your download and upload speeds.

2. Move your router away from other devices

Keep your router as far away as possible from other electrical equipment and devices that emit wireless signals, such as cordless phones, baby monitors and computer speakers. Try to place your router on a table or shelf rather than on the floor and keep it switched on.

3. Turn off WiFi on devices you’re not using

If you have multiple devices such as tablets and smartphones running in the background, it can slow down your broadband, so try switching WiFi off on these when you’re not using them. You should also avoid carrying out data-heavy tasks like HD streaming, gaming or video calls at the same time as others in your household.

4. Give your computer a spring clean

There are many applications on your PC that could affect your broadband speed, some without you even realising it. A few simple quick fixes include making sure your anti-virus software is up to date, making sure you’re using the latest version of your web browser, such as Chrome, Firefox or Microsoft Edge and clearing your cache and browser history.

For more information on the research, please go to: https://www.comparethemarket.com/broadband/content/best-cities-in-england-for-gamers/

Methodology:
The following table reveals the areas of England where gamers are most likely to disrupt gameplay due to bad broadband speeds.

Data taken directly from the source are in the columns titled Area name, Region, Average speed (MBPS), Superfast availability and unable to receive decent broadband.

To calculate the index we first normalised the data categories individually from 0 to 1 and then summed the results.

On this scale, for

Average speed – The higher index would be weighted closer to 1 – detailed in the average speed weighting column
Superfast availability – The higher index is weighted closer to 1 – detailed in the superfast weighting column
Unable to receive decent broadband – The higher index is weighted closer to 0 – detailed in the Decent broadband weighting column

Total and rankings were determined by the above.

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The German Games Industry Association Congratulates Winners of the German Computer Game Awards 2025

Published

3 days ago

May 16, 2025

Niji Narayan

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Reading Time: 3 minutes

Outstanding games from Germany and a great show with many well-known personalities: the year’s best games made in Germany were honoured at the German Computer Game Awards 2025 (DCP) in Berlin. In the Palais am Funkturm, guests from the areas of culture, society, media, politics and the game industry celebrated the creative teams behind the high-quality games. The hosts Katrin Bauerfeind and Uke Bosse led the audience through the entertaining evening, which numerous viewers also followed via live stream.

The winner in the highest-profile category, “Best German Game,” was “Enshrouded” from the studio Keen Games. The coveted award was presented by Federal Minister for Research, Technology and Aerospace Dorothee Bär, who is responsible for computer and video games in the new Federal Government. The survival RPG game also won in the category “Best Innovation and Technology”. The award for “Studio of the Year” went to Megagon Industries from Berlin, the studio behind the successful “Lonely Mountains” games. The games community and DCP jury chose the streamer Stephan Bliemel, known as Steinwallen, “Player of the Year”. For over a decade, Steinwallen has impressively demonstrated in his video streams how history can be successfully imparted through games. Prize money totalling 800,000 euros was awarded in the framework of the DCP 2025.

The German Computer Game Awards were hosted by the German Federal Government and game – The German Games Industry Association.

“We congratulate all the award winners. Impressive variety, captivating stories and first-rate technologies: once again, on the grand stage of the German Computer Game Awards 2025, the enormous strength of German games studios was clear to see. Germany produces exciting games with world-market potential. These successes send a strong signal and show what Germany has to offer as a game production location. Together with the new Federal Government, we want to enable this creative and technological excellence to shine even more brightly on the international stage in the future,” said Felix Falk, Managing Director of game – The German Games Industry Association.

Overview of all the winners of the German Computer Game Awards 2025:

Best International Game (not endowed)

• Split Fiction (Hazelight Studios / Electronic Arts)

Best German Game (endowed with 100,000 euros)

• Enshrouded (Keen Games)

The other nominees each receive 30,000:

• Lonely Mountains: Snow Riders (Megagon Industries)

• Thronefall (Grizzly Games)

Best Family Game (endowed with 40,000 euros)

• PRIM (Common Colors / Application Systems Heidelberg)

Newcomer Award – Best Debut (endowed with 60,000 euros)

• Nordhold (Stunforge / Stunforge & HypeTrain Digital)

The other nominees each receive 25,000 euros:

• Footgun: Underground (Turtle Knight Games / CobraTekku Games)

• Mindlock – The Apartment (Roof Cut Media / United Soft Media)

Newcomer Award – Best Prototype (endowed with 50,000 euros)

• Blob the Klex (Melena Dressel, Alejandro Rebolledo, Laura Octavianus / Hochschule Darmstadt)

The other nominees each receive 25,000 euros:

• MapMap – A game about Maps (HAW Hamburg / Pipapo Games)

• Stuntboost (Julian Höltge, Tobias Kozel)

• Echoes of Mora (HTW Berlin / Meike Strippel et al.)

• Exhibit A (MDH München / Olivia Falke et al.)

Best Innovation and Technology (endowed with 40,000 euros)

• Enshrouded (Keen Games)

Best Audio Design (endowed with 40,000 euros)

• ODDADA (Sven Ahlgrimm et al.)

Best Game Design (endowed with 40,000 euros)

• Thronefall (Grizzly Games)

Best Graphic Design (endowed with 40,000 euros)

• Harold Halibut (Slow Bros.)

Best Mobile Game (endowed with 40,000 euros)

• Duck Detective: The Secret Salami (Happy Broccoli Games)

Best Story (endowed with 40,000 euros)

• Vampire Therapist (Little Bat Games)

Best Serious Game (endowed with 40,000 euros)

• Deine Stimme (Sebastian Grünwald & Reality Twist / Bavarian State Centre for Political Education)

Studio of the Year (endowed with 50,000 euros)

• Megagon Industries (Berlin)

Player of the Year (not endowed)

• Steinwallen

Special Jury Award (endowed with a total of 10,000 euros; the two winners each receive 5000 euros)

• Flipper und Arcade Museum Seeligenstadt

• GAME:IN

The post The German Games Industry Association Congratulates Winners of the German Computer Game Awards 2025 appeared first on European Gaming Industry News.

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Slotozilla Data Report: Unveiling 2024’s Gaming Statistics

Published

3 days ago

May 16, 2025

Niji Narayan

slotozilla-data-report:-unveiling-2024’s-gaming-statistics

Reading Time: 2 minutes

Slotozilla is an industry-leading online casino and slot review platform. Since its inception, the company has published refreshed analyses covering iGaming operators and software – with the intent to provide accurate, informative data for all users.

Throughout 2024, Slotozilla collected relevant data pertaining to player usage of the platform. These insights unveiled clear illustrations of player preferences, gender distribution, age-related data and other appropriate gaming behaviour. The report outlines significant findings laid bare by Slotozilla’s year-long study.

Explosive Global Favourites: The Demo Slots That Dominated 2024

Clear regional preferences were brought to light during Slotozilla’s 2024 analysis, as Book of Ra dominated the European industry. Where’s the Gold represented Australia’s favourite slot, while Plinko, Wolf Run and Sizzling Hot garnered significant attention from a worldwide player base.

Sizzling Hot Deluxe earned plaudits within the French gaming arena – attaining nearly one-quarter of the nation’s demo playtime. Industry developers and operators should expect these slots to influence the iGaming scene in 2025 and beyond.

Beyond the Numbers: Surprising Engagement and Demographic Shifts Revealed

The previous year detailed a clear shift towards all-encompassing domination by particular titles and demographics. For example, Columbus proved a major hit among USA bettors – racking up an average playtime of 194.8 minutes. That figure sits far ahead of the next game in line, King of Atlantis, which garnered 72.5 minutes per average session from French users.

Similar lob-sided statistics exist when comparing gender-based play, as male German players form 73.91% of the nation’s users—potentially guiding marketing efforts.

Modern Industry Impact

Data collected by SlotoZilla evidences various marked industry shifts spanning several key demographics. The report’s holistic view of the modern iGaming industry highlights the increasing necessity for targeted marketing campaigns, relevant themes and boundary-pushing features.

Users located in Australia, Poland and Canada are notable in this regard – as players from all three vital nations tend to access online slots from the age of 25 onward. Strategies around this data are central to maintaining a robust industry.

The post Slotozilla Data Report: Unveiling 2024’s Gaming Statistics appeared first on European Gaming Industry News.

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BGC Raises Concerns About Potential Negative Impact of Further Tax Hike on the Gambling Industry

Published

3 days ago

May 16, 2025

Niji Narayan

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Reading Time: 2 minutes

The Betting and Gaming Council (BGC) has warned against further new tax rises on members, as it was confirmed Levy payments to the Horseracing Betting Levy Board are expected to increase for the fourth year in a row.

BGC members are expected to contribute a record £108m in Levy payments to the HBLB for last year, new figures reveal.

The figure, provided by the independent HBLB, is an increase of £3m on the previous year.

It is the fourth year in a row that Levy contributions have increased, from £97m in 2021/22, to £100m in 2022/2023, £105m in 2023/2024 and £108m in 2024/2025.

This increased contribution came despite a concerning fall in betting turnover, and amid threats of a further new tax hike on online sports betting.

The independent HBLB said average turnover per race was down by about 8% on 2023/24, representing a 15% fall on 2022/23 and 19% drop on 2021/22.

Meanwhile, earlier this month the Treasury announced a new tax consultation, proposing replacing the three current online betting and gaming tax rates, with a single new one, sparking fears for sports like racing.

Betting and Gaming Council CEO Grainne Hurst said: “For the fourth year running Levy contributions have increased to record levels, demonstrating the growing, long-term investment regulated betting provides British horseracing.

“But it is concerning to see once more that despite record Levy contributions, racing continues to struggle, both as a sport and as a betting product, with betting turnover down again year on year.

“BGC members remain committed fans of racing and recognise better than most the huge economic impact it makes in communities across the country.

“It’s now more important than ever this vital contribution is not undermined by further new tax rises through the creation of a single tax for online betting, which risks driving punters away from the sport, or into the arms of the growing, unsafe gambling black market.

“These parasite operators don’t pay tax, don’t care about safer gambling, and do not contribute a penny to the Levy. The BGC wants sustainable growth, for our members and for racing, but any new taxes would halt investment, hurt punters and harm racing.”

This fourth annual increase is a new record since the Levy collection reforms of 2017/18.

The post BGC Raises Concerns About Potential Negative Impact of Further Tax Hike on the Gambling Industry appeared first on European Gaming Industry News.