Gaming has become massively popular with nearly half of Americans playing video games. Younger age groups are more likely to play, but gaming has expanded to all ages with the average player now 35. Most gamers play on mobile devices and over half play with others either in multiplayer online modes or with family. Popular online multiplayer games like League of Legends have tens of millions of users. While consoles remain popular, online and mobile gaming continue to grow in popularity due to lower costs and greater accessibility for players around the world.

1. By Danielle Duffy

2.  Gaming is a massively popular mode of
entertainment with almost half of the
American population playing video games
 26% of under 18 year olds, 30% 18-35 year
olds, 17% 36-49 year olds, 27% 50+ years
play games
 59% of parents play video games with their
children, and with the average game player
age said to be 35, it is evident that the market
for games has widened signiciantly

3. Playing via their mobile device is a modern
and convenient way to play with 960
million gamers choosing to do so
56% of the most frequent gamers play with
others
54% play multiplayer mode at least weekly
– the internet has made playing with others
easier

4. MMRPGS such as League of Legends are
extremely popular, racking up users of
around 67 million per month
Mobile games (apps) are very popular,
initial downloads often being free and then
users are bribed with upgrades that cost
Video games on consoles such as XBOX,
Wii, PlayStation

5.  The presence of indie games e.g. Angry Birds have higher
potential (thanks to social media) to become successful
 Easy to sell games online with the presence of sites such as
Amazon
 Online distribution increasing in popularity e.g. downloads of
games cuts out the costs of having a physical store
 Online advertising is more affordable and effective
 Products can be promoted easily via platforms such as
YouTube which can be used to display ‘reviews’ and
‘walkthroughs’ of games to attract a wider audience
 The increased accessibility of games with them being online
means that audiences are much wider
 It has allowed games to develop further

6.  Online games (which are often free) are just
as addictive and they may find consumers
choose these rather than spending money on
consoles
 The internet offers a wide range of
entertainment that may mean the demand for
video games reduces
 Market domination is harder due to more
competitors – have to keep developing their
software and fit it to consumers needs well

7. Advantages
 Wider choice of games to play
 Games are more accessible with
many initially being free to download
 Audiences can become prosumers
thanks to online technology
 No longer have to be in the same
place as friends
 Can interact with others online –
build up a social hub
 Development of game content –
games now have increased
purposes such as education as well
as entertainment
 There are more ways in which
games can be purchased online e.g.
Amazon and so we can purchase
more niche gaming products
Disadvantages
 A worry for parents as children are
exposed to the words of strangers
online – online safety becomes a
bigger issue
 Gaming is addictive causing many
people to become ‘glued’ to their
devices – this means that social
interactivity in real life is decreasing
and they are sitting down for many
hours consecutively posing threats to
health (such as the chance of
obesity and eyesight and joint
problems)
 May desire to purchase game
upgrades which build up
 Keeping up with the latest game
consoles is expensive as technology
develops rapidly

8. Some predictions that have been made include that
there will be new experiences for gamers including:
 Virtual reality with friends
 Further updates to consoles
 Players as creators
 Minor indies becoming major players
 Virtual and augmented reality become commercial
realities
In conclusion, the gaming industry is on the rise with
expanding audiences, its dominating presence across
every platform developing to include latest
technologies to appeal to audiences with innovative
ideas that spark creativity.