Video games aren’t just for teenage boys anymore. The average gamer is 30 years old, and 45% of gamers are women—a far cry from the pubescent-boy stereotype the industry has traditionally been saddled with.
This confederation of fans has propelled the video game industry to $70 billion in revenue in 2013, dwarfing Hollywood in the process. But this success has come with growing pains. Gaming’s swelling fanbase has become increasingly vocal in expressing its approval of and outrage at game developers’ decision-making processes at a time when social media has broken down the walls between creators and consumers. Paul Tassi looks at fanboy culture from its most toxic corners to its most celebrated collaborations to see how these fans become so emotionally invested in the development of video games, how this fervor affects the companies profiting from this fan connection and what it bodes for the future of gaming industry.