Obsessed with gaming? There are a couple of cities here in the Lone Star State ranked among the best to feed your obsession.

I had all but retired from gaming until he recently. I passed the Xbox One controller to my kiddos and settled into the couch to watch sports in the evenings after work.

But a couple of months ago, I started to get the urge again. Sports games are my favorites, so I went out and bought PGA Tour 2K21 and was hooked immediately. Next thing you know I picked up MLB The Show 21 and it was on like Donkey Kong (pun intended). And now I’m firmly back in the saddle again.

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If you’re into gaming you know just how addictive it can be. For me, it’s all about the rush I get when I start to master the game. And to be honest with you, I don’t hang onto a game for long if I’m just not into it or can’t get it down. Life is too short to struggle with something you don’t have to.

Not surprisingly, video game sales boomed during the COVID-19 pandemic. According the financial website WalletHub, hardware sales are up a whopping 81% compared to last year and software sales have gone up by 18% - and that number doesn’t include digital downloads.

With gaming on the rise, researchers at WalletHub decided to gather data to determine which cities in the U.S. were the best for gaming. They took into account things like average internet speeds, video game stores per capita and how many esports tournaments the city hosts, among other things.

The study determined that Austin is the 2nd best city for gaming, right behind Irvine, California. Austin was actually ranked #1 in gamer and developer opportunities.

Plano is also a great city for gaming, coming in at #14 on the list. The city ranks in the Top 10 when it comes to internet quality and coverage.

The Top 20 Best Cities for Gamers

  1. Irvine, CA
  2. Austin, TX
  3. San Francisco, CA
  4. Seattle, WA
  5. Orlando, FL
  6. Anaheim, CA
  7. Fremont, CA
  8. San Diego, CA
  9. Washington, DC
  10. San Jose, CA
  11. Los Angeles, CA
  12. Raleigh, NC
  13. Oakland, CA
  14. Plano, TX
  15. Madison, WI
  16. Durham, NC
  17. Denver, CO
  18. Atlanta, GA
  19. Portland, OR
  20. New York, NY

As you can see, California is a pretty damn good place for gaming. That’s all well and good, but I believe I’ll stay right here in good ol’ Wichita Falls.

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