Review of the Gaming Market
The golden age of video gaming arrived in the 1980s when popular arcade games were released and from then the home console industry really took off. Gaming technology has come a long way since the early days and continues to develop at a relentless pace. The gaming industry is worth around USD 250 billion worldwide and has never been more popular. The biggest titles comfortably generate more income than blockbuster movies. However, the sale of consoles and video games has seen a steady decline in recent years. The gaming world is changing. Dedicated game consoles are expensive and non-portable so it is not surprising that industry growth is coming from other sources. Gaming on tablets and smartphones is growing rapidly, as are streaming services and games played through web browsers and social-networking sites.
Gaming is no longer a hobby exclusively enjoyed by the young. Generations of video gamers have grown up and these parents are now playing video games with their own children. In addition to this the increased use of smartphones has changed the gaming demographic dramatically. It is thought that 86% of internet users play games on an electronic device, and nearly every internet user has a smartphone able to run games. The average gamer age has increased to 37 and just under 50% of the gaming audience is now made up of women. The growth in popularity of tablets and smartphones means more people are playing mobile games than ever before.
Games
Today's games are increasingly reallistic and technologically advanced. They feature richly textured, full-colour graphics, amazing sound and complex interaction between player and system. There are a huge variety of games available for all demographics and audiences, including young children and the elderly. From action adventure games to puzzle games and simmulation games to strategy games, there is truly something for everyone. The majority of games are designed to entertain people but they can also educate, inform, persuade and stimulate the user. The best-selling games are highly-polished cinematic thrill-rides that take you on an emotional rollercoaster. Outstanding graphics, incredible storytelling and superb voice acting make the experience similar to watching a movie, the difference being that the gamer controls the action.
Cloud gaming is a method of playing video games by accessing remote servers. Games are no longer downloaded and installed on a PC or game console. The streaming services send gaming information to an app or browser installed on the recipient’s device. The game is stored and played on the remote server but the user interacts with the content locally on their own device. Streaming services operate on a subscription basis where users pay for access to the streamed content. As a result gamers can purchase cheaper consoles without a disc drive and use digital cloud gaming services to access content.
Games are categorised into commonly used game genres which are mainly based on their gameplay, interaction and category. Since 2018 simulation, puzzle and strategy games have seen the biggest growth of any genre. The top five gaming genres currently are:
Action Games
Sports Games
Adventure Games
Battle Royale Games
Role-Playing Games
Some video games have been criticised for glorifying violence, cruelty and crime. There are concerns that children who play violent video games may have a tendency to behave more aggressively. This has led to an age rating system being adopted by the industry.
Video Game Consoles
Video game consoles are a popular and cost-effective form of home entertainment. They require a single purchase with no additional hardware upgrades. Consoles connect to a TV screen which displays the graphics and plays the sounds of the game. A game controller is used to provide input and allows the player to interact with the video game, typically to control an object or character. Console games often get priority release months ahead of the PC version, or the release is for console use only.
In previous decades consoles were kept in the bedrooms of teenagers. Times have changed and consoles are now living room fixtures and are used as much for watching TV as playing games. New gaming consoles have the ability to access numerous streaming services and are not just used as gaming devices but are cutting edge media devices for the whole family. Manufacturers are keen to promote their consoles as complete home entertainment systems which stream films, play live TV, place video calls and browse the internet. These additional multimedia features greatly enhance the functionality and everyday use of the game console.
Cloud Gaming
There are many advantages to cloud gaming. For gamers the cost of buying and maintaining a powerful gaming computer or game console is removed. Users pay a small monthly fee to stream content. Keeping the technology up-to-date and future-proof is included in the subscription. Saved data is stored in the cloud so, providing there is a good internet connection, users can access their games and stored data from any location. These games can then be played on any device. A disadvantage is backwards compatibility of older games which cannot be played unless they are re-released digitally. Making past titles and historic archives available on cloud gaming services may become an attractive selling point for service providers in the future. For publishers and developers cloud gaming eliminates the potential for pirating and the need for digital rights management (DRM) since users do not actually download the game. It also helps lower development costs as all players have access to the same hardware and performance.
We live in a world where social networking and interactive gameplay are now mainstream activities. Video gaming takes place between gamers all across the world and more people are playing quality games through a web browser or a cloud-based gaming service. It is only in recent years that hardware has become good enough to deliver high-fidelity content. This, along with the evolution of faster, cheaper and more accessible broadband connectivity, has made gaming accessible and attractive to more people. As internet speeds and connectivity continue to get better and cheaper, so too will cloud gaming. With the rapid growth of cloud computing services some believe that the current generation of home video game consoles may be the last of these devices. Time will tell whether these traditional game consoles can survive.