2022 always promised to be an exciting year. The world is coming out of the COVID-19 pandemic, and it is interesting to see how industries cope in this new world and including the gaming industry.
When the pandemic hit the US, people suddenly had more time on their hands. That led to an increase in buying video games. Many more hours than before were spent playing games to avoid the boredom that was the alternative. It was a way to keep yourself entertained and share activities with your family.
There was a rise of 6.3% in terms of digital console gamers compared to the previous year. Now that isn’t the situation, how will the US gaming industry fare? Obviously, it is unlikely that such percentage increases could be repeated as the pandemic eased.
The projected growth for this year is only forecasted to be 1.1%. That might drop to 0.9% next year, but there is still plenty of good news for the industry. It’s estimated that the number of US digital gamers will climb to over 179 million this year.
How we play video games is expected to change this year. Whereas during the pandemic, there was a big increase in the number of video games consoles sold in 2020, the following year saw global cloud gaming revenue rise by nearly $1 billion.
Now the restrictions have been lifted, there is a drift back to playing video games on mobile devices. Data that was released in December of last year by Sensor Tower showed that there had been a 16% year-on-year increase in mobile game app store revenues.
The pandemic may have seen a lot of new game players created or seeing their past enthusiasm resurrected. Those who were always playing on their consoles before the pandemic will continue to do so now. That’s how they are used to playing, so why change now?
Another way the pandemic affected gaming was in the growth of esports. They had been making steady progress, but the pandemic accelerated that. Online sportsbooks had a distinct lack of events to cover, so they turned to esports to fill the gap. Sports sites began to cover events after many other events were canceled.
Playing video games can win you massive prizes that will continue in the future. Esports was featured at the recent Commonwealth Games held in England. Maybe one day it’ll be included in the official sports played at the Olympic Games. Figures from Statista forecast that by 2024, there will be an audience of 577 million, up from the 474 million recorded last year.
Further growth is going to be difficult to achieve at a high rate. Over half of the US population are monthly gamers. The gaming industry has to accept that while new players will be attracted, many who now aren’t stuck at home all the time will find other ways to entertain themselves.
The gaming industry wasn’t all about playing the latest releases and classic games during the pandemic. There was the ability to connect with other people. That was vital, especially with family and friends who you could not see in person.
Many gamers said the time spent playing on their console helped their mental health. The opinion that playing video games could be antisocial was blown out of the water as it was seen just how much it helped people.
Again, now the pandemic has eased, the social side of gaming is likely to recede slightly, but it will remain an important part of the industry.
The future of the gaming industry in the US is bright. It does not like to stand still, and there will be technological improvements in the coming years that will change how we play games.
A major influence on the gaming industry will be the metaverse. Millions are being spent on creating new games that will see virtual reality become a massive part of the industry. Immersive technology is going to become increasingly important.
Get ready to enter a virtual universe, and even though they may look silly, a virtual reality headset will be a very important item to own.
More acceptance of the video game industry will come at the 2023 Grammy Awards. A new category will see a Grammy awarded for the best video game soundtrack. Pay attention to the soundtrack of the next game you buy, it might just be an award winner.
