Games are no longer a passion fueled weekend project for computer geeks! The gaming industry has transformed into a market worth almost $200 billion by 2024, with investors rushing in to get a slice of the pie.
Games have evolved into hyper realistic simulations from what was initially blocking low poly boxes being tossed around. However, the gaming industry spans a wide variety of genres, and this blog covers all the major areas involved.
Let’s hop right into a 10 minute read about this lovely and lucrative past time!
1. Mobile Games (Android and iOS Games)
Mobile games – to play in iOS and Android are arguably the hottest trend in game development right now! Almost everyone owns a smartphone, making mobile gaming one of the most lucrative markets with the highest potential.
Mobile games have developed into fully fledged console quality titles that bring in millions in revenue every day! However, not all mobile games are packed with AAA graphics and it doesn’t have to be, which is the beauty of the genre.
A game with pixel graphics can be as popular and lucrative as those with hyper realistic animations. Games such as Clash of Clans, Flappy Bird and Ludo King are living examples of games that are small, compact but highly successful.
On the other hand we have powerhouse titles such as Call of Duty Mobile and PUBG Mobile steamrolling all their competition.
2. Console Games
With the prices of tech equipment skyrocketing over the past few years, gamers have been on the hunt for consoles rather than building out gaming PCs.
The console gaming industry has been booming ever since the PS5’s release and it won’t be slowing down for the foreseeable future.
While there are console games that are exclusive for that platform such as the Gears of War series or the early titles of Halo, most games are ports of their PC counterparts.
These ports have been optimized to run on the console hardware for the best player experience.
3. Virtual Reality(VR) and Augmented Reality(AR)
Both Virtual Reality(VR) and Augmented Reality(AR) are newcomers within the gaming industry. But their overwhelming popularity within the gaming community has propelled the genre forwards!
Titles such as Pokemon Go gave the world their first dose of AR gaming, which resonated well within gamers. Platform such as Meta promoted their own version of VR through Metaverse which has refused to die down despite the critics.
VR and AR gaming are just set up for commercial success with the price of headsets and accessories going down!
4. HTML/Javascript Browser Games(HTML5 Games)
Browser games were all the hype back in 2010, but the appeal for the genre has slowly died down. But, that doesn’t mean that browser games have gone extinct.
A select few are still actively developing browser games made from Html and Javascript! Games such as Farmville, Social Empires and Dragons of Atlantis are forever remembered as iconic browser game titles.
5. 3D Browser Games
Computers and smartphones are faster and more powerful than ever before! Developers have used this to their advantage in transitioning from simple Html games to fully fledged 3D titles to be played on a browser.
Players simply visit the website, which loads a complete 3D game that’s ready to be played. This concept is shown to be highly successful as games such as Krunker.io and Deadshot.io are just exploding with players.
6. PC Games
PC gaming is arguably the oldest and biggest market out there! PC gaming is the pillar the holds the gaming industry and it gets stronger each year.
Some of the biggest names out there started out as humble PC game startups, and that’s the beauty of it!
PC games encompass a massive variety of games from 2D indie game titles to triple A 3D games such as GTA V and Forza Horizon.
The PC gaming industry is so vast that entire platforms such as Steam and Epic have made it big, marketing and acting as a vendor to players. The esport industry around PC gaming is bigger than the Olympics at this point.
Future is bright
The gaming industry grows each year, and so does the market around it! Esports viewership on major events consistently break streaming platforms, which is a testament to their popularity.
With bigger and better machines becoming a norm within the community, game developers are finding it easier to build out their ideas.
The popularity of open source development platforms are also fueling more and more indie gamers to chase their passions, which is better for the community.
More competition equals to better games, which leads to a healthier market for everyone involved.
