Video games have been a multi-trillion-dollar industry for years now. But over the course of the pandemic, gaming has become more than a pastime — it’s become a vital connection and community for millions of people. Video games are also increasingly influencing music and film in a way that could significantly shape the next generation of media.

The size and scope of the gaming world has also brought a whole host of issues. Labor, economic, cultural and political challenges have rocked the gaming industry in recent years.

The 1UPdate covers the many facets of the gaming industry with longtime gaming journalist and WDET audio engineer, Nate Bender. You can hear the 1UPdate on CultureShift Thursdays at 1:06 p.m.

1UPdate: The Game Awards 2022

The Game Awards of 2022 are tonight, Dec. 8, and six games will be vying for the coveted Game of...

1UPdate: See the first Grammy nominations for best video game score

This February, someone will become the first-ever composer to win the Grammy Award for Best Score Soundtrack for Video Games...

1UPdate: The underdogs take Worlds 2022

Kali Scales is a journalist for Esports Illustrated. She recently covered the League of Legends World Championships at the Chase...

1UPdate: Report shows that Twitch has a child predator problem

For anyone with young kids, please be advised that while this is an important conversation to have, the subject matter...

1UPdate: Horror game recommendations

This Halloween, we wanted to talk about some scary video games. Like horror movies, horror was a well-established genre when...

1UPdate: Popular Twitch streamer Amouranth reveals domestic violence

Kaitlyn “Amouranth” Siragusa is a notoriously successful Twitch streamer. Before she started streaming in 2016, she was an impressive cosplayer....

1UPdate: Getting through the ‘dead period’

The gaming world is massive and all-encompassing. There’s always something going on, except for right now. Right now, it is...

1UPdate: What is the Metaverse?

The concept of a metaverse has existed for decades. Generally, it’s a persistent online world that users can log into,...

1UPdate: Report shows extremist recruiters are targeting young gamers

Young gamers are being recruited by right-wing extremists on Twitch. The Extremism and Gaming Research Network (EGRN) recently published a...

1UPdate: School teacher brings gaming to the classroom

A middle school math teacher is bringing gaming into the classroom. AlgeBruh is a gamer, a Valorant player and a...

1UPdate: Learn about the biggest influencers in gaming

In this segment, we talk about some of the movers and shakers within the video game world. These are people...

1UPdate: A newcomer’s guide to gaming terminology

If you’re not a gamer but you live with one, their conversations might sound like they’re in a foreign language...