The Evolution of Gaming

PS3 Gaming Console

Gaming is a huge industry worldwide – with billions of dollars in annual revenues and dedicated fan following. Also, it is very technology oriented – a separate field of technology in itself – if we look at in the modern context. As such, it is constantly evolving, and changing to reflect developments in general technology and societal mores.

Most of gamers will remember playing video games from the old cassette type consoles. With the increase in computer penetration, video gaming stated shifting to PCs. Also the increase in computing power took gaming to a whole new level – introducing features and applications that gamers could only dream about earlier. More capable and faster processors, increased storage capacity at low cost and availability of more advanced accessories (mouse, monitors etc) also contributed to advances in PC gaming.

World of Warcraft - a Popular MMOG

The next level in gaming technology was achieved with the introduction and popularity of the modern consoles. Playing on gaming consoles was understood to be more convenient and simpler than playing on PC – since building or buying a credible gaming PC requires a degree of technical knowledge. This simplicity also boosted the adoption of gaming consoles, further popularizing gaming to wider swathes of population and age groups.

Farmville - a popular SNS Game

The advent and spread of internet introduced another level of complexity in the gaming environment. It started the trend of online gaming, wherein the player could simply log into an account – using their PC or console - and play games without actually owning the game titles. Understandably, most of such services were paid in nature. Also, now players from different places could connect to each other, and multiplayer games expanded to encompass players from even geographically far flung areas. Multiple players could associate over internet to complete a mission – leading to the rise of massively multiplayer online games (MMOG) – with some games having participation of millions of players (e.g., World of Warcraft has about 12 million subscribers, with cumulative revenues of over USD 2.2 billion).

Recent advances in technology and consumer preferences are changing the face of gaming yet again. For example, the preference for mobile devices and ease of connectivity has encouraged movement of gaming to portable devices. Similarly, the increasing popularity of social networking has spawned a whole new gaming genre – social gaming – where participants assume virtual identities and interact with each other – over considerably long periods of time.

The recent popularity of Smart TVs is another trend that can influence gaming – at least the level of casual players. The new generation of Smart TVs, such as LG Smart TVs, comes with an inbuilt suite of games that can be played straight out of the box. Also, with the internet connectivity of Smart TVs, it is also possible to download a number of compatible games that can entertain causal gamers for hours.

The movement to portable devices – either Smartphones or tablets – will define the changing face of gaming over the next few years. It is also an opportunity for the gaming industry itself to expand – especially in developing countries where consoles are still considered a luxury purchase, but Smartphones are significantly more popular. Affordable tablets will also contribute to this trend – with most of them based on the Android and supporting a host of popular games. In countries like India, for example, more people access internet on mobile devices than on PCs, indicating a key area of growth for game developers.

However, this is definitely not a challenge to the mainstream gaming channels – notably PC and consoles. On the contrary, it represents a new opportunity – for the developers to take their products to a bigger audience, and for more gaming lovers to access their favorite games. The mobile devices makers can also tout the gaming capabilities as an additional USP for their products. It is a win-win situation for everyone involved.