How has Gaming Developed During the Past 5 Years
Few sectors in the world are innovative as the gaming industry. And this is mainly due to the massive amount of revenue the industry generates every year. Gaming is now the number one sector in the entertainment industry with revenues bigger than the movie and music industries combined, which pushes innovation forward through investment. There is also more competition and more ways to play than ever. Let’s take a look at some of the ways gaming has developed over the past five years.
Online Gaming is Taking Over
Online gaming has gone from strength to strength in the last few years.
Online gamers now have literally thousands of sites they can play at, all with their own specificities, themes, and generous bonuses. If you’d like to give online gaming a try but don’t know where to start, you can find a comprehensive list of the best sites here. Just make sure that the site is properly licensed, has a good reputation, and read as much as you can about the game selection and bonus structure to see if this is a site worth playing at.
Mobile Gaming is Getting Closer to Console Gaming
Mobile games have evolved so fast over the last few years thanks to advances in hardware and connectivity. Mobiles are more powerful now than ever, and some of the machines we’re seeing on the market have specs that we would’ve seen on PCs not too long ago. This allows a lot more space for developers to get creative, and also allows for more games to be ported over to mobiles.
Some of these ports are very convincing too. Games like PUBG and Fortnite are almost as good on mobile as they are on consoles, which is mind-blowing when considering how bad mobile FPSs used to be. We now have hundreds of great first-person shooters on iOS and Android, and many of them have great controls and graphics.
Monetization Methods
One of the things that have changed the most about gaming, however, is how games are being monetized. Free-to-play is almost the default for online games now, and virtually all the top titles today allow players to have a good experience without having to spend a dollar.
These games still manage to make millions of dollars with in-game purchases, however, and they’ve become very skilled at extracting money from players without coming off as too aggressive. They do so mainly by giving players slight advantages over the others in exchange for money. Some games will allow players to spend money on artifacts that can give them a boost in certain abilities for a short period, for instance, or buy items that will give them an advantage on the field.
This is a massive game changer for the industry, and while some players complain about the predatory tactics employed by certain companies, most of them enjoy the ability to be able to play AAA games entirely for free.
More Emphasis on PC
While consoles are still very popular, it seems as if we’re living in a PC gaming-first era now. Games used to be conceived for consoles first and then ported to PC, and lots of PC games would never make it to console. Now, most popular PC games are on consoles or soon will be, and a lot of popular console games stay on consoles. PC gaming is much more mainstream and accessible than it used to be and is attracting a much wider demographic, which boosts innovation and investment in PC gaming.
Conclusion
The world of gaming has changed dramatically over the past five years, and the next five should be very promising. If you’re a fan of gaming, we suggest that you stay informed on all the latest developments and try something new this year to keep things interesting.
