Five Reasons Behind the Popularity of Online Gaming

In the United States nearly 70% of the population play video games, that accounts for around 211 million people. Extrapolated globally, that figure rises to almost 1.82 billion making gaming one of the most popular past times in the world.

In recent years one of the biggest drivers in the popularity of gaming has been the explosion in the popularity of online gaming. It has brought the joy of gaming to a brand new audience, one much wider and larger than ever before.

However that can’t be the sole explanation to why online gaming is so popular now, so what are the in-depth reasons behind its increasing popularity? Read on to find out.

Competition

If you’ve been a gamer for decades then you’ll undoubtedly know the joy of inviting your friends over and starting a 5-hour video game binge. First-person shooters like Goldeneye on the N64 and sports games like Pro Evolution Soccer were ripe for group gatherings and friendly competition.

When online gaming came on the scene it completed revolutionized gaming, allowing players to experience the thrill of competition without having to organize a mass get together. Games like Call of Duty and FIFA exploded in popularity thanks to their industry-leading online platforms.

In recent years online gaming competition has gone to the next level with the introduction of freemium games like Fortnite. Hundreds of millions of people now log in every day to take part in standard online gaming competitions as well as qualifiers to major events.

Unless you’ve been living under a rock for the past 12 months, you will have heard the news of the recent Fortnite tournament that saw a 16-year-old boy scoop $3 million in prize money for winning the game’s World Cup.

This monetization of online gaming has led to more and more people to choose gaming as a career path, further increasing the sector’s competitive edge. It’s not just Fortnite that has a global competition either, every major gaming title and some minor ones have their own versions of the Fortnite World Cup.

Brand Loyalty

Games developers and individual gaming sectors are invested in eye-watering amounts of money into customer retention, which is usually achieved through loyalty schemes. Gambling is the sub-section of online gaming that is really leading the way in this regard.

Bingoport is an online website that is at the forefront of customer loyalty in the industry. The site aggregates the current best offers for the huge amount of online bingo companies to make the lives of their readers easier.

Visitors to Bingoport can browse the numerous offers available, from new customer promotions to ones specifically tailored to their needs. Bingoport isn’t the only website on the internet to offer this service, so they’ve taken extra measures to keep their readers coming back.

Every time a Bingoport reader takes advantage of an offer on the site they are rewarded with loyalty points. Over time these build up and readers can use them to purchase shopping vouchers, home and garden items and some great deals on tech.

It’s not only beneficial to readers but to Bingoport it ensures that they can foster a strong sense of loyalty with their readers and keep them coming back on a regular basis.

Affordability

There was a time when gaming was an expensive hobby, but fortunately for enthusiasts that has all changed in recent years. Remember when you were younger and saw a new game release advertised on TV? You’d start thinking of ways to save money so you could buy the game on your next trip to the shop.

The problem was that there was always a new TV advert, showing a better, more exciting game and that you didn’t have the money to buy every game you wanted. Now that’s finally changed, firstly thanks to freemium games.

These free to download games make their money through in-game purchases, which if you don’t choose to purchase make your complete gaming experience totally free. Fortnite was the first big-name title to make itself freemium and has had enormous success from it.

Within the next few months, Google Stadia is set to be released to the masses. This gaming streaming platform will be available on a subscription basis, further increasing the affordability of gaming.

Availability of Competition

In the past decade, online gaming has blown up in the number of active players, which has indirectly had an impact on its popularity. As numbers of players around the world have grown, so has the appeal of online gaming.

Not so long ago it could be difficult to find a willing opponent online or a game mode that suited how you were feeling at the time. Now there are so many people playing all across the globe that you’ll rarely struggle to find someone to play.

Call of Duty is a title that regularly releases new games every 12 months, yet it’s still possible to play every online mode without struggling to find an opponent or a lobby on Call of Duty games from 5 years ago.

Quality

One by-product of online gaming is the competition that it has stirred up in the industry between big development companies. Games that once ruled the roost are now being challenged by new up and coming games on an almost monthly basis.

As a result, there is no time for developers to rest on their laurels and settle for what they have. More and more game titles are being released and with every new release, the quality of games are improving, which is great news for players.

It’s not just games from years ago that are now unrecognizable due to their clunky graphics and gameplay, but now even games from 6 months ago are looking out of date thanks to new developments in graphics.

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