Online gaming is a multi-billion dollar industry and its unprecedented growth over the last decade is showing very few signs of slowing down. 2020 was another hugely successful year for this continually expanding business with more than 200 million users playing games on their smartphones in the USA alone. Although the Asia-Pacific region continues to lead the way, there have been notable increases across the Middle East and Europe, with the number of Polish players continuing to climb. In 2019, 76% of internet users played games online, whilst 31% of Smartphone owners claimed to have played on a daily basis.

Poland’s obsession with online gaming has been fuelled by a number of factors including the ever-increasing accessibility to Smartphone devices. There are also a number of major game developers within the country who have produced notable offerings over the past five years. These include Projekt Red, who first published the hugely popular Witcher franchise in 2017 and have subsequently gone from strength-to-strength. Online gaming’s popularity has also been aided by the increased number of payment apps. This makes it easier for gamers to make a deposit or complete in-game purchases instantly and anonymously, and players can fund their account and play at many highly-rated Polish online casinos that accept Blik which is a brand new mobile payment system. This bypasses the requirement to submit personal banking details and offers gamers an increased level of security.

eSports

Although there is some confusion surrounding the categorisation of eSports, this form of competitive video gaming has undoubtedly helped to fuel interest in popular titles such as League of Legends, Overwatch and Dota:2.

With the number of eSports professionals having significantly risen in recent years, and platforms such as Twitch allowing gamers to stream for a living, it is a fairly unsurprising development. Those who are less familiar with this modern phenomenon may probably be surprised to learn that some televised tournaments can attract several millions of viewers per day.

eSports has helped create personalities, with well-known gamers featuring regularly at major tournaments around the world. Fans are committed to following their favourite players and tournaments throughout the course of the year and tune in specifically to check on their progress. It is also possible to wager on the majority of these high-profile events.

With prize pools of up to $30million available, and over 3.8million viewers tuning in for the League of Legends World Championships 2020, this hugely popular pastime is showing no signs of abating and its popularity is likely to increase further over the next decade.

Although it isn’t solely responsible, eSports is helping to drive the popularity of gaming, and there are plenty of areas of online gaming which have benefitted from this growing trend.

Other Online Gaming Options

Gaming consoles remain incredibly popular with Sony’s Playstation 4 selling almost 18.3million units in 2019. The Nintendo Switch and the Xbox One weren’t too far behind with many gamers continuing to enjoy far more traditional offerings.

Mobile gaming has shown the biggest growth since the beginning of 2019 with over 2.4 billion users worldwide having used their handheld device to download and play a game. With gaming apps now readily available, it is quick and easy to get started, and many of the most popular titles are free to install. Only social media and shopping apps were downloaded more frequently than gaming apps throughout 2019. These were particularly popular amongst 18-25 year olds. Subscriptions to services such as Google Play have also increase significantly year-on-year.

Reasons for Gaming’s Increased Popularity?

It is easier than ever before to access online gaming apps and with 5G technology starting to be rolled out worldwide, new releases are starting to become increasingly sophisticated and advanced. Access to Smartphones and Wi-Fi has also been a key reason behind its recent growth.

Gaming also provides a significant release for those who are looking to escape the stress of day-to-day life. Online gamers can be accessed on the way to work, at the school gates or even at the airport. This increased accessibility provides the perfect platform to escape into a virtual reality, regardless of location.

Finally, friendships are also maintained and created via online gaming platforms. The ability to compete against fellow gamers is vital to this industry’s growth, with many young people able to keep in touch with one another via this medium. With players largely unable to engage in social activities over the last twelve months, playing online games has been the best way to remain connected.

The popularity of online gaming is unlikely to plateau anytime soon, and as technology continues to evolve, this cultural trend is highly likely to continue its unprecedented growth over the next couple of decades.

 

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Betty Bugle
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