The number differs slightly depending on which study you consult, but as of last year, almost half of the entire world’s population played games on the computer, smartphone, tablet, console, or other digital device. That numberhas grown dramatically in recent years as the gaming industry has managed to reach new markets, attract larger audiences, and boost the engagement of existing players.
But this wasn’t some sort of happy accident. It was down to a series of astute decisions by companies within the gaming industry to grow their appeal, increase their sales, and firmly establish themselves as a mainstream form of entertainment. Here are the biggest of those decisions.
Diversifying Their Offering
Early video games were often all cut from the same cloth. In fact, in Grand Theft Auto Vice City, which was set in the 1980s, the creators even parody the gaming market from the time. The “Degenatron” console was advertised as having “three exciting games” but all of them involved green dots and red squares.
The joke is pretty accurate as after Atari released Pong, a string of imitations were released to the market, a phenomenon that was repeated with other hits like Pac-Man and Space Invaders.
Today, things are very different. Game developers have created something for just about everyone, including both traditional gaming demographics and those that were previously less interested.
Casino games are a great example of this. Whereas previously, players could choose from a few different table games, they now have hundreds of different video slots, each with their own theme and features. There are now slots inspired by just about every imaginable theme, including those based around historic civilisations like the Aztecs and the Ancient Egyptians, as well as some inspired by space, fishing, and mythology.
It’s not just online casinos, though. There have been many new developers to appear in the last couple of decades, including Zynga and Rovio that have focused genres that were either entirely new or completely underserved. For example, Rovio’s Angry Birds is a physics-based puzzle game that is themed around birds and pigs while Zynga’s Farmville franchise is a farming simulator
The Free-to-Play Model
Meanwhile, free-to-play titles have allowed gaming companies to offer their products to everyone, no matter how much they can (and are willing) to spend on gaming.
Rather than buying a game up front, players can download, install, and start enjoying a free-to-play title without having to spend a single penny. Once they’ve done that, though, they have the option of buying in-game items or paying for upgrades to their characters, weapons, tools, and/or maps using real-world money.
The model allows developers to create content that everyone can enjoy in a way that’s similar to how airlines price their tickets. Everyone gets the same product, but they can pay what they can afford in a way that is (mostly) fair.
New Ways to Play
Traditional gamers were people that hunched over an arcade machine or spent hours staring at a computer or TV screen at home. These players would typically commit to playing for an hour or more at a time, something that many people can’t do.
Casual games, which began appearing in the late 1990s but really took off in the 2000s and early 2010s, are a solution to this. They’re easy to learn and can be played for any length of time from just a few minutes to several hours, making them practical for even the busiest of people.
But it isn’t just the format of games that has changed either, the devices many players enjoy them on is different too. Smartphones and tablets have opened up the world of gaming to millions of more people since they now have the freedom to play from just about anywhere, including while on the bus, the train, or on the sofa while watching TV.
These mobile devices mean there is no longer a need for people to fight over who gets to use the computer or television, since everyone has a screen of their own to enjoy whatever they want.
