YouTube trends 2021: Gaming tops India charts along comedy and pranks

Gen Z gaming became democratized and the gaming audience also expanded outside of the metropolitan areas, says top India exec

Gaming topped YouTube charts this year, with the genre featuring in the most popular creators and videos of the year, along with comedy and others.

"Gaming content evolved from gameplay style videos to comedy, pranks, challenges and even festival-themed music videos. Interestingly, Gen Z gaming became democratised and the gaming audience also expanded outside of the metropolitan areas in India," said Satya Raghavan, Director - YouTube Partnerships, India.

With a dearth of film music this year, many independent songs released in 2021 were accompanied by music videos with distinct storylines, featuring popular movie actors.

The rise of Bhojpuri music also continued, with artists