Video Gaming In North America
Video Gaming has become a major part of life for people across the world, and in just a few short years it has gone from something that only nerdy geeks were interested in to being mainstream and considered a normal part of growing up.
Author:Elisa MuellerReviewer:James PierceMar 25, 2024795 Shares14.4K Views
Video Gaming has become a major part of life for people across the world, and in just a few short years it has gone from something that only nerdy geeks were interested in to being mainstream and considered a normal part of growing up.
Video games run the gamut of themes from horror, movies, casino, to real life role playing, and there are video games suitable for every age range, every passion, and every taste – and you probably won’t be surprised to know that gaming is gaining popularity across all age groups and genders.
North America is widely recognized as the birthplace of gaming as we know it today. The arcades and the early consoles became synonymous with 80s and 90s Americana, and it is the children who played these games who are building, designing, and creating the games that we play today. However, the US only represents 7% of the global gaming population yet it is responsible for around 28% of the global gaming market – it is Asia Pacific that is the top grossing market worldwide.
How did video gaming grow so much to be predicted to have a market value of $503.14 billion by 2025?
Technology Development
Increased Internet Accessibility
It might seem obvious, but the more people who have access to fast and reliable internet, the more people who can get to play some of the best games available. There are still places in the US, usually more rural and remote, where internet access is not the norm – but the number of users is growing which means so is the number of gamers.
Graphics and Audio Fidelity
If you transplanted someone from the early ‘80s into your gaming area now, one of the things that would surprise them the most is the development of both graphics and audio. Think of some of the major console titles that have been released in the last couple of years – photo-realistic depictions of water and hair, sweeping backdrops, and smooth animations are par for the course, making gaming much more immersive.
Better Hardware
According to research by Newzoo, in North America the annual spend per gamer is $213. Much of this can be attributed to not only the games themselves, but also the technology needed to play the games themselves. From smartphones to consoles like the Xbox and PlayStation, hardware is expensive – but technically ahead.
Mobile Gaming
Smartphones have changed the world in many ways – and not least the world of gaming. According to Mordor Intelligence, 57% of video game players use smartphones to play. Thanks to things like Augmented Reality(such as in Pokémon Go) and the rollout of faster data connections thanks to 5G, playing large, immersive games isn’t something that needs to be tied to your home or to a console.
Social Changes
It probably isn’t surprising to know that major changes in social behavior have happened since the pandemic. Covid 19 changed many things, including the way we interact with each other – moving to a socially distanced way of communication. This reflected in the world of work (more businesses understood that they could offer remote working options), but also in more people picking up video games as a way to not only spend their free time, but also to socialize with their friends.
Changing Stereotypes
Gaming used to center around the idea that the only people who took it seriously were either nerdy kids or weirdos living in their parents’ basement – but thanks to many different portrayals of gamers, this is not the way we view It now. It is no longer stereotyped as isolating or unsociable, and in fact it is even becoming a career aspiration for many who have seen the growth of eSports tournaments where players are increasingly treated as athletes in the same way that top football or basketball players are.
Multiplayer Options
The multiplayer options that exist for gaming now are widely regarded as one of the major growth factors of gaming; in 2020, online multiplayer games account for 32% of the global gaming revenue and that is expected to grow by more than 11% to 2030.
Demographics
80% of gamers in the US are over 18. However, 76% of under 18s play games regularly.
In 2023, according to Mordor Intelligence, 51% of gamers reported that they played more than hours a week, while the majority played more than 3 hours (77%).
In 2023, 4+6% of gamers were female.
The most popular games in 2023 included titles like Hogwarts Legacy, Madden NFL 24, Legend of Zelda, and Call of Duty, giving a good snapshot of the different genres of games in the US that remain popular throughout generations – everyone loves a shooter or a sports game.
Globally, gaming revenue increased from $61.11 billion in 2020 to $85 billion In 2022, and it is expected to grow at a rate of 9.41%. Statista has determined that the value of the global gaming market will reach $503.14 billion by 2025 – an unbelievable figure.
Elisa Mueller
Author
James Pierce
Reviewer
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