It would be incorrect to say video games went mainstream in 2020. They've been mainstream for decades. But their place in pop culture feels far more central – to gamers and non-gamers alike – than ever before. In part, this is due to desperate marketers hunting for eyeballs in a Covid landscape of cancelled events. Coachella wasn't happening, but Animal Crossing was open was for business. Politicians eager to "Rock the Vote" looked to video games to reach young voters.

The battle between PewDiePie and T-Series to be the world's most popular YouTube channel has taken a bizarre turn, after billionaire entrepreneur Elon Musk revealed he hosted PewDiePie's'meme review'. PewDiePie, whose real name is Felix Kjelberg, has been the top channel on the world's most popular video-sharing platform since 2013. His dominance has been challenged in recent months by the Indian channel, which posts Bollywood film trailers and music videos. The rise of T-Series has proved controversial within some corners of the YouTube community, seen as a David vs Goliath-style contest between an independent creator and a major corporate brand. For PewDiePie supporters, T-Series' popularity reflects a perceived shift in YouTube's focus towards larger brands that have more potential for generating revenue.

Thousands of hacked Chromecasts and smart TVs are hijacked to show this image. More than 5,500 exposed smart TVs, Chromecast streamers and Google Home devices have been commandeered in the name of YouTube mega-star PewDiePie. Hacker Giraffe, the same pseudonymous person who forced thousands of exposed printers last year to churn out pages saying "Subscribe to PewDiePie," has his set sight on smart devices to promote the Swedish YouTube star's channel. Not that PewDiePie needs much help. He has the top-ranked channel with nearly 79.5 million subscribers.

Hackers have targeted Google Chromecast devices in an effort to promote popular YouTube star PewDiePie. Using the pseudonyms HackerGiraffe and J3ws3r, the pair claim to have taken over more than 65,000 of the smart TV gadgets. The pair claimed the cyber attack was was to warn of security issues with Chromecasts, while also encouraging people to subscribe to PewDiePie's channel. A video message posted by the pair on YouTube stated: "Your Chromecast/ Smart TV is exposed to the public internet and is exposing sensitive information about you!" The hackers included a web link to find out more information about account security and concluded the message: "You should also subscribe to PewDiePie."

If you're one of those who can't wait to get Alexa home, this year is definitely the year. Major brands like LG and General Electric announced at CES2017 this week that Amazon's voice assistant, Alexa will be introduced into household items such as refrigerators and lamps. But it's the drivers who might be most thrilled: Ford, Volkswagen, Nissan and BMW are all giving voice assistants a go in their upcoming rides in 2017. Ford and Volkswagen are taking Amazon's Alexa, while Nissan and BMW are going for Microsoft's Cortana. Both voice assistants can do pretty cool things – such as resuming listening to an audiobook in the car you paused midway from a separate device. You'll also be able to email on the road, and receive reminders on restaurant reservations.