The Top Games On Tumblr In 2020 Might Surprise You
Tumblr's 2020 year-end round-up of the platform's most beloved video games, movies, and television shows is here. In a year where people spent months isolated from each other due to the COVID-19 pandemic, it's not entirely surprising to see that games involving connection and nostalgia topped Tumblr's surveys. However, there were a few titles on the list that readers may find a bit of a shock.
As Polygon reported, Overwatch fared well in Tumblr's round-up in previous years, having taken the No. 1 spot in 2019, but it fell to No. 9 out of 10 this year. In speaking with Polygon to Tumblr's trend expert Amanda Brennan explained that the Overwatch fandom hasn't exactly died down, but people drifted towards games with a focus on creation and replayability in 2020. "You know what the storyline is, you're looking for that anchor to keep you together — especially with character-driven games," Brennan said.
The list's higher-ranking games do fit the bill for nostalgia, with Pokemon Sword and Shield coming in at No. 3, and 2015's Undertale at No. 4. The popularity of creation is evident with Minecraft at No. 5 and Sims 4 at No. 6. Meanwhile, Fire Emblem: Three Houses, Danganronpa, and Persona 5 took spots 7, 8, and 10, respectively.
Nintendo's Animal Crossing: New Horizons came in at No. 1 on the list of 2020's top games. Brennan said the game's simple approachability as well as its opportunities for social connection drew fans in and attracted people who might have otherwise never been a part of the gaming community. Players build their very own villages on an island filled with adorable anthropomorphic animals, with chances to visit and play with fellow users via a Nintendo Online subscription. Tumblr users aren't the only people to think kindly of New Horizons, either, since it is currently nominated for The Game Awards 2020's Game of the Year.
Coming in second place was Among Us, InnerSloth's famous social deception game for mobile and PC. The game originally released in 2018, but Among Us saw a surge in popularity this year when popular streamers and YouTubers began playing it. Plus, many players use Discord's voice chat during online gameplay, making Among Us another popular social choice. On Tumblr, Brennan said Among Us is such a popular fandom because there are so many opportunities for creativity in Among Us fan creations and stories. "That is just the beauty of why people come to Tumblr to build their head [canons] and build the worlds that they want to see," Brennan said.