Whilst the past year has been seeing a huge shift in popular forms of entertainment, the entertainment landscape as a whole has been seeing a huge shift for the better part of a decade with the advent of smartphones and changing habits with the increasing usage. The top of this list has certainly been found within the gaming market, as it continues to be the leading form of entertainment among many different devices. There are many reasons for the shift, however, and it certainly doesn’t seem like something that will slow.
Changing attitudes for gaming
The biggest reason for the shift has certainly been within changing attitudes toward gaming as a whole – whilst it was a market previously targeted towards young teen males, the demographic has seen a huge shift with different genres in online gaming like these that have become particularly prevalent on mobile devices, although initiatives such as Gamstop have aimed to slow growth down, the familiarity for an older audience has led to a shift and the demographic is now much different than it had been different.
Wider access than before
Gaming had previously been tied behind a larger paywall as the cost of a device and games certainly wasn’t cheap – shelling out hundreds to get the latest games and device to play them on restricted access for many, and even in modern times with things like gaming PC’s exacerbate that issue.
Mobile devices were the big solution, whilst they do have an upfront cost, it’s hard to find someone who doesn’t own a phone, with access to app stores and thousands of free games, gaming had become more widely accessible than ever before, and many of the barriers for entry would quickly slip away for the wider audience.
A little something for everyone
Whilst access has been a crux, finding an interest that suits each individual has been something that has evolved over time as tech has allowed for newer games to become available and fill different niches, this has allowed for different players to pick up their own big interests in gaming and fill gaps that may have existed before, particularly for growing audiences that have yet to find something that fits their own interest. This wider variety of gaming along with the other two points continues to grow the market further.
With other options in the space such as esports and the growing acceptance of this as a broadcasted option, gaming continues to thrive and lead entertainment options as well as provide opportunities for sports outside of the gaming sector too, and small growth brings more growth with it too, and with the lockdown efforts still in place for many of us, gaming continues to be a pillar of entertainment and shows no sign of slowing.
