The World of Gaming online
Take a closer look at online gaming with our guide to this global phenomenon
Gaming online has seen a massive increase in popularity over the last few years, largely down to the way that mobile phone technology has developed. The numbers of people who play online games has risen massively. Almost everyone you know, including people over the age of 40 who are not necessarily the first people who spring to mind when you mention online computer games, will have played some form of online game in the last few weeks.
This has been partly due to social media, of course, which provides accessible platforms where almost anyone can find games to play that suit their lifestyle and interests. Sports games have become very popular, while we have all heard about games like Candy Crush.
Other types of online computer games remain very popular with younger people who like to play online games. Massive multi-player online games, often referred to as ‘MMOs’, remain hugely popular. World of Warcraft, for example, has become a cultural phenomenon that extends far beyond people’s computer screens or gaming mobile phones and has spawned books, a movie and other cultural products.
Here, we will take a closer look at the world of gaming online and at some of the gaming trends associated with it.
What is gaming online and how do you get started?
Even if you have no interest at all in the digital world or technology, the chances are pretty high that you will have heard of online gaming. It is, of course the act of playing games on the internet. There is tremendous variety in the number and types of games that you can play online nowadays, though. From retro arcade games, to intellectual puzzles, to role playing games, to traditional board games like Scrabble, you really can play almost anything you want online these days.
According to Juniper Research’s published white paper, the numbers of people who now play online games regularly is huge. The Newzoo 2018 Global Games Market Forecast stated that mobile gaming and mobile games has been raising online casino revenue. The proportion rose from 18% in 2012 to 51% by 2018. The Newzoo report also predicted that this trend will continue, and it expected gaming online to contribute up to 59% by 2021.
There are also significant geographical trends in the world of online gaming. In November 2018, China made up almost 28% of global mobile gaming revenue, according to tech website iWeb. Japan is another country which makes a massive contribution to the wealth generated by gaming online. A big role in this is played by the way that gamers in Asia have moved away from their computer screens in recent years and started to use gaming mobile phones.
Online gaming and esports betting
It is possible now to pick up skins during online gaming which can be used to bet on esports. Skins are items that improve the cosmetic appearance of your character in some online games. They do not usually have any effect on the actual gaming performance of the character. They are a particular feature of games like Counter Strike: Global Offensive and Defense of the Ancients 2.
Gamers soon found another use for these skins as competitive esports grew in popularity over the last decade. As esports became more popular, increasing numbers of people wanted to bet on the matches and events for games like CS:GO, Dota2 and the International tournament.
While the betting companies were lagging behind demand, many gamers started betting using the skins that they had collected from their own gaming activities. This allowed gamers to use their skins as a kind of cryptocurrency for betting.
It is also possible to sell skins for real money, something that means successful esports skins bettors can actually make some genuine profit from their betting. It will be interesting to see how the concept of skin betting develops in the online computer games world in the years to come.
Highlights
While we have not been able to cover the entire vast breadth of the topic of gaming online in this article, you now have a snapshot picture of this vast phenomenon. As 5G technology develops and becomes more widespread, we are sure to see more new and exciting developments in the world of online gaming. More powerful, faster gaming mobile phones are sure to arrive on the market too.
As the number of games to play increases new gaming trends are sure to emerge in the years to come, especially with the advent of 5G. Concepts such as virtual reality are sure to have an impact too, especially on the world of esports and esports betting. It is an interesting time to be alive for all fans of online gaming across the world!
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