ORLANDO, Fla. — Despite terrible marks for the city’s internet coverage and quality, Orlando landed on the top of a WalletHub list of best cities for gamers during June.
The website released rankings in what it called “gamer friendliness,” taking into account several metrics, including arcades per capita (Orlando ranked first), video game stores per capita (Orlando ranked fourth) and gamer and developer opportunities (Orlando ranked second).
But the city also ranked 53rd out of the 150 communities included in the study when it comes to Internet connectivity.
It’s a feather in the cap for a video game community that has seen a concentrated push to feature and grow its video game development community.
Central Florida is home to Electronic Arts Tiburon, a Maitland, Fla., studio that is responsible for the John Madden football video game series.
In addition, it’s also home to dozens of smaller, independent studios that host monthly meetups to show off new games.
Orlando is also home to three video game training schools: UCF’s Florida Interactive Entertainment Academy, Full Sail University and the DAVE School near Universal Studios.
Virginia Beach was first for internet connection in the WalletHub study and only Los Angeles ranked higher than Orlando in game development opportunities.
About the Author
