A recent study has found that PC and console games are declining in popularity, as many gamers are turning to the online and mobile options. With the likes of Facebook available on all devices, more users are taking up social gaming as they are able to play and connect with friends through social media platforms. This increase in popularity had led to the real-money online casino games played on social networking sites is now a £1.8 billion industry.
The numbers are rising and currently 40% of all internet users worldwide play online games. Mobile games have become the most popular, which players can play while on the go and social games, which can be played on social networking sites. Game developers are also working on designing their games and characters to attract more women to gaming. Marvel and Blizzard for instance are working on redesigning their lead characters for some upcoming games so that in the near future there will be more female lead characters.
The country with the largest gaming market in Europe is Germany, in terms of the monthly revenue per paying user. In 2013, German gamers generated a staggering $3.7 billion dollar revenue, creating the fourth largest gaming market worldwide, only preceded by the US, China and Japan. However, the Market Research Blog have found that the UK rank before Germany in terms of spending rates on digital game content.
For the gaming industry, the shift to online gambling is a very welcome one. The online gaming market has very quickly turned into a multi-billion dollar business and it is particularly popular in Europe. Some concerned voices have argued that the rise of online gambling would increase the number of gambling addicts, however researchers of the Harvard Medical School and other organisations have argued that there is no evidence for such a claim. Casinos should embrace the potential the internet offers or otherwise they risk being left behind.
Head of Consumer PR at Ladbrokes Casino David Williams, discusses that;
“The rate at which social gaming is growing is undoubtedly one of the most exciting developments on our landscape. Being in the right place at the right time to influence consumer behaviour and offer discerning customers precisely what they want – and more – will be key to leveraging the cash benefits of social gaming for big firms.”
The online gaming industry is an incredibly fast growing one. Social games are definitely the future and if you want to be competitive you will need to cater games for all genders as more and more women play games online. There are many more markets that can be explored, with Europe being one of the fastest growing ones, and now is the time to seize the opportunity and delve into the world of online gambling.
