Before getting into the article, I would like to start with a question: How many of you are playing the same games that you played ten years ago? The answer is most probably close to none.
The way we play games has changed to a great extent over the years. Before the internet’s introduction, most of the games we played were conducted in an outdoor environment.
But with great technological innovations on the rise, online games have become much more popular. According to this report in the past year alone, the gaming industry has garnered over 20 billion US dollars of revenue.
We can also see these changes in the online casino industry, where more and more companies are now shifting to online mode.
Game Technology
At the start of game development, games like Donkey Kong and Pac-Man were played with the help of arcade machines.
As time progressed, technologies changed and games were played with the help of gaming cassettes and DVDs. During this time, games like Duck Hunt and Super Mario started getting popular all over the world.
After DVDs came the servers, that can be used to host multiple games. From this report, we can also see that the video gaming industry is growing year on year and there are close to 3 billion players all around the world.
Truly, the gaming industry is just growing bigger day by day!
PC & Mobile Gaming
If there is one thing that changed the gaming industry forever, then it is the advent of PC gaming and mobile gaming applications.
These new types of gaming applications were positively received by gamers. Many people soon caught on to gaming and came into the industry.
Also, with the increase in the number of game developers, more games have started emerging in the market.
Access to Technology
The major reason for the popularity of the gaming industry is ease of access. Now more people can afford a PC or a mobile device , and they can straight away start playing.
During the early days, a single console can cost thousands of dollars. But now, the cost of gaming consoles has been reduced drastically and made more accessible to the general public.
Research & Development
As the gaming industry grew, many people and companies with big budgets started entering the market. This gave rise to a new type of gaming development, where realistic games are given more preference.
With years of development and billions of dollars in investment, games have now become more and more realistic.
Also, new technologies like AR & VR are transcending the limits of reality gaming. Using these technologies, gamers can immerse themselves into lifelike gaming environments.
These technologies are also used in developing educational games, which can integrate entertainment into learning.
Convenience
The internet took the gaming industry to the next level—the online level, so to speak.
Now, a person living in almost any part of the world can access and play a game that is live on the internet.
This level of convenience was never achievable before, playing with people online. That’s why offline gaming DVD stores are becoming scarcer by the day.
There are also no time restrictions to play these games, gamers can even play on transit and track their progress.
Tournaments & Contests
A few years back, gaming was seen as a form of entertainment and people would play games to just have fun.
Nowadays, gaming has become much more competitive with many difficult levels. This has even led to new titles among gamers like professional gamers, gaming coaches, etc.
These tournaments and contests also come with huge rewards in the range of millions of dollars. For example, last year DOTA 2 (an immensely popular MOBA game) came with a prize pool of over $30 million.
Streaming Gaming Videos
Another major reason for the increase in the growth of the gaming industry is video streaming applications.
There are now thousands of gaming channels on YouTube as well as many websites dedicated to gaming. Some examples include Twitch.tv, Steemit, and many more.
Through these mediums, a single game can reach millions of users within a short period.
Indie Game Development
There is a big buzz in indie game development, a new type of game. With the help of free applications like Blender, many game developers have started developing interactive games.
This has led to a greater number of games getting published, which in turn brings in new users to the gaming industry. As we speak, someone else is developing a game from their bedroom.
Conclusion
If there is one thing that has not changed so far, it is that the gaming industry never sleeps. This level of game development will continue to grow in a positive direction and with the help of new technologies, we can expect more interactive games in the future.