The Covid-19 pandemic was unprecedented, and it disrupted almost every industry. Online gaming was also affected by the pandemic, but it may be one of the only sectors to emerge in a better position. Gaming was one of the few pastimes that continued to be accessible during the quarantines.

There have been a few fluctuations, but overall, the industry’s performance was positive. Read on for the specifics.

Gamers

Pro Gaming

In recent years more people have chosen pro-gaming as a viable career choice. The pandemic has allowed gamers the time to try and sharpen their skills and break into this industry. The pro gaming landscape as a whole has seen some developments in the last year. Twitch –an online platform for viewers to watch pro gamers play their favorite games live – saw a massive increase in viewers last year. For the gamers who stream on twitch, this can mean a dramatic increase in income. Tournaments are also one of the main ways pro gamers make their money, but obviously, in-person tournaments haven’t been possible. However, this didn’t stop them altogether. Many were held online, allowing them to still go ahead.

Online Gambling

Developers and Publishers

Long-Term Effects

The increased interest in gaming sparked by the pandemic will likely accelerate the shift – which is already underway- towards the usage of cloud and mobile-based game delivery. Giant corporations such as Google and Amazon are now pumping money into their cloud-based gaming services. This holds massive potential for gamers in the coming years as all they would need is an internet connection to play. Next is the increase of monetization in response to the overwhelming demand for entertainment through gaming.

Services are beginning to offer subscriptions to allow a player to access a whole host of games for a fee. Some developers are choosing to make their games free but install in-game purchases to try and entice more people to pay to play. Thirdly, there is also an expected expansion to merge different areas of the entertainment industry more often. The most recent example is Fortnite. Fortnite broke out of its niche and entered the mainstream, and as such, the game hosted live concerts and premiered new content by artists and directors. In the future, more collaborative efforts like this are expected as media companies see to take advantage of the popularity that gaming now has.

Conclusion