Gaming review by: SAI HEIN HTET ZAW_MM029_2334

Review of the Gaming Market

The golden age of video gaming arrived in the 1980s when popular arcade games were released and from then the home console industry really
took off. Gaming technology has come a long way since the early days and continues to develop at a relentless pace. The gaming industry is
worth around USD 250 billion worldwide and has never been more popular. The biggest titles comfortably generate more income than blockbuster
movies. However, the sale of consoles and video games has seen a steady decline in recent years. The gaming world is changing. Dedicated
game consoles are expensive and non-portable so it is not surprising that industry growth is coming from other sources. Gaming on tablets and
smartphones is growing rapidly, as are streaming services and games played through web browsers and social-networking sites.
Gaming is no longer a hobby exclusively enjoyed by the young. Generations of video gamers have grown up and these parents are now playing
video games with their own children. In addition to this the increased use of smartphones has changed the gaming demographic dramatically. It
is thought that 86% of internet users play games on an electronic device, and nearly every internet user has a smartphone able to run games.
The average gamer age has increased to 37 and just under 50% of the gaming audience is now made up of women. The growth in popularity of
tablets and smartphones means more people are playing mobile games than ever before.
2. Sports Games
GAMES 3. Adventure Games
Today's games are increasingly reallistic and technologically 4. Battle Royale Games
advanced. They feature richly textured, full-colour graphics, amazing Role-Playing Games
sound and complex interaction between player and system. There Some video games have been criticised for glorifying violence,
are a huge variety of games available for all demographics and cruelty and crime. There are concerns that children who play violent
audiences, including young children and the elderly. From action video games may have a tendency to behave more aggressively.
adventure games to puzzle games and simmulation games to This has led to an age rating system being adopted by the industry.
strategy games, there is truly something for everyone. The majority
of games are designed to entertain people but they can also
educate, inform, persuade and stimulate the user. The best-selling
VIDEO GAME CONSOLES
Video game consoles are a popular and cost-effective form of home
games are highly-polished cinematic thrill-rides that take you on an
entertainment. They require a single purchase with no additional
emotional rollercoaster. Outstanding graphics, incredible storytelling
hardware upgrades. Consoles connect to a TV screen which
and superb voice acting make the experience similar to watching a
displays the graphics and plays the sounds of the game. A game
movie, the difference being that the gamer controls the action.
controller is used to provide input and allows the player to interact
Games are categorised into commonly used game genres which are with the video game, typically to control an object or character.
mainly based on their gameplay, interaction and category. Since Console games often get priority release months ahead of the PC
2018 simulation, puzzle and strategy games have seen the biggest version, or the release is for console use only.
growth of any genre. The top five gaming genres currently are:
In previous decades consoles were kept in the bedrooms of
1. Action Games teenagers. Times have changed and consoles are now living room

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 Gaming review by: SAI HEIN HTET ZAW_MM029_2334

fixtures and are used as much for watching TV as playing games.

New gaming consoles have the ability to access numerous
streaming services and are not just used as gaming devices but are There are many advantages to
cutting edge media devices for the whole family. Manufacturers are cloud gaming. For gamers the cost
keen to promote their consoles as complete home entertainment of buying and maintaining a
Cloud Gaming
systems which stream films, play live TV, place video calls and powerful gaming computer or
browse the internet. These additional multimedia features greatly game console is removed. Users
enhance the functionality and everyday use of the game console. pay a small monthly fee to stream
content. Keeping the technology
CLOUD GAMING up-to-date and future-proof is included in the subscription. Saved
data is stored in the cloud so, providing there is a good internet
Cloud gaming is a method of playing video games by accessing
connection, users can access their games and stored data from any
remote servers. Games are no longer downloaded and installed on
location. These games can then be played on any device. A
a PC or game console. The streaming services send gaming
disadvantage is backwards compatibility of older games which
information to an app or browser installed on the recipient’s device.
cannot be played unless they are re-released digitally. Making past
The game is stored and played on the remote server but the user
titles and historic archives available on cloud gaming services may
interacts with the content locally on their own device. Streaming
become an attractive selling point for service providers in the future.
services operate on a subscription basis where users pay for access
For publishers and developers cloud gaming eliminates the potential
to the streamed content. As a result gamers can purchase cheaper
for pirating and the need for digital rights management (DRM) since
consoles without a disc drive and use digital cloud gaming services
users do not actually download the game. It also helps lower
to access content.
development costs as all players have access to the same hardware
and performance.
We live in a world where social networking and interactive gameplay are now mainstream activities. Video gaming takes place between gamers
all across the world and more people are playing quality games through a web browser or a cloud-based gaming service. It is only in recent years
that hardware has become good enough to deliver high-fidelity content. This, along with the evolution of faster, cheaper and more accessible
broadband connectivity, has made gaming accessible and attractive to more people. As internet speeds and connectivity continue to get better
and cheaper, so too will cloud gaming. With the rapid growth of cloud computing services some believe that the current generation of home video
game consoles may be the last of these devices. Time will tell whether these traditional game consoles can survive.