The Rise of Online Gaming: The majority of people game online nowadays

The majority of people game nowadays. Where once gaming was encapsulated by luminescent, noise-ridden arcades, populated by a clientele with an average age of thirteen, the gaming landscape has changed drastically in the past decade or so; gaming simply is a far more acceptable pastime than it was previously. One of the most popular ways in which to play games that has come about recently has been online gaming, a medium played via computers, laptops, tablets and smart phones that has gone so far as to threaten the traditional dominance of that monolith of gaming; the video game console. Why, though, have online games become so popular in such a short space of time?

First up, when it comes to online games, the sheer choice of games available has overtaken the crop on offer by its console rival. Remember the early noughties, where only a few, poorly coded games could feasibly be accessed and played over the internet? Internet-based gaming companies have, quite rightly, found ways of building successful and productive business models around internet-based games, threatening the traditional disk-in-a-sleeve dominance of the console industry.

Different genres have also started to worm their way onto online platforms, thanks to technological progress and increased levels of development. Once upon a time, you would never have been able to play a first person shooter through an internet browser or mobile device; the console retaining the privilege; but now you can! The same goes for casino games. Players would used to have to make do with a cheap, restrictive disked game if they wished to play casino games, unable to play for real cash and lacking the opportunity to play against real human beings. However now, thanks to development within the online gaming industry, online casino game platforms such as Uptown Aces are doing amazingly well, providing fun, social games to fans that are being continually updated whilst simultaneously affording players the chance to win often very large prizes and sums of money!

A lot of things in this world come down to one thing; price. Forking out $40 for a console game is all fine and dandy for power gamers or fans of a particular series, but for the casual gamer, this kind of expense is rather too large. Online games, on the other hand, are often available to play for free for a trial period, the player then having the option to either play on for free, or have a far more enhanced play experience through the purchase of in-game items, levels and game modes. Being able to craft your own play style without having to pay for aspects of the game that you don’t necessarily enjoy or connect with is a huge boost for online games and their manufacturers.

Things are changing so fast that one wonders where the rise in online gaming is leading us to? With new technologies such as the Oculus Rift, a virtual reality headset that has made waves in the gaming industry in recent years, perhaps a fully immersive poker or blackjack experience could be in the pipeline? Perhaps systems such as Microsoft’s Kinect will allow you to spin the roulette wheel yourself? Only time will tell!

Image used in this article is taken from Flickr (Creative Commons Licensed).