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pandemic gives boost to the nascent indian gaming industry

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Pandemic gives boost to the nascent Indian gaming industry

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Industry size to grow to $4-5 billion in 3-5 years

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Innovation
Inspiration
Productivity

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Innovation
Comfort
Survival

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Innovation
Effectiveness
Communication

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Innovation
Effectiveness
Communication

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Innovative
Health
Technology

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Technology
Innovative
Effective

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Innovation
Wellness
Security

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Innovation
Comfort
Survival

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Investments into retail-tech startups treble

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Investments into retail-tech startups treble

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Fashion retailing may recover up to 80% of pre-pandemic sales this fiscal

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Fashion retailing may recover up to 80% of pre-pandemic sales this fiscal

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Popularity of video games across all ages

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Popularity of video games across all ages

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If you're connected at all to the gaming world - either through your kids or as a gaming fan yourself - you probably already know about some of the most popular trends in video games right now. But if not, the American market research company the NPD recently released its list of the best-selling video games of 2020 so far. The company looks at digital and retail sales to determine what games people are buying.

While some longtime family favorites are still popular, violent video games like online multiplayer shooters are also dominant, which could be concerning for parents. That's why each video game comes with an age and content rating from the Entertainment Software Rating Board, making it crucial for parents to educate themselves about these ratings, so they can decide which video games are appropriate for their child. "Video games get a lot of scrutiny, but parents should also keep in mind the other places their kids might be exposed to violence like movies, TV, and the Internet. At the end of the day, parents have to make a call when it comes to their kids and violent video games," says Umang Jain, co-founder of the ed tech gaming company SplashLearn.

We've looked a NPD's list, as well as a list of the best-selling games of all time from IGN, a popular video game site, to determine the best video games on the market right now. We've included their ratings so you can make an informed purchase if you decide to gift one of these to the gamer in your life.

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The 20 Best Video Games You Have to Get Your Hands On

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If you're connected at all to the gaming world - either through your kids or as a gaming fan yourself - you probably already know about some of the most popular trends in video games right now. But if not, the American market research company the NPD recently released its list of the best-selling video games of 2020 so far.

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BENGALURU: Valorant is the only online first-person shooter that I bothered spending a considerable amount of time and effort in learning. An exception because it's free (therefore famous), relatively new, and my PC supports it. As a rule, I do not recommend an online FPS to anyone who has not spent at least 200 hours of their lifetime on FPS games. Despite Valorant's bright, animated exterior which may appear newb friendly... its brightness is complemented by the colourful comments that a newb might receive on the in-game chat. You may be playing the unrated game, where your wins and losses matter little. But to a majority on the Mumbai server on a weeknight, a missed shot is an opportunity to express their creativity. I am truly concerned for the health of the misled youth who spent time spewing insults on the internet. They could learn a lot from the kids on Roblox.

Valorant also has wellthought maps, for the keeps! The main game mode involves an attacker and defender team, trying to plant or defend against an explosion at one of two or three locations. Each map offers unique advantages and challenges. I liked the beachside map "Breeze", for its open spaces. "Haven" is easy to understand too. While it has three sites, making it tougher for the defenders, it also has multiple connections to the opposing side, providing the opportunity to rotate and creep up on enemies.

The game is worth your time if you have a group to play it with, and if you're looking for a first-person shooter that can be supported by most PCs. It is also an excellent game to backseat game, 5/7.
Anusha Ganapathi (This economics graduate spends her leisure time preparing for the zombie apocalypse)

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BENGALURU: Valorant is the only online first-person shooter that I bothered spending a considerable amount of time and effort in learning. An exception because it's free (therefore famous), relatively new, and my PC supports it. As a rule, I do not recommend an online FPS to anyone who has not spent at least 200 hours of their lifetime on FPS games.

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Ludo King creator and Gametion boss Vikash Jaiswal called on the Indian government to support the game development industry in the country at the ET Brand Equity Gaming Summit this week. He opined that there should be specialised courses focusing on game development under related streams like computer science or engineering.

According to Jaiswal, this matters for the industry at large as there aren't any international resources or frame works to rely on.

"The big challenge that we realise as a game company is the skill resources in India," he says. "It's a larger topic and dependent on access to the knowledge bank and experience from international developer['s] approach and strategy to create and handle games."

He went on to explain that game development expertise is sorely lacking in the country.

"Exposure to create and build games from scratch at various functional levels currently exists at a negligible level," he says. To him, the solution is ensuring more opportunities for would be employees before entering the workforce.

"More situations to impart such knowledge should be created and promoted," he says. "I believe Indian government should recognise the gaming industry's capabilities and help in the growth of adding hubs to promote gaming as a subject. Maybe a game engineer as a separate stream in engineering."

Jaiswal's comments were backed up by Regional Head of Corporate Development at Krafton, Anuj Tandon who remarked that the first year of game development at most Indian companies is akin to running a college in game development. This impacts development times and prevents studios from releasing games as often as they would like. Outside of an announcement of an IIT Bombay video game course back in February we've seen little in the way of support from the government barring hollow gestures.

Ludo King crossed 500 million downloads in December 2020 and is by and large seen as the most successful Indian casual game in recent memory. In November 2020 Gametion announced Sonu Sood would be the game's brand ambassador. While in February 2021, analytics firm App Annie claimed that Gametion was the number one Indian game publisher in terms of downloads.
For the latest gaming news and reviews, follow IGN India on Twitter and Facebook. For the latest gaming videos, follow us on Instagram.

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Ludo King Creator Calls on Indian Government to Support Game Development

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Ludo King creator and Gametion boss Vikash Jaiswal called on the Indian government to support the game development industry in the country at the ET Brand Equity Gaming Summit this week. He opined that there should be specialised courses focusing on game development under related streams like computer science or engineering.

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Spanish luxury fashion house Balenciaga and online video game Fortnite have teamed up to entrance citizens of London, New York, Tokyo and Seoul by creating a spectacular real-world immersive 3D billboard experience.

The attention-grabbing out-of-home (OOH) execution sees a Balenciaga-wearing Fortnite favorite Doggo looming larger than life over the sidewalks, bringing the partnership to the physical world in a very entertaining, and potentially somewhat jarring, way.

How cool is this Deep-screen advertising creative from Balenciaga and Fortnite / now on rotation at Piccadilly Circus? pic.twitter.com/vW9vVxxZ51
- James Herring (@itsjamesherring) September 23, 2021

The billboard scene was assembled in Unreal Engine and the team leveraged real-time ray tracing and physically-based lighting materials to make Doggo seem like he is truly in each location. Knowing the sun's position based on the time of day, as well as where it will be in the sky, aided in achieving a realistic aesthetic. Passersby have noted that the deep screens work best when you are standing at specific angles.

Running as part of a wider campaign, the fashion brand and Epic Games, which developed Fortnite, have painstakingly scanned materials and clothing from all directions for an authentic depiction of the brand aesthetic within the gaming world.

Players wishing to look their best will be able to drop into a virtual Balenciaga store showcasing digital attire, which can be purchased directly or unlocked via a physical purchase.

For over 50 years Balenciaga has been pushing fashion boundaries with era-defining outfits, and is the first high-fashion label to drop into Fortnite.

Its collaboration with the game, and ongoing work with Unreal Engine, provide a fascinating glimpse at the sorts of innovative cross-over experiences that are now possible, unlocking new ways to connect with each other.

High fashion's migration into the world of gaming may seem like an odd pairing but it's a trend that's been growing in recent years. Brands that would traditionally cater to an elite minority, such as Gucci, Louis Vuitton and Valentino, are now donning their collections on millions of in-game avatars. It's a well-played move that opens them up to a whole new world of shoppers.

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Ad of the Day: Balenciaga's 3D Fortnite billboard wows London, New York, Tokyo & Seoul

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Spanish luxury fashion house Balenciaga and online video game Fortnite have teamed up to entrance citizens of London, New York, Tokyo and Seoul by creating a spectacular real-world immersive 3D billboard experience. The attention-grabbing out-of-home (OOH) execution sees a Balenciaga-wearing Fortnite favorite Doggo looming larger than life over the sidewalks, bringing the partnership to the physical world in a very entertaining, and potentially somewhat jarring, way.

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Fashion Industry Data and a Point-of-View

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With the conclusion of Ramadan, Muslims around the world are celebrating the end of the month-long fast with Eid. And with Eid, Muslim women will be dolled up in colorful hijabs and flowy long silhouettes which are inspiring designers to recreate these elegant looks.

Although modest fashion remains widely associated with women from more conservative countries and religions, it is being quickly adopted by women from other backgrounds too. It is no longer just a market-specific trend, but a global one. Some of its increasing demand can be attributed to the rise of the #MeToo movement, especially in the UK and the US, where dressing modestly is seen as empowering.

New Takes on Modest Fashion

Modest fashion has come a long way since its days when it was worn only to abide by religious or cultural traditions. In the past few years, luxury brands and powerhouses have been leading the trend, designing clothing with longer hemlines and looser fits. Alongside them, large online retailers, such as FarFetch and Yoox Net-a-Porter, are also shifting to cater to the tastes and preferences of women in the Middle East. FarFetch recently struck a deal with The Modist - well-known for their tagline 'Modest Fashion, Modern Thinking' - in August last year, while Net-a-Porter signed a joint venture with tycoon Mohamed Alabbar who owns the Dubai Mall back in 2016. These forward-thinking retailers are recognizing an untapped market in which the demand for modest apparel will always be there.

For women who have to dress modestly, it means a lot more stylish choices in their wardrobes; and for those who choose modest fashion as a personal preference, it means increased comfort while covering more of the body. Thirty-six percent of The Modist's consumers are actually women from western countries, with the highest demand coming from Texas.

However, efforts from other brands to tap into this market and be more inclusive have not been as well-lauded. Luxury powerhouse Gucci was criticized for sending white models in turbans and headscarves on its autumn/winter 2018 runway in Milan; they were called out for neglecting its cultural importance. Meanwhile, the first modest fashion capsule collection from H&M, titled "LTD collection", received mixed reviews, with some applauding its efforts for expanding the variety of modest clothing already available in stores but others putting it down as a market strategy for Eid season. Nonetheless, this isn't H&M's first foray into modest fashion - they previously introduced Mariah Idrissi, the first Muslim hijab-wearing model in their 'Close the Loop' campaign, who is now widely recognized as the face of the modest fashion movement.

H&M's 'LTD collection'

Dolce and Gabbana - new at The Modist

Joining the Movement?

The only way to truly determine if the modest fashion movement is taking over the world is by looking at cold hard data because it speaks the truth. Here are some numbers we pulled up for you.

While dress length is only one lens through which to view the movement, it's still an important one. Midi (mid-length) dresses are surpassing mini dresses in number of styles since March this year. Skirts reflect a similar trend too, with the number of styles of midi skirts surpassing mini ones in September last year. There are nearly 30% more midi styles than mini skirt silhouettes as of today, but the number of maxi silhouettes for both dresses and skirts remain at about 40% of mini styles.

Although wide-legged pants and flowy kaftans may be wardrobe staples in Europe and America now, shorter styles may overtake the more modest silhouettes as we approach the full-blown heat of summer. Nonetheless, as Guenez, founder of The Modist, has pointed out, a shift from dressing for the male gaze to the female gaze means stylish ensembles are never about 'baring all'. With consumers from China, Europe and western markets recognizing that they are able to liberate themselves and love fashion while choosing to cover up, modest fashion seems to be more than just a trend - it's a shift in lifestyle that won't go away anytime soon.

For more information, read our previous article: " Modest Fashion Emerges in Full Force " to see how this global movement has evolved. Other thoughts? Email us at info@stylesage.co to let us know!

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With the conclusion of Ramadan, Muslims around the world are celebrating the end of the month-long fast with Eid. And with Eid, Muslim women will be dolled up in colorful hijabs and flowy long silhouettes which are inspiring designers to recreate these elegant looks.

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Virtual influencers are affecting your purchase.

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Virtual influencers are affecting your purchase.

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Just when you thought that augmented and virtual reality couldn't make social media any more futuristic, there exists an entire category of virtual social media users. These CGI influencers are not merely social experiments - they are actually building live, engaged audiences and promoting products.

What are CGI influencers?

CGI, or computer-generated imagery, allows movie producers to integrate animation with real life. Movie directors like James Cameron have brought CGI to the Hollywood mainstream in movies like Avatar and Star Wars.

Today, CGI has moved beyond movies and into social media.

CGI influencers are computer-generated characters that have a social media account and nurture connections with online audiences. Most CGI influencers are built by teams of developers and graphic designers.

Many marketers are skeptical when they first learn about CGI influencers. But the reality is that these virtual personalities earn a decent volume of consumer interest.
"Their existence is fake, but their influence is real." - USA Today

Leveraging non-human personalities to promote your brand on social media is somewhat out of the ordinary. But social media marketers are finding that these CGI influencers come with some significant advantages.

The Advantages and Disadvantages of Using CGI Influencers

Advantages

With CGI influencers, brands have complete control over their influencer. Influencers IRL (in real life) might go off-message or express a social value that alienates audience segments.
"However, over half (55%) of marketers surveyed across the UK, US and Germany indicated they would be anxious about working with an influencer who is vocal about social and political causes." - Takumi
For example, in Takumi's recent industry report , Into the Mainstream: Influencer Marketing in Society , it's clear that influencers are becoming more bold in their political and social views. In general, followers feel empowered by this, thereby increasing demand for politically-charged influencer posts. But for brands, this trend feels unnecessarily polarizing.

With CGI influencers, brands don't have to worry about politically-charged influencer posts. Furthermore, marketers aren't concerned that virtual influencers will become the subject in a public scandal. Developers program their avatar to perform exactly as the brand intended.

But not only do you control the virtual influencer, you can also manipulate the environment in which the influencer interacts. For example, CGI influencers can pose with products anywhere in the world without having to actually go there. For this reason, some experts believe that CGI influencers could be especially valuable for tourism brands.

Do you need to showcase a certain color scheme? Programmers can add those colors virtually. The same is also true for outfits, cosmetics, buildings, scenery, co-branded campaigns (CGI influencers posing with celebrities, other virtual influencers, etc.), and more.

There's no question that the world of CGI social media personalities opens up enormous creative opportunities.

Disadvantages

The glaring disadvantage of CGI influencers has probably been on the front of your mind since you started reading this blog - these influencers aren't real.

The consumer trust factor continues to be the main reason why brands prefer to partner with influencers. These social media power users function as top consumers and demonstrate expertise - expertise - within a particular industry or lifestyle. Influencer marketing is currently the leading source of positive user-generated content and customer advocacy initiatives .

But what happens when an influencer campaign features a non-human without the ability to actually taste, touch, feel, etc.? Studies show that CGI influencers do have some influence, but experts are skeptical that virtual influencers have the ability to replicate human influencer performance.

Combining CGI Influencers and Real Influencers

Some brands have found a sweet spot when combining CGI influencers with real influencers. These co-branded campaigns are fun for fans, brands, and influencers and can increase the campaign's reach and appeal.

What are the challenges of working with CGI influencers?

An ongoing challenge when it comes to CGI influencers is designing and programming them. Developers work hard to make their characters relatable and life-like. The leading CGI influencers are byproducts not of individuals, but of entire creative teams.

Design challenges increase when the CGI influencers are supposed to showcase a brand's products or services.

Should you contact the CGI creator or build your own virtual influencer?

If you've decided that your brand needs a CGI influencer for an upcoming campaign, you'll have to figure out if you plan to partner with an existing virtual influencer or if your organization has the creative power to build one in-house.

If you're creating your own avatar, you'll need to factor in the time it takes to create the CGI. Additionally, you'll need a social media team to help your CGI character build an online audience. This is the more tedious route, but if you plan to make your CGI influencer a critical part of your marketing strategy, then you will lower your costs in the long run.

How much do CGI influencers cost?

If you're using your own teams to create a CGI influencer, the cost is the amount of labor it takes to build your avatar and online audience. Depending on how talented your team is, this could take more or less time than you originally planned.

There is a certain amount of mystery around CGI influencer marketing budgets. Partnerships between CGI developers and brands are new. As such, there's no set budget for these influencers.

How do you maintain brand transparency while partnering with CGI influencers?

Perhaps your biggest challenge when working with CGI influencers is being transparent with your audience. Audiences that feel duped don't typically remain loyal to the brand that they feel deceived them.

So it's critical that you are clear with fans that your campaign does not feature a real person. Taking this into account, it may be difficult to create a compelling product review campaign under the circumstances. However, CGI influencers can enhance your brand in surprising ways, and as already mentioned, you maintain full control over your virtual influencer.

How do you work with CGI influencers?

In most brand-influencer partnerships, there are a lot of moving parts. That's because a non-branded third party is typically a real-life consumer with a large social network.

But with CGI influencers, you're working with CGI designers and programmers. Many marketing steps resemble any other type of campaign. However, the main difference is that you are not working with a live human to promote your brand. Instead, you're crafting a strategy around a lifelike animated character.

1. Define your campaign goals.

It's likely that you've chosen a CGI influencer in the first place because you have some very specific objectives. For example, CGI influencers are generally more popular with niche audiences, such as young people, anime fans, or special effects enthusiasts.

Make sure that you are clear with your team and the CGI designers what your desired campaigns outcomes are. From your goals, you can assign KPIs based on forecasted performance metrics.

2. Create buyer personas.

Buyer personas are especially helpful when either selecting or creating your CGI influencer. You want your virtual personality to be relatable to your target audience. And buyer personas are often an essential part of identifying the key attributes in a CGI influencer.

3. Identify or create your ideal CGI influencer.

While there are a growing number of CGI social media profiles, there are not too many to choose from that have audiences in excess of 10,000 followers. In fact, your most difficult task might be finding a CGI influencer in the first place. We've included a list below to help you get started on your CGI influencer search.

When establishing a relationship with a CGI developer for the first time, you will want to reach out by email to start the conversation. If any of your active influencers have experience with CGI influencers, you could leverage those relationships, as well.

Creating a CGI influencer from scratch will take time. Not only do your designers need time to develop the character, but your social media team can't build a sizable audience overnight.

4. Work with programmers closely.

With CGI influencers, you're most likely collaborating with a team of programmers and designers. Make sure that you have a solid point of contact with the development team so that your promotional posts work properly with the CGI character.

5. Track performance.
# of Engagements [i.e., likes, comments, shares, etc.] / # of Followers
Once you've launched your CGI influencer campaign, it's time to compare live results with your marketing KPIs.

Engagements are your first batch of key performance indicators. You can calculate your engagement rate by using the following formula:
Developer: Cameron-James Wilson Social channel: Instagram Followers: 214,000 Posts: 84 (as of February 2021)
Conversions track the number of times that a consumer accepted your call to action (CTA). These metrics include, but are not limited to:
Developer: Brud Social channel: Instagram Followers: 3 million Posts: 983 (as of February 2021)
Top 5 CGI Influencers
Developer: ModelingCafe Inc. Social channel: Instagram Followers: 333,000 Posts: 451 (as of February 2021)
Shudu is the "world's first digital supermodel," and she hails from Africa. Her character is elegant and ethnic. Shudu partners with a number of luxury fashion brands, including Salvatore Ferragamo, GQ, and Christian Louboutin.
Developer: Brud Social channel: Instagram Followers: 155,000 Posts: 162 (as of February 2021)
Forever 19 years old, Miquela loves fashion, and she is an outspoken advocate for Black Lives Matter and teen romance.
Developer: Sasaki Wataru (Crypton Future Media, Inc) Followers: 1.48 million
Shudu's Japanese counterpart might be Imma, fashion model and world traveler. Among Imma's endearing features is her relationship with her dog, Cotton-Candy-Stein . She is also an ambassador for Amazon's The Drop .

Always-masked Blawko is actually Lil Miquela's brother. While he's not as serious as his sister or his girlfriend ( ), Blawko does like great shoes (specifically, ) and fun fan giveaways.

Hatsune Miku is arguably the first CGI influencer. Her most active social channel is YouTube, and she loves music. Songwriters have used Hatsune as a virtual vocalist to sing original music on-demand. Since her debut in 2007, she's been featured in professional music videos, as well as several corporate sponsorships.

Conclusion: The Future of CGI Influencers

The CGI influencer movement is in its early stages. As such, it's difficult to determine whether CGI has a long-term future in social media and influencer marketing. Some experts see CGI influencers as a type of digital mascot, similar to the Geico Gecko.

However, a long-standing value in the world of programming is that vision precludes reality, not the other way around. In other words, CGI influencers could be the beginning of a new era of marketing and product development. We see this reality virtually at first, and before long, creator imaginations move beyond the screen and further enhance the consumer experience.

Either way, open-mindedness and experimentation can open up new ROI opportunities. So far, CGI influencers are delivering an impressive early performance.

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CGI Influencers: What Are They and How to Work With Them

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Just when you thought that augmented and virtual reality couldn't make social media any more futuristic, there exists an entire category of virtual social media users. These CGI influencers are not merely social experiments - they are actually building live, engaged audiences and promoting products.

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Mapped: Global Livestock Distribution and Density

Combined together, meat, dairy, and eggs make up nearly 18% of the average person's diet.

But in order for these meat and animal products to reach consumers, a vast global livestock industry-one supporting the livelihoods of 1.3 billion people globally-operates in fields and farms largely unseen from major cities.

So where are the various types of livestock concentrated in the world? And how do national consumption habits influence animal husbandry?

These maps from Adam Symington help to answer these questions, using the Gridded Livestock of the World database from the UN Food and Agriculture Organization (FAO), which models livestock densities from 2010 around the world.

Chicken, Beef, and Pork Livestock Density

As a starting point, it's worth noting that the above map of all livestock might seem reminiscent to a human population density map.

Though there is definite correlation, especially when it comes to natural obstacles for both humans and livestock like deserts, forests, and mountain ranges, the concentration of livestock spreads far further than the densest human cities.

We dive into each category of livestock below.

Chicken Livestock Density

The UN FAO estimates that the world produced more than 121 million tonnes of chicken meat in 2021, making it the world's most harvested meat. Chicken eggs are also estimated to account for 93% of the world's 86 million tonnes of poultry eggs.

These numbers and the map below help illustrate the sheer number of chickens needed to support the world's appetite for chicken goods.

Just by glancing at the heatmap map of chicken distribution, two things stand out clearly. First is how ubiquitous chickens are, with a high density of chicken livestock in almost all of the world's populated regions.

But the map also gives us insight into where most farms are located. In the U.S. for example, Southern states including Georgia, North Carolina, Alabama, Mississippi, and Arkansas are major chicken producers. Likewise in countries like Brazil and China, the chicken industry can be seen continuing inland far beyond the more populated coastal regions.

Pig Livestock Density

Shifting attention to pig livestock, we see densities begin to concentrate in a few specific regions.

China stands out on the map with large concentrations of pig livestock, which comes as no surprise given the country is far and away the world's top producer of pork.

Also clear is the regionality of pork consumption. The U.S. has a strong concentration of pig livestock in the Midwest, while Central Europe has multiple countries with a noted history of pork consumption including Germany and Poland. Finally, partially thanks to its premium production of jamón ibérico, the country of Spain also stands out.

On the flip side, there is a clear absence of pig-rearing in countries of Islamic faith, across North Africa, the Middle East, and Central Asia, reflecting their religious prohibition.

Cattle Livestock Density

In contrast, the map of cattle distribution more closely mirrors chicken distribution, though its footprint is considerably wider.

Major cow byproducts like milk and leather, as well as the sheer strength of cattle, make them vital livestock even for countries that don't consume a lot of beef. The FAO estimates that the world produced 746 million tonnes of raw cattle milk in 2021 alone.

On the map, the largest producers of cattle stand out. India for example is the top producer of milk and the fourth-largest producer of cattle meat, and has a high density of cattle throughout populated and agricultural regions. Brazil, also a top four producer of cattle meat and milk, has pockets of high density cattle regions inland, notably encroaching into the Amazon rainforest.

Meanwhile, the U.S. is the world's largest producer of beef and second largest of milk, but it does this with a more distributed cattle population throughout the country's landmass, and fewer high-density hot spots.

Chicken, Pork, and Beef Production by Country

Here's a breakdown of chicken, pork, and beef production by country in 2021:

ℹ️ Data note: This data comes from FAOStat. For countries with no data in a production category, N/A has been assigned. However the database also assigns some countries "0" for certain meat productions. This has been left as is, for transparency.

Mapping Duck, Sheep, and Goat Livestock

Although chicken, beef, and pork are the most common types of livestock globally, there are other kinds of animals that have much more regional distributions.

In the following maps, you'll see livestock concentrated in just a few places, usually following unique cultural connections to these animals.

Duck Livestock Density

Compared to chicken above, ducks are much less widespread in farming and usage.

China is the runaway king when it comes to both duck livestock and meat production. The country accounted for 78% of global duck meat production in 2021-but distant runners up Vietnam and France also show strong concentrations of duck.

Perhaps surprising to some is the strong foothold duck has in Bangladesh. Farmers in the country have embraced duck over the past decades as both a more profitable bird, and more recently, as an adaptation to climate change.

Sheep Livestock Density

Moving to sheep, which provide meat, milk, and wool, we once again have a widespread global population. However, the regions with the highest densities have wildly changed.

Sheep can be seen in higher numbers throughout North and Central Africa, the Middle East, and Central Asia. Australia, New Zealand, and the UK also stand out in their regions for higher concentrations of sheep.

Goat Livestock Density

Goats have their highest concentrations in North India, North China, Mongolia, and many countries across Africa. Nigeria in particular has a strong goat farming industry.

Here's a breakdown of duck, sheep, and goat meat production by country in 2021.

The Future of the Global Livestock Industry

How is the livestock industry expected to change, going forward?

For starters, the UN estimates that global meat consumption is projected to rise 14% by 2030, driven primarily by population growth. That growth will occur unevenly, from a 30% jump in Africa to a 0.4% in Europe.

At the same time, emissions from the livestock sector have increasingly come under fire in recent years, and the industry is projected to register a 5% increase by 2030.

All these factors, alongside growth in plant-based meat and cultured meat, may change livestock distribution over the coming decade.

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The World's Top 50 Influencers Across Social Media Platforms

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Which influencers have the most total social media followers? We tally up follower counts across all major platforms, from Twitter to TikTok.

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Balmain commissioned the former fashion photographer Cameron-James Wilson to create a "virtual army" of digital models, including, from left, Margot, Shudu and Zhi. Credit... Balmain

The kiss between Bella Hadid and Miquela Sousa, part of a Calvin Klein commercial last month, struck many viewers as unrealistic, even offensive.

Ms. Hadid, a supermodel, identifies as heterosexual, and the ad sparked complaints that Calvin Klein was deceiving customers with a sham lesbian encounter. The fashion company apologized for "queerbaiting" after the 30-second spot appeared online.

But Ms. Hadid, at least, is human. Everything about Ms. Sousa, better known as Lil Miquela, is manufactured: the straight-cut bangs, the Brazilian-Spanish heritage, the bevy of beautiful friends.

Lil Miquela, who has 1.6 million Instagram followers, is a computer-generated character. Introduced in 2016 by a Los Angeles company backed by Silicon Valley money, she belongs to a growing cadre of social media marketers known as virtual influencers.

Each month, more than 80,000 people stream Lil Miquela's songs on Spotify. She has worked with the Italian fashion label Prada, given interviews from Coachella and flaunted a tattoo designed by an artist who inked Miley Cyrus.

Until last year, when her creators orchestrated a publicity stunt to reveal her provenance, many of her fans assumed she was a flesh-and-blood 19-year-old. But Lil Miquela is made of pixels, and she was designed to attract follows and likes.

Her success has raised a question for companies hoping to connect with consumers who increasingly spend their leisure time online: Why hire a celebrity, a supermodel or even a social media influencer to market your product when you can create the ideal brand ambassador from scratch?

That's what the fashion label Balmain did last year when it commissioned the British artist Cameron-James Wilson to design a " diverse mix " of digital models, including a white woman, a black woman and an Asian woman. Other companies have followed Balmain's lead.

Bella Hadid, left, an influencer on social media, and her digital counterpart Miquela Sousa in a Calvin Klein commercial. Credit... Calvin Klein

Human simulations have existed for years. They have dealt cards in Las Vegas, made music in the band Gorillaz and lived an approximation of real life in the Sims video game. But lately they have become more realistic and more engaging.

Fable Studio, which bills itself as "the virtual beings company," created Lucy, a cartoonish character able to read and respond to viewers' reactions in real time. The company says it makes digital creations "with whom you can build a two-way emotional relationship."

Xinhua, the Chinese government's media outlet, introduced a virtual news anchor last year, saying it "can work 24 hours a day." Coca-Cola and Louis Vuitton have used video game characters in their ads. Soul Machines, a company founded by the Oscar-winning digital animator Mark Sagar, produced computer-generated teachers that respond to human students. Last month, YouPorn got in on the trend with Jedy Vales, an avatar who promotes the site and interacts with its users.

Edward Saatchi, who started Fable, predicted that virtual beings would someday supplant digital home assistants and computer operating systems from companies like Amazon and Google.

"Eventually, it will be clear that the line between a Miquela and an Alexa is actually very slim," he said.

Virtual influencers come with an advantage for the companies that use them: They are less regulated than their human counterparts. And the people controlling them aren't required to disclose their presence.

Many of the characters advance stereotypes and impossible body-image standards. Shudu, a "digital fabrication" that Mr. Wilson modeled on the Princess of South Africa Barbie, was called "a white man's digital projection of real-life black womanhood" by The New Yorker.

The Federal Trade Commission acknowledged in a statement that it "hasn't yet specifically addressed the use of virtual influencers" but said companies using the characters for advertising should ensure that "any claims communicated about the product are truthful, not misleading and substantiated."

KFC worked with Generic Versatility to develop the virtual version of Colonel Sanders, here promoting Dr Pepper. Credit... KFC

In a way, virtual influencers are not so far removed from their real-life predecessors. It's no secret that the humans who promote brands on social media often project a version of daily life that is shinier and happier than the real thing. But when a brand ambassador's very existence is questionable - especially in an environment studded with deceptive deepfakes, bots and fraud - what happens to the old virtue of truth in advertising?

Bryan Gold, the chief executive of #Paid, which connects influencers to companies, said virtual influencers could lead companies into "a dangerous area," adding, "How can consumers trust the message being put out there?"

But the concerns faced by human influencers - maintaining a camera-ready appearance and dealing with online trolls while keeping sponsors happy - do not apply to beings who never have an off day.

"That's why brands like working with avatars - they don't have to do 100 takes," said Alexis Ohanian, a co-founder of Reddit and the self-described grandfather of the virtual influencer Qai Qai.

"Social media, to date, has largely been the domain of real humans being fake," Mr. Ohanian added. "But avatars are a future of storytelling."

KFC recently introduced a new Colonel Sanders on social media. He has a dusting of stubble on his jaw, tattooed abs, a silver coif worthy of a teen idol and bulging biceps beneath a perpetually unbuttoned white jacket.

The reimagined fried chicken kingpin - another virtual being - was designed to spoof the vast ecosystem of influencers, which includes nanoinfluencers, kidfluencers and petfluencers. His creators consulted an inspiration board plastered with photos of human Instagram celebrities to generate the mash-up that became the new Colonel.

"It was our opportunity to poke a little fun at the advertising world that we're a part of," said Steve Kelly, KFC's digital and media director. "But the love around virtual influencers is very real."

The creation of the virtual Colonel. Credit... Edelman

The rising presence of uncannily realistic computer-generated beings in ads can be off-putting, however, in a realm where a manipulated video can make Nancy Pelosi appear to be slurring her words and the Mona Lisa can be "trained" to speak.

"It's an interesting and dangerous time, seeing the potency of A.I. and its ability to fake anything," Mr. Ohanian said.

Lil Miquela operated for two years before it was revealed that she was the product of a secretive company, Brud. Its California business registration lists an address in Silver Lake blocked by thick vegetation, but workers, who must sign nondisclosure agreements, said the company actually operates out of downtown Los Angeles. Brud's public relations firm, Huxley, declined multiple interview requests.

On a public Google Doc that functions as the company's website, Brud bills itself as "a transmedia studio that creates digital character driven story worlds" and says Lil Miquela is "as real as Rihanna." Its "head of compassion," in Brud-speak, is Trevor McFedries, whom Lil Miquela has referred to in several posts as a father figure.

Before co-founding Brud, Mr. McFedries was known as Yung Skeeter, a D.J., producer, director and musician who has worked with Katy Perry, Steve Aoki, Bad Robot Productions and Spotify. He has helped raise millions of dollars in financing from heavyweights like Spark Capital, Sequoia Capital and Founders Fund, according to TechCrunch.

Last summer, Lil Miquela's Instagram account appeared to be hacked by a woman named Bermuda, a Trump supporter who accused Lil Miquela of " running from the truth." A wild narrative emerged on social media: Lil Miquela was a robot built to serve a "literal genius" named Daniel Cain before Brud reprogrammed her. "My identity was a choice Brud made in order to sell me to brands, to appear 'woke,'" she wrote in one post. The character vowed never to forgive Brud. A few months later, she forgave.

Fans followed along, rapt.

The online drama was as engineered as Lil Miquela herself, part of a "story line written by Brud," according to Huxley. It echoed "S1m0ne," a 2002 film starring Al Pacino as a film director who replaces an uncooperative actress with a digital ingénue.

While virtual influencers are becoming more common, fans have engaged less with them than with the average fashion tastemaker online, according to data from Captiv8, which connects companies to social media influencers.

"An avatar is basically a mannequin in a shop window," said Nick Cooke, a co-founder of the Goat Agency, a marketing firm. "A genuine influencer can offer peer-to-peer recommendations."

There may be hope for the humans yet.

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These Influencers Aren't Flesh and Blood, Yet Millions Follow Them (Published 2019)

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The kiss between Bella Hadid and Miquela Sousa, part of a Calvin Klein commercial last month, struck many viewers as unrealistic, even offensive. Ms. Hadid, a supermodel, identifies as heterosexual, and the ad sparked complaints that Calvin Klein was deceiving customers with a sham lesbian encounter.

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(Image credit: Netflix; BBC/HBO; Disney/Lucasfilm)

Whatever you did to get through this year, it likely involved watching a lot of TV. For us, picking the best TV shows of 2020 meant thinking about the series that offered pure escapism this year, or insight on human experiences, or watching a man with a mullet hoard a questionable number of big cats. In short, TV gave us more than this year than ever before in terms of subject matter - and in the absence of actual, meaningful in-person human experiences, we needed the variety.

Below, we've rounded up the best TV shows of 2020 according to the TechRadar team. Our process was fairly simple: each editor could vote for five shows of their choice, and we tallied the votes to create this final outcome - which we feel reflects the broad array of TV we enjoyed this year. Below, our writers explain why they think they're worth watching, with each discussing a show they voted for.

If you haven't checked all of these series out yet, we've listed where to stream them below.

10. The Last Dance

Where to stream it: Netflix

When it comes to basketball, I don't know a block out from a brick. But Netflix's The Last Dance, the retrospective docuseries looking back at both the career of superstar Michael Jordan and the Chicago Bulls' monumental 1997-98 NBA season, shoots three pointers throughout.

Using reams of never-before-seen behind the scenes footage, it's an intimate look at life on and off the court. Yes, it's about basketball, and a sports documentary may not be for everyone. But it's also about being the greatest in the world at your chosen skill, and the unfathomable sacrifice, gain, passion, sadness, arrogance and humility that must come with that in order to succeed. Absolutely essential viewing. - Gerald Lynch

9. Big Mouth

Where to stream it: Netflix

Remember puberty? That crushing realization that your body is changing at a totally different speed to everyone else, and the fact your peers are hyper aware of each other in new, exciting and often terrifying ways?

Well, in Big Mouth, you can relive that childhood trauma/time of exciting transformation through the eyes of Jessi (Jessi Klein), Missy (Jenny Slate/Ayo Edebiri), Nick (Nick Kroll), Andrew (John Mulaney) and Jay (Jason Mantzoukas). This delightfully on-the-nose comedy is complete with talking genitalia, horny pillows, the Shame Wizard and err... Coach Steve. One of the funniest adult animated sitcoms around right now, with a phenomenal voice cast. - John McCann

8. Devs

Where to stream it: Hulu (US), BBC iPlayer (UK)

After her partner goes missing on his first day working at a secretive, successful tech firm in Silicon Valley, Lily Chan (Sonoya Mizuno) tries to uncover what happened to him at the hands of the company's enigmatic CEO Forest (Nick Offerman).

From there, this moody drama only gets spookier and more sci-fi - which is what I'd expect from Alex Garland, director of standout modern genre films Ex Machina and Annihilation, who also brought along his frequent cinematographer Rob Hardy along to make this show look film-like. This is an unmissable miniseries that cleverly explores the notion of free will, even though it's disguised as a slow-burn Silicon Valley drama with a slightly boring name. Do not miss it. - Samuel Roberts

7. Queer Eye

Where to stream it: Netflix

We've never had more need for a feel-good TV show than in 2020, and Queer Eye season 5 continued to tug at our heartstrings and make us belly-laugh when we could all really do we a good pick-me-up.

This season saw the Fab 5 give makeovers to a gay pastor craving a new look to match his newfound confidence, a father of the bride who wanted to step it up for his daughter's big day, and a pediatrician who finally got the TLC she needed after putting her career and family first for years. But, you shouldn't write Queer Eye off as just another fashion show, Henny. As the tagline says, these shows are about 'more than a makeover', and you'll learn just as much about the human psyche as you will about the proper execution of the French Tuck. - Olivia Tambini

6. Normal People

How to stream it: Hulu (US), BBC iPlayer (UK)

This brooding 12-episode drama series on iPlayer, based on the bestselling Man Booker-longlisted novel of the same name, follows two Irish teenagers learning to live and love as they untangle the toxicity of their families, peers, and each other. Connell and Marianne start off as distant classmates, one the popular athlete and another the maligned loner - with their on-and-off passion and countless miscommunications making for one of the most moving depictions of young, imperfect romance ever to grace the small screen.

Beautifully shot, with an economical screenplay from Alice Birch (Lady Macbeth), it's a show that knows exactly how to tug your heartstrings. - Henry St Leger

5. Tiger King: Murder, Mayhem and Madness

Where to stream it: Netflix

The definition of a lockdown hit, it's tough not to think of Tiger King without remembering that early part of the pandemic where it seemed plausible that the virus wasn't going to consume the entirety of 2020. To me, Tiger King is synonymous with people learning how to make sourdough, or doing daily YouTube exercises, in a bid to stave off the overall low mood of this year.

The story of big cat-obsessed park owner Joe Exotic is an outrageous true crime epic, and so implausible that it's incredibly entertaining. It's funny even when it shouldn't be, mostly because of Exotic himself, and it's full of memorable real-life characters - even if the portrayal of some of its key players raises an eyebrow.

The show also seems only vaguely interested in the exotic animals that live in these parks in the US, which is surely worth pondering as much as Exotic's own ludicrous antics. Still, like 2020 itself, I never want to think about Tiger King again after this year ends. - Samuel Roberts

4. I May Destroy You

Where to stream it: HBO Max (US), BBC iPlayer (UK)

For a TV show that captured the zeitgeist more than any other this year, I May Destroy You took a refreshingly un-2020 approach to exploring its main themes of sex and trauma. Written and co-directed by Michaela Coel (of Chewing Gum fame), the 12-parter follows author and social media star Arabella, whose world is thrown off axis by the blurred memory of a rape that took place after a spiked drink.

What follows is a brilliant, nuanced look at the gray areas explored by Arabella and her two close friends, Kwame and Terry, along with the long-term effects of assault. Despite its heavy themes, I May Destroy You never feels too weighty or didactic either. Instead, you get jarring gear shifts from drama to comedy, all via a non-linear format that recreates the sense of trauma resurfacing in the midst of real life. Hopefully it's a sign of things to come from other HBO-BBC creations in the future. - Mark Wilson

3. Sex Education

Before you sit your child down in front of Netflix with the hope that Gillian Anderson will bear the responsibility of teaching little Timmy about why his ding-a-ling is looking a tad different these days, please know that while this show does actually have some fantastic educational content, it's also wonderfully filthy.

In a school that somehow manages to be a hybrid of the US and UK experience, we follow socially insecure and hormonal disaster Otis as he navigates the world of puberty and sexual awakening, while trying to get good grades and hide from his embarrassing sex-therapist mum.

The show is crass, hilarious, wholesome and honestly the wildest emotional journey I've experienced in a TV show this year. Every character arc is so utterly relatable for young adults that the content hits home in a refreshing way, and you'll start to wonder how a TV show can make you empathetically cheer when a character can finally spank the monkey. - Jess Weatherbed

2. The Queen's Gambit

Where to stream it: Netflix

Chess drama The Queen's Gambit is a monster hit for Netflix that seemingly came out of nowhere - it certainly wasn't on my radar until I saw The Witch's Anya Taylor-Joy was its star, and that veteran writer/director Scott Frank (Logan, Godless, Out of Sight) was behind this adaptation.

It's essentially a sports movie, as orphan Beth Harmon is taught to play chess by a talented janitor, before she successfully pursues a career in the male-dominated competitive scene. She pulls this off while contending with alcoholism and pill addiction, and wearing a lot of stylish dresses.

As well as being an unbelievably nice-looking '60s-set period show in terms of its costume design and sets, The Queen's Gambit features an amazing ensemble cast (most notably Harry Melling, once best known as Dudley Dursley from the Harry Potter movies) and manages to make every chess match look uniquely thrilling. An inspiring show with a kind heart at its core. - Samuel Roberts

1. The Mandalorian
Where to stream it: Disney Plus
The Mandalorian is a crowd-pleasing entry for best TV show of the year - but while I'll admit this is a conventional choice, there's a reason so many of the TechRadar team voted for it. The first-ever Star Wars live-action TV series stepped up its level of action and drama this season, as well as its ambition in weaving in exciting elements of its vast fictional universe. In the absence of blockbuster movies, The Mandalorian successfully managed to take its place, bringing that same level of conversation and excitement around each episode.

It's been so much fun to watch each week, and the quality of episodes was far more consistent this season, thanks to a fairly obvious increase in budget and more confidence in its way of telling stories. The calibre of guest stars is out of control, too - Rosario Dawson, Temuera Morrison, Timothy Olyphant, the returning Bill Burr and the final episode's surprise cameo all helped make this season feel extra special.

The episode structure remains very simple - our Mandalorian (Pedro Pascal) helps someone with their problem in every single episode, while Baby Yoda does something cute and GIF-worthy - but the scale of set pieces makes it feel as cinematic as any Star Wars movie. This is the best the galaxy far, far away has ever been in Disney's hands, and bodes well for the many new shows they have in the works. - Samuel Roberts

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(Image credit: Netflix; BBC/HBO; Disney/Lucasfilm) Whatever you did to get through this year, it likely involved watching a lot of TV. For us, picking the best TV shows of 2020 meant thinking about the series that offered pure escapism this year, or insight on human experiences, or watching a man with a mullet hoard a questionable number of big cats.

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Ubisoft has announced a new limited-time event for Rainbow Six Seige, one in which crosses over with Netflix series, Money Heist. Watch the short reveal trailer down below.

The limited timed event will begin on November 20 and will run through November 25, offering players exclusive skins that take after the show's iconic masks. The event will be set on the map Bank, which also sees the return of the fan-favorite mode Hostage. As mentioned above, it is a limited-time event so if you want to receive these masks, it is important to remember to play during November 20-25.

Rainbow Six Seige is a long-running tactical multiplayer title that pits teams of 4's against each other in a tense, strategic environment. Players can choose from a slew of operators all carrying their very own equipment which can be used as an advantage or a disadvantage depending on the player's strategy.

This timed-event comes to no surprise, as Ubisoft r eveale d in the summer that they will be focusing more on supporting a single multiplayer community instead of developing sequels. This is acts as a way to keep and maintain a single unified community, instead of dispersing players leading to a weak environment and lack of players online.

Are you going to hop back on and cash in on this event? Let us know in the comments below and be sure to stay right here at Gameranx for the latest gaming news releasing.
Source: PlayStation Youtube

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Latest Rainbow Six Siege Event Crosses Over With Netflix Series Money Heist - Gameranx

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Ubisoft has announced a new limited-time event for Rainbow Six Seige, one in which crosses over with Netflix series, Money Heist. Watch the short reveal trailer down below. The limited timed event will begin on November 20 and will run through November 25, offering players exclusive skins that take after the show's iconic masks.

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Automated & Personalised Email Marketing

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Automated & Personalised Email Marketing

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According to research by Review42 on voice search, they found that 55% of teenagers use voice search every day.

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From Healthcare Data to Data-Driven Healthcare

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Medical Upgrade- The Rise of 3D Printing

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Medical Upgrade- The Rise of 3D Printing