It seems that these days we are meant to be shocked about gaming all the time. There are plenty of controversies around the community, with people asking for change, or complaining about the latest big release. Some shocking facts can be good though, as a sign of change, or at least positive movements in a community that isn’t really as controversial as it seems.
Online Gaming Has Trebled Since 2005
It should be no real shock that online gaming has been doing well, but the fact that the market hit $41.4 billion by the end of 2015 is very impressive. There’s now a huge array of games available to play from live poker to online roulette. Looking back at 2005 the fact that it was $13.8 billion shows how fast the industry is changing. With no signs of this increase slowing down anytime soon the future looks golden for the online gaming market.
Online Sales Continue to Grow
Looking at the amount of money that people are putting into their game buying, it is impressive just how much is going into the digital market. In 2012 it was around $24 billion which is impressive, but by the end of 2017 it is expected to rise to $40 billion. The growth has come from the rise of “free-to-play” games and micro-transactions which are included in “online sales”. With this amount of money being spent on them, no wonder games companies have confidence in this type of game.
Over 50% of Gamers are Female
The stereotype of the typical gamer being a teenage boy playing games in a darkened room is starting to lose credibility. With around 52% of gamers being female this shows that gaming is more diverse than people realize. It seems that everybody is a gamer at heart these days.
Online Gaming Pushed Social Gaming to Success
In the UK the online gambling sector is worth over $2 billion. It seems these days that people are loving online bingo games. With the growth in these types of games it is pushing social gaming to new heights making it more popular than ever.
Should we find these facts shocking? Maybe some people will. The fact is the game industry is changing, and for the better. Now for us to celebrate its successes rather than look for the controversial nature of it.