Over the past few years, gaming has increased dramatically across all generations. Most millennials prefer a gaming subscription instead of a traditional PayTV subscription. According to Deloitte Insights, over half of millennials and Gen Z pay for both gaming and video streaming service. Today, many people prefer to watch esports on popular streaming platforms while playing their favourite games in online casinos such as Bluefox UK . Here are the top trends that are defining the future of gaming and media.
Games as a service
Games as a service (GaaS) represents providing video games on a continuing revenue model and are ways to monetize video games after their initial sale. Distribution of games through retail channels is quickly becoming a thing of the past for various reasons. First, games have become so advanced and complicated that providing a bug-free version on a disc is practically impossible. Second, the organization required to launch and run a successful game has dramatically changed in recent years. Today, games are offered as a service and the engagement time has become the major precursor of revenues. Companies that adopted this change are now the frontrunners in esports.
Cross-screen entertainment
With the increased usage of smartphones and tablets as a gaming device, cross-screen gaming has been a popular topic in the gaming industry. Various experiments of offering gameplay of a single franchise on all screens have been unsuccessful. As consumers use one screen to play (e.g. PC) and other to watch game content (e.g. tablet), porting of games is not necessary nowadays. The increasing rate of the new non-playing viewing audience has created new business opportunities for publishers.
Live streaming tools
For many years, gaming video content was only limited to popular video platforms such as YouTube. With the arrival of streaming tools such as Twitch, broadcasting of games content has completely changed. Today, many gamers broadcast their live gameplay on the game streaming platforms. As a result, the top gamers have become mega-celebrities that earn six or even seven figures sum a year. Live streaming has also opened doors for more innovative and interactive games.
Video channels and communities
Reaching millions of people around the world with user-generated content had never been this easier. The integration of gaming content with popular social media platforms now allows people to create communities around their favourite gaming content. Most gamers and non-gamers prefer smartphones and tablets to watch the gaming content. Game video content has increased the usage of digital video channels on the TV screen, pushing aside the traditional content.
Consumers are entertaining consumers
The broadcast TV sector is dominated by reality shows and digital channels are mostly used to watch opinions, product reviews and the creation and failure of other consumers. But with the arrival of platforms such as Twitch and YouTube Gaming, live viewing has paved the way for new possibilities. In the coming years, consumers will tune into channels run by famous creators to view live game events.