Pro gamer and social media superstar Ashley Mariee is today calling on her millions of fans, and gamers across the UK to help Fix Britain’s Internet.
The global, online gaming market has trebled since 2005* with players like Pew Die Pie and Ashley Mariee becoming some of the biggest stars on the internet as a result.
But as every player will vouch for, surviving in the brutal world of online gaming depends on fast, reliable internet. Unfortunately, it seems UK gamers are struggling against the odds, with Britain not even ranked on the global or European tables for the fastest broadband speeds available today**. It’s unsurprising then that 60% of Brits say they’ve been let down by their broadband in the last month and 1 in 4 UK adults are unhappy with their internet connection***.
Despite the UK having the sixth largest video game market in the world, and UK gamers collectively spending £4.19bn last year****, Britain’s broken internet continues to hit the gaming community hard. Thousands of gamers currently live in areas that can’t even support the online gameplay features of popular titles and many more search in vain for better broadband speeds to improve their online experience.
Ashley Mariee commented: “It’s an online gamer’s worst nightmare when you experience lag spikes or the game freezing while playing. It’s so frustrating, your character is completely vulnerable and you end up dropping down leader boards or missing out on high scores.
"The campaign to Fix Britain’s Internet is our chance to push for a level playing field so every gamer, no matter which town they live in, can have fast and reliable broadband at their fingertips. Then we will really see who the best is.”
On Wednesday 7th September, Ashley Mariee will be demonstrating how using using the fastest internet available (ultrafast ‘fibre to the home’), impacts her gaming. Using TalkTalk and Sky’s ultrafast broadband network in York - Ultra Fibre Optic Broadband - she will be live streaming her gameplay on Twitch and encouraging her fellow gamers to join her in supporting the campaign to Fix Britain’s Internet.
James Hogg and Dan Kerr are both keen gamers who became fed up with the impact slow and unresponsive broadband had on their gaming experience. So much so, that they decided to try out TalkTalk’s and Sky’s Ultra Fibre Optic Broadband network in the city to see if it would enhance their gaming experience. The results were impressive.
“Gameplay dramatically improved, downloads speeds increased, and I can enjoy the game without the fear of being cut off and dropped out” said James.
Dan Kerr agrees commenting that a poor connection can often lead to “a notable slowdown” when you are playing multiplayer games and because of this there is often “no point in playing a game that is laggy or slow. If everyone had the same speed you wouldn’t have to watch other people lag whilst playing games. You would have better gameplay with everyone.”
Top 5 gamer gripes about slow and unreliable internet:
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Different players on different speeds, preventing gaming from being a level playing field
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A high ping caused by slow internet speed ruining the gameplay experience
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Lag spikes impacting in-game crucial moments and affecting leader board standings
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Failure to experience the game’s full graphics
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Slower reaction speeds and lack of precision when playing first-person shooters
Fix Britain’s Internet
Help is now at hand for frustrated online gamers. For the first time in ten years, Ofcom, the telecoms industry regulator, is giving the public the opportunity to have their say on the future of the UK’s internet and the campaign to Fix Britain’s Internet gives you a quick, easy way to make your voice heard.
Rather than lagging behind Mexico, Bulgaria and Kazakhstan***, supporters of the campaign want the most ambitious digital future possible for the UK. But this won’t happen without radical changes to the country’s national broadband network – Openreach. Openreach just isn’t up to the job today, and tens thousands of people have already written to Ofcom demanding better.
Whether it’s for gaming, shopping, learning, staying in touch of falling in love, you can make your voice heard by visiting www.fixbritainsinternet.co.uk. Ofcom’s consultation closes on October 4th.
Ends
Notes to Editors
On Wednesday 7th September you can watch Ashley Mariee’s live stream here: https://www.twitch.tv/ashleymariee
* http://www.eteknix.com/5-shocking-facts-about-the-growth-of-online-gaming/
** Comparisons of ultrafast pure fibre deployment sourced from IDATE for Fibre to the Home Council Europe, February 2016: http://www.ftthcouncil.eu/documents/Reports/2015/2015_RANKING_SLIDES.pdf
*** Research conducted by Bilendi from a representative sample of 2,000 adults 26th – 27th July 2016
**** Data from UKIE, the British interactive entertainment trade body: http://ukie.org.uk/research
About Ultra Fibre Optic Broadband
Sky and TalkTalk have joined forces to roll out Ultra Fibre Optic Broadband in York. The network, which is completely independent of Openreach, currently offers some of the fastest and most reliable speeds in the UK - around 1Gb. This is 100 times faster than standard broadband, and with Ultra Fibre Optic Broadband, you can experience download speeds of up to 940Mb, or in simpler terms, download a HD movie in less than 30 seconds.
For more information about the campaign to Fix Britain’s Internet please contact the TalkTalk Press Office on talktalk@mhpc.com or 020 3128 6902.