The mobile gaming industry is no longer just about the game. Because modern games break the cultural, geographic and even fiscal matrix. The male audience no longer represents the general target, as long as the gender ratio approaches 1: 1. Games are not played exclusively in one’s own home, while wired to fixed devices and with limited access to those you play with, but they become an e-social mobile phenomenon.
The game industry is an ecosystem that gives players the freedom to choose the right game for them and to customize their game experience. Because, more and more, games have become a realm of possibility; the player owns an avatar in the game and this personalization of experience makes him increasingly engaged.
According to the SuperData Research survey results:
• The global gaming and interactive media market is up by 12% in 2017
• The gaming market based on virtual reality (hardware and software) will reach $ 28.3 billion in 2020
• 46% of US video game players are women
• 665 million people are watching online video content about games
• In 2017, the largest digital platform is mobile
• In 2017 there are 2.9 billion global mobile players
Based on these data, supplemented by other global statistics, we see the following trends in the gaming industry:
1. Games become more than just a consumption habit. Online video sports (eSports), online video games and virtual reality provide the player with an ecosystem that makes it easier to customize the interaction with the game.
2. Players do not respect stereotypes. Almost half of the players are female, giving publishers, brands, and platforms the opportunity to address a greater diversity.
3. There are no monetization models which meet all players’ requirements. Free-to-play, additional features and micro-transactions allow players to buy what they need instead of paying for items they do not want.
4. The future of virtual reality games is here. Currently, half of the revenue generated by virtual reality comes from capitalizing on games. By 2020, players will spend 4.5 billion dollars on VR games; that is 30 times more than today.
5. Players are connected to the game even after they no longer play. Whether they are looking at tournaments, tutorials or trailers, 665 million people around the world are watching sites such as Twitch or YouTube for content about their favorite games. That means more than HBO, Netflix, ESPN, and Hulu together and twice the number of the US population.
PC, console or mobile games are no longer marginal activities in people’s lives; they have become a phenomenon. People spend more and more time online and more and more time playing. This phenomenon is amplified in conjunction with the increase in mobile device sales and gives momentum to the game experience.
According to Verto Analytics, for 57% of mobile device owners, mobile gameplay is the second most popular activity after social media use. As a consequence of technology advancement, mobile gaming captures the transformation of behaviors very well. You are physically in a real social space and at the same time in a virtual space. You can be seen and at the same time, you hide as an avatar in the game with a virtual identity. Childhood games are increasingly played online. The hide-and-seek is now playing on mobile.
