--- title: "Flares: Visual Novels, Online Chess, and The Mug Life" description: "Flares: Visual Novels, Online Chess, and The Mug Life" image: https://www.nlopchantamang.com/hubfs/Imported_Blog_Media/Screenshot-2020-11-16-at-18_02_20.png --- [ << Back to Blog ](https://www.nlopchantamang.com/trends/signals) [Entertainment and Media](https://www.nlopchantamang.com/trends/signals/tag/entertainment-and-media) [eCommerce](https://www.nlopchantamang.com/trends/signals/tag/ecommerce) # Flares: Visual Novels, Online Chess, and The Mug Life ###### Aja Frost @ajavuu ###### Share [mailto:?subject=Check%20out%20https://www.nlopchantamang.com/trends/signals/signal/flares-visual-novels-online-chess-and-the-mug-life%20&body=Check%20out%20https://www.nlopchantamang.com/trends/signals/signal/flares-visual-novels-online-chess-and-the-mug-life&media=https://f.hubspotusercontent20.net/hubfs/3430677/Imported_Blog_Media/Screenshot-2020-11-16-at-18_02_20.png](mailto:?subject=Check%20out%20https://www.nlopchantamang.com/trends/signals/signal/flares-visual-novels-online-chess-and-the-mug-life%20&body=Check%20out%20https://www.nlopchantamang.com/trends/signals/signal/flares-visual-novels-online-chess-and-the-mug-life&media=https://f.hubspotusercontent20.net/hubfs/3430677/Imported_Blog_Media/Screenshot-2020-11-16-at-18_02_20.png) ![](https://www.nlopchantamang.com/hs-fs/hubfs/Imported_Blog_Media/Screenshot-2020-11-16-at-18_02_20.png?height=420&name=Screenshot-2020-11-16-at-18_02_20.png) ## **The Rise of Visual Novels** Once catering to small, [niche audiences](https://www.reddit.com/r/japan/comments/31ie1j/are_visual_novels_considered_somewhat_niche_is/) in Japan, visual novels (VNs) are now entering the mainstream. And their popularity is growing rapidly: [r/visualnovels](https://www.reddit.com/r/visualnovels/) subreddit subscribers nearly doubled in the last 8 months, soaring to 185k+ members. VNs straddle the border between a game and a story, and could perhaps be described as akin to R.L. Stine’s [Goosebumps](https://www.theguardian.com/childrens-books-site/gallery/2016/may/16/goosebumps-rl-stine-what-you-didn-t-know), where the reader is presented with choices -- but in an interactive, video game format. ![](https://www.nlopchantamang.com/hubfs/Imported_Blog_Media/Screenshot-2020-11-16-at-18_02_20.png) ***Source: Screenshot of an OXENFREE VN*** Traditionally released in Japanese and featuring anime art, VNs are now [branching out](https://www.theverge.com/2018/9/25/17879736/visual-novel-new-games-genre-neo-cab-solace-state-admiralo-island-witches-club-necrobarista) to include multiple genres, illustration styles, and levels of immersion. Development is fast, simple, and low cost, so you could create your own (check out [this](https://www.twoandahalfstudios.com/2020/02/the-beginners-guide-to-visual-novel-development) guide).  Entrepreneurs could offer customized visual novels based on clients’ personal stories and favorite characters. Or perhaps look to the children’s market -- yet untapped by VNs -- where stories in which moral choices must be made have been receiving growing [positive interest](https://medium.com/thrive-global/moral-dilemma-stories-a-great-way-to-educate-entertain-and-inspire-all-at-the-same-time-56ef4615b6ce). There is also opportunity to provide better translation options for traditional Japanese VNs, as [numerous](https://www.reddit.com/r/visualnovels/comments/joc6ll/chiitranslite_alternative/) [posts](https://www.reddit.com/r/visualnovels/comments/h0g116/softwaretranslated_visual_novels/) in the [subreddit](https://www.reddit.com/r/vnsuggest/comments/cw135w/are_there_any_fan_translated_visual_novels/) will tell you. ## **Chess Is Climbing the Ranks** ![](https://www.nlopchantamang.com/hubfs/Imported_Blog_Media/chess-1024x687.png) ***Source: *** [***SullyGnome***](https://sullygnome.com/game/Chess/365/summary) ***  *** Online chess is one of Twitch’s fastest-growing categories, with a total of 50m+ hours watched in the last year. Some YouTube channels have seen weekly views [increase by 40k+](https://socialblade.com/youtube/user/kingscrusher/monthly). Offline chess is also growing, with soaring increases in Amazon searches for “chess board sets” (**+210%** on 6.2k searches) and “chess set for adults” (**+154%** on 18.9k searches) over the last 30 days, according to Jungle Scout. Even Netflix has embraced chess: *The Queen’s Gambit *has ranked as the #1 most popular show since its release (with [100% on Rotten Tomatoes](https://www.rottentomatoes.com/tv/the_queens_gambit) -- who knew that was possible?), creating the biggest peak in search interest in chess over the past 5 years, according to [Google Trends.](https://trends.google.com/trends/explore?date=today%205-y&geo=US&q=chess)  [Hikaru Nakamura](https://www.twitchmetrics.net/c/103268673-gmhikaru), the #1 chess streamer on Twitch with 1m+ viewer hours, [recently signed with a major esports league](https://www.polygon.com/2020/8/28/21405394/hikaru-nakamura-tsm-chess-twitch-grandmaster-streamer), a sign that the game is nearing the same level as other esports.  The biennial Chess Olympiad (Olympics for chess!) could see additional brand sponsorships along with livestream commentators, a step beyond the streamers/YouTubers they had [as judges](https://en.chessbase.com/post/alexei-shirov-wins-gazprom-brilliancy-prize) when they were held online this year.  Beyond streaming, you could create a TL;DR chess course ([Chess.com’s beginner’s guide](https://www.chess.com/learn-how-to-play-chess) gets 19.4k visits per month, according to Keywords Everywhere), perhaps with bonus lectures with popular grandmasters, in true MasterClass fashion.  Steph, our resident international [chess champion](https://twitter.com/stephsmithio/status/1315741756273483776), sees opportunities in sports betting (you can read our article on sports gambling [here](https://trends.co/articles/how-to-capitalize-on-the-fast-growing-sports-gambling-industry/)). ## **The Mug Life Chose Me** ![](https://www.nlopchantamang.com/hubfs/Imported_Blog_Media/muglife-1024x642.png) ***Source: Subreddit Stats*** If you’re not sipping your morning cup of joe from a trendy thrift-store find or handcrafted creation, you clearly need to up your mug game. A [subreddit](https://www.reddit.com/r/muglife/) dedicated to coffee and tea mug lovers has soared from [~25k](https://subredditstats.com/r/muglife) members to 70k+ over the last 3 months. To capitalize on the trend, you could create and sell customized/ commissioned mugs. Monthly search volumes are high, according to Keywords Everywhere: - Personalized mugs: **110k** - Customized mugs: **33.1k** There may also be an opportunity to craft handmade gems that tie in with recent [bohemian](https://trends.co/signal/flares-breathwork-space-porn-and-boho-decor/) and [cottagecore](https://trends.co/signal/flares-at-home-aquariums-a-hip-grandma-aesthetic-and-sweet-opportunities-in-monk-fruit/) decor trends.   You could provide mug fans with the option to craft their own unique creations: Searches for “pottery classes near me” have soared **480%+** since March, and now sit at **49.5k**/month, according to Keywords Everywhere. Interesting thrift-store finds are flooding the subreddit. Why not snap up cheap, unique deals at secondhand stores and resell them, or provide an online marketplace for fans to sell/swap their own thrifted mugs? ### Leave a Comment #### Aja Frost @ajavuu ###### Blog posts ## Related Articles. 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