Jacek Michalski is an avid gamer and technology expert. He closely monitors the gaming industry, and reports on how shifting consumer behaviour, mixed with current world events, changes the way people play.
Not long ago, it would have been impossible for most gamers to instantly get online for a quick game of luck on sites such as Betmaster Casino.
Today, every mobile phone with a browser holds the key to instant connection and an online community of virtual playmates. All while you can potentially win a life-altering jackpot!
Where We Were Vs. Where We’re At
The ’80s was the surge of the console era with Nintendo and Sega at the forefront of delivering video games to teenage boys.
At the beginning of the rise, gaming was considered a pastime for teenagers only. They started spending hours on end in their rooms, glued to their small screens. Sony followed suit and delivered the highly sought after Sony PlayStation consoles that had many parents saving for months to afford their child’s next game or console upgrade.
In reality, very few people could afford these luxuries, and many gamers had to make a night of it. Social gatherings flared up when youngsters would get together for an all-night battle to be the best. As is human nature, the betting element was a big part of these youngster’s gatherings as the winner would take home the pot, made up of the entry fees to participate.
The casino industry soon realized the potential, as bandwidth and mobile connectivity increased globally. Online casinos flared up when Microgaming launched the first online casino game in 1994. That was only the start of what is now a $196 billion global industry.
Social Media Gaming
Even before the global pandemic hit, media giants like Youtube, Facebook, Amazon, and Google, realized that mobile iGaming is the next big thing.
Lewis Sherlock, CRO at Bidstack, mentioned recently that the unanticipated effects of Covid 19 has affected the online gaming industry tremendously by taking gaming to a new level, and has attracted whole new audiences.
Facebook acquired the Spanish cloud-based iGaming developer PlayGiga in 2019, and it’s become a significant revenue source for the social media industry leader.
With cloud-based solutions now available to every mobile user, gaming has come a far way from being confined to a teenage boy’s bedroom walls.
According to Meredith Worrilow, Global Business Marketing, Measuring, and Insights Director at Activision Blizzard, people use entertainment as a social anchor because it provides us with both recreation and connection. It’s the combination of these two elements that makes gaming so rewarding. It gives us a sense of achievement and purpose.
Other exciting collaborations are found on Youtube with live streams for Xbox, PS4, and PC gamers on Rise Gaming channels.
The history of gaming on Youtube started back in 2008 when a man with the alias Blame Truth added his voice to videoclips, sharing his gameplay strategies for Call of Duty 4: Modern Warfare.
It’s all about the community and virtual interaction. It gives you a sense of togetherness when social distancing is changing the way we live, work, and play. Gaming on YouTube is as accessible as opening the fridge for a late-night snack.
According to Derek Wise, CPO at Oracle Data Cloud, technology such as Virtual Reality is becoming a regular household appliance.
We have entered a new era where online gaming is accessible to an entirely new audience and market segment.
Conclusion
Hendrik Menz, Brand & Agency Sales Director at Anzu.io, summed it up perfectly at a recent Roundtable debate. He thinks that games have been essential in human culture before we could speak, and playing is the oldest form of communication. Video games, which are only another form of gaming, have had an astounding impact on the modern world.
With industry giants like Facebook, Youtube, and Google all competing in the cloud for your attention and playtime, you can be sure of exhilarating new online games to hit your mobile screen soon.
