The online gaming industry has grown exponentially in the past few decades, and is now one of the fastest-growing industries in the world. This infographic traces the industry’s history from its humble beginnings in the 1970s to its current massive size. The advent of the Internet in the 1990s led to an explosion of online gaming.
The online gaming industry is booming worldwide, with China, Japan, and South Korea leading the way. It is estimated that the number of gamers worldwide is currently around 3.2 billion people. Of that total, Asia is home to the largest number of gamers: 1.48 billion people. Europe is second with 22% of the market.
According to SuperData, the online gaming industry was worth $120 billion in 2018. According to Newzoo, the gaming market will be worth $189.6 billion in 2022. Most of the revenue comes from mobile games, with only 20% coming from console games. Recently, Google announced plans to launch cloud gaming services, which will allow users to stream games directly from the company’s servers. As digital games become increasingly more popular, the gaming industry will continue to grow.
In 2015, there were 1.5 billion people who played games. Several trends contributed to this growth, including the development of augmented reality games. Mobile games, such as Pokemon Go, began to dominate the market. The shift to mobile gaming, in particular, offers significant opportunities. Mobile games will make up over half of all revenue generated by the prediksitogel online gaming industry by 2019, with PC gaming accounting for the remaining half.
The gaming industry is huge. According to the Newzoo report, global video game spending will reach $180.3 billion in 2021. It is estimated that spending on video games will continue to increase over the next decade. The biggest video game market, which includes computer, mobile, social, and other platforms, is now in AsiaPacific. Tencent, for example, is the largest gaming company in the world, with sales in 2019 surpassing $72.2 billion.
Digital video game distribution has made it easier for developers to distribute games. A single programmer or small team can release hundreds of thousands of copies. Digital distribution also allows publishers to avoid costs associated with manufacturing, shipping, and wholesale. The industry is now so vast that some data is not universal for all developers.
There are many conferences and competitions held annually in the video game industry. These are a great place for developers to discuss their innovations and get feedback from consumers. Some of the major conferences and trade shows for the video game industry include Game Developers Conference, Penny Arcade Expo, and QuakeCon.
There are two main ways to look at the industry’s growth. The first is through the market’s growth. In the 1980s, arcade games like Pong were popularized. A second trend was the rise of home consoles. This led to the development of professional video game companies such as Ocean Software and Gremlin Interactive.