World Gamification: Gaming Industry Trends 2021

Video games are no longer just a kind of entertainment. They have begun to influence everything we do, and at the same time, everything we do is becoming gamified. In 2020 the gaming industry was estimated to be worth at least $159.3 billion and is going to be worth $200 billion by 2023. Of course, we can’t help but mention that video games have become even more popular during quarantine. People had to entertain themselves at home and find new distractions to occupy time formerly taken by commuting or outdoor activities. This gave rise to new gaming industry trends which we are going to discuss today.

Trends in gaming that are here to stay

It seems nothing new can be invented in the gaming world, but gaming trends are not always about novelty. Some of them may be just overlooked fads, while others are well-known stories implemented in a new way. Additionally, advancing technology greatly influences video gaming trends. So, let’s take a closer look at some of these rsing trends.

Roguelike gaming

Roguelikes are a genre typically identified by random levels and frequent death of the game character. Very often, THESE games are designed in a fantasy genre. Classic Rouge was created in 1980, but the revival of this phenomenon has taken place in the 2000s when indie games have started gaining momentum. Nowadays high-difficulty roguelike games are a popular trend because they attract players with a bit of mystery and randomized elements.

Live streams

In a world where life has gradually moved from offline to online, gaming has similarly been affected. The ability to play games online with both friends and new people has appeared to be one of the most significant benefits of the industry. It provides players all over the world with freedom and new opportunities and has even helped rejuvenate old games. For example, Twitch streamers tend to use games with open-world adventures and multiplayer options to create new scenarios by live roleplaying. This was behind the resurgence of Rust, from 2013, when a great number of Twitch players began experimenting with a new kind of roleplaying.

Mobile gaming

Since people always keep their mobile devices at hand, it’s no surprise one of the video game trends 2021 is the skyrocketing development of mobile gaming. Modern devices are able to deliver gaming of such high quality and performance that it’s beginning to get very close to the console experience. More and more AAA games are becoming available on mobile, and according to the reports, over 238 million mobile users in the USA and Canada were playing mobile games in 2020 – 12% greater than in 2019.

Cloud gaming

This is one of the biggest video games trends of modern times since almost every aspect of our life can be moved to the cloud. The times when you had to download games for hours, adjust your hardware for a game to run on your PC properly, and delete everything you can to free up storage are long gone. Cloud gaming allows players to enjoy a top-tier game in real-time without the necessity to download anything. This trend is also an excellent opportunity for game publishers to earn revenue from old games that were previously console-exclusives.

Early access

The option of early access is a great thing both for developers and the gamers, and it continues to gain popularity. The point is that users can play games in advance – a few months or even years before the official release. This allows game developers to get valuable and honest feedback and be able to make important adjustments to the game or fix unpopular design decisions. At the same time, players have a chance to get exclusive access to the game and try it earlier than others.

Virtual reality

VR is one of the most exciting video game industry trends. It is expected to be worth more than $92 billion by 2027 because the number of fans of virtual reality keeps on growing. Players, particularly millennials, are fond of technologically progressive devices. Alongside virtual reality, augmented reality games, such as Pokemon Go provide unique experiences that traditional gaming can’t provide. Moreover, such technology may be used not only for games but for work and training as well.

Global gamification

Some people regard video games as something that distracts from work, business, or studies. But nowadays games permeate every aspect of our lives and can bring new approaches to office routines, training, everyday tasks, and collaboration. It may boost productivity as new approaches provide for innovative developments..

Apart from the trends mentioned above, some gender-related changes are also worth mentioning. We all know that men usually play more games, especially the young ones. But nowadays women are actively joining the gaming community, and up to 46% of players are female. They even take part in gaming competitions. And yes, esports takes up gaming space in 2021 as well. As traditional sports had to pause because of the pandemic, esports rose in popularity to fill their gap.

The takeaways

Video games will always have their fans. And as the gaming industry develops, new trends will appear every year even after the pandemic comes to its end. Because games aren’t just something to play to distract ourselves, but are becoming an essential aspect of modern life that can provide insights on how to tackle even business tasks in new, more creative, ways.