March 17, 2016
Since its humble origins with arcade games of Space Invaders, video gaming has emerged as a massive mainstream entertainment industry. With a plethora of different styles and genres including shoot-em-ups, puzzle games and even online video poker, the revenues earned from video gaming in 2015 were thought to hit $91.5 billion. Gaming researcher Newzoo envision 9.4% growth on gaming industry for 2016, and more than 500 million gamers on downsizing economy with many industries slowing their growth or going negative. Gaming industry just looks shinier than the massive growing industries as a result of technology breakthrough like solar energy, electrical cars, and robots. Newzoo Key findings:
- Over 470 million gamers watch online gaming content on a regular basis. That accounts for 56% of all gamers across North and Latin America, Europe and Asia Pacific.
- Audience size is expected to grow past the 500 million mark within 2016.
- Online video is more than twice as effective to reach big spenders as TV. 35% use YouTube to discover new games, whereas only 14% discover new titles via TV commercials.
- The average viewer of gaming content on YouTube is male, 28 years old and has a high income.
- YouTube is the largest platform for VOD game content and half of US gamers watch it more than once a month. Twitch, the most popular live game streaming platform, has the highest reach in Latin and North America
And if that figure wasn’t eye-watering enough, the sheer volume of games available makes it virtually impossible to keep a handle on the latest trends and developments. However, there are many interesting signs that suggest that the simple single-person console experience is going to look increasingly like a relic of the 20th century.
One of the biggest trends of the past decade has been the way in which smartphone technology has enabled just about anybody to become at least a part-time gamer. With over 500 iOS gaming apps being released in a single day, indie developers have raced to provide what could be this year’s Flappy Birds or Minecraft. There’s been a huge growth in puzzle games such as Monument Valley that are clearly aimed at the adult gamer. These offer soothing themes and aesthetics and provide a calming gaming alternative a world away from traditional games. Video poker is different as sites like Lucky Nugget Casino deliver a startlingly real simulation of the authentic casino experience with major payouts that can all be accessed from a smartphone. A well written infographic guideline posted by online casino reviews and ranking website FreeExtraChips.com “Top 10 tips for Beating video Poker Games”.
It’s the way in which gaming seems to be emerging from the consoles into our daily lives that’s showing real innovation however.
The fact that Pokemon GO has evolved from a quaint children’s game to its latest incarnation as a real-life gaming institution that encourages social interaction in specific physical settings is a clear indication of how gaming has become a way of life.
However, 2016 looks to be the year where gamers get to experience an extra dimension in their video games with the arrival of virtual reality technologies. Major tech brands such as Sony are in line to unveil their exciting PlayStation VR device. And with the groundbreaking Oculus Rift headsets already sending shockwaves through the tech community, it looks to be only a matter of time before our humble shoot-em-ups and online video poker games get a whole lot more immersive.
DeviceDaily.com
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