Gaming is now more popular than ever after undergoing a lot of growth in the last few years. The video game industry has increased from a value of $4.7 billion in 1990 to over $100 billion in 2020. This incredible growth over the past few decades has slowed down a little in recent years, but industry experts still believe the global gaming market will be worth $256 billion by 2025.
The expansion of the gaming market has been partly thanks to improvements in technology over the past few years, making gaming much more accessible and enjoyable. Gaming is now a much-loved hobby for billions of people around the world, with top games, online casino sites, and mobile apps bringing in millions of players each year. There are lots of different factors that help to attract global players, including:
Mobile Accessibility
A big factor in the popularity of gaming around the world is the fact that many games are now available to play on mobile devices. It’s estimated that around 80% of the world’s population now owns a smartphone, meaning that more people than ever have access to gaming apps and mobile sites to download and enjoy lots of different games.
Mobile play is particularly important for games looking to target emerging markets such as India and China, where playing on smartphones and tablets is much more popular. As developers realise how much money can be made from these markets, we’re starting to see a greater focus on releasing mobile versions of top games.
Esports
Esports is the name given to professional video game competitions. Much like regular sports, it allows competitors to challenge one another individually or in teams to see who will be crowned the champion. Esports has been around for a long time, but the past decade has seen its popularity increase dramatically.
The popularity of Esports has helped to attract new people to video gaming, with the biggest events being watched by millions of people around the world. As Esports continues to grow, it could potentially take some market share away from traditional sports. Global sports fans are always looking for new and interesting events to follow, and Esports will also help to introduce a growing number of people to video gaming.
Improving Variety
Gaming has become more popular than ever thanks to the increasing amount of variety available too. Games now feature a wide range of different themes and topics and are grouped into a growing number of unique genres. This expanding variety has helped the videogame industry appeal to a wider range of people than ever before. Now everyone can find games they’ll enjoy, and the industry isn’t just limited to shooters, adventure games, and platformers.
Just as the movie industry has grown and adapted to appeal to global audiences, the videogame industry is changing too. There are a growing number of games coming out each year that target emerging markets, and this is great news for gamers who love variety.
Online Play
Online play has helped to revolutionise gaming, making it much easier for people to play their favourite games with their friends and other people all over the world. This has been instrumental in helping to make gaming more of a mainstream hobby and appealing to new generations of players. Most games released now offer online play, allowing players to compete against each other or play together to achieve their goals.
In the future, even games that were traditionally single-player may be adapted for online play as game developers look to appeal to a growing international audience. With better online connectivity, games are more exciting to play and have longer lifespans, meaning that players are also more likely to pay more to play.
