Seattle ranked nation's No. 1 city for electronic gamers

Seattle is the nation's best city for electronic gamers, according to a new survey released Wednesday.

Personal finance web site WalletHub ranked the nation's 100 largest cities based on a number of factors important to the gamer lifestyle and found Seattle had the highest overall score.

Seattle's No. 1 ranking comes as electronic gaming grows into a $130 billion global industry, with more and more ways to play video games - from consoles by PlayStation and Microsoft to gaming PCs and mobile devices to simply watching others stream on a platform like Twitch or YouTube.

According to the Pew Research Center, 72 percent of American men aged 18 to 29 play video games “often” or “sometimes,” as do 49 percent of American women ages 18 to 29.

And pro gaming, or “e-sports,” is growing into a viable career choice for those with the best skills. For example, the Overwatch League, run by Blizzard Entertainment, carries a $1 million prize pool and a minimum $50,000 salary for each player.

On the minus side, Seattle's No. 1 distinction comes as the lucrative gaming industry falls under a new cloud of mental health implications. The World Health Organization has come to recognize "gaming disorder" as a real mental illness akin to addiction.

Christopher Ferguson, a psychology professor at Florida's Stetson University, says parents should watch for certain tell-tale signs that gaming may be having a negative impact on their sons or daughters.

"Things like, are the kids' grades slipping, are they getting enough sleep, are they getting enough exercise, are their social skills kind of slipping?" he says.

But Ferguson adds that, in most cases when parents think their kids are addicted to games, they're really not. He describes the disconnect as a "generational divide."

Whether e-gaming is a good or bad influence, it is here to stay. And Seattle is the best place to play, according to WalletHub.

Seattle not only ranked No. 1 overall, but also in individual categories like video game stores per capita, video game job openings per capita and arcades per capita. The city also ranked third in the number of e-sports tournaments.

The nation's No. 2 gaming city is Irvine, Calif., according to WalletHub, while Los Angeles came in No. 3.

Portland, Ore., came in 27th.

You can view the full WalletHub report here <>><>>