What’s to Come in 2022 and Beyond for Online Gaming
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The online gaming space continues to grow at an impressive rate. Global Newswire expects the global market share for the industry to reach a stunning USD $545.98 billion by the year 2028. That figure stood at $203.12 billion at the end of 2020.
One of the biggest reasons for the growth is mobile gaming. In their State of Mobile Gaming in 2021 report, AppAnnie revealed that there were 80 billion mobile game downloads in 2021. That’s an 18 per cent year-on-year growth.
The report also revealed that players spent $100 billion on mobile gamines in 2020 and played an average of 4.2 hours a day. There’s more to online gaming than mobile games, however.
Online gaming comes in a number of different forms, such as massively multiplayer online games (MMO), real-time strategy games (RTS), and online casinos games. There are a number of advantages to gamers when it comes to online gaming, such as new technologies and multiple payment methods. We’re seeing more online gaming sites and casinos accepting Apple Pay, for example. But what other reasons are there for the success of online gaming?
One reason for the growth is the development of close communities. While it may seem that gamers spend a lot of time on their own, they’ve developed online communities that are helping to establish a more social environment.
With the number of social gamers on the rise, along with an increase in people who use their mobile ones as their primary gaming device, some of the trends we can expect to see in 2022 and beyond are of little to no surprise. Let’s look at three of these trends here.
Gaming Events
The rise in social online gaming communities is driving gaming events, but that’s not the only factor. These events are breaking down traditional age and gender walls. Everyone can play them, and events such as e-sport competitions appeal to players of all nationalities, genders, and ages. The global events are huge and are often streamed on such platforms as Twitch, with millions of people watching from all over the world.
On-Demand Gaming
Driven by a movement to cloud gaming development, on-demand gaming enables players to enjoy any game whenever and from wherever they choose. The games run on remote servers in at least one data centre with enough power to provide the best gaming experience possible. Shadow of Blade and Google Stadia are two examples of cloud gaming that enable users to play on their laptop, tablet, phone, and other platforms depending on their subscription.
Virtual and Augmented Reality
These two technologies are ways to enjoy online gaming that are now well-established via such games as Jurassic World Alive, Harry Potter Wizards Unite, and Pokemon GO. Virtual reality headsets have only strengthened this trend, with PlayStation Virtual Reality (PSVR), Vive, and Oculus all having been around for at least five years.
However, it’s a trend that’s expected to continue in the years to come, with users fully immersing themselves in their favourite games. The opportunity to establish virtual experiences via apps has been a huge change in the gaming industry. Online casinos can transport players to the tables of Monte Carlo or Las Vegas and with real-time games and live dealers streaming straight to their devices.
Wrap Up
While there’s plenty of sports and entertainment available in 2022, the online gaming industry’s exponential growth is undeniable. And it’s interesting to see how the biggest game developers are embracing new technologies to make the experience one that players can enjoy even more. Gamers all around the world will get an even bigger taste of that in 2022 and beyond.
