VIDEO🎮GAME🕵🏽‍♂️MURDER😵MYSTERIES III🚫
Channel: RealFlix Games
Date: 2023-05-25

VIDEO🎮GAME🕵🏽‍♂️MURDER😵MYSTERIES III🚫

VIDEO🎮GAME🕵🏽‍♂️MURDER😵MYSTERIES III🚫

VIDEO🎮GAME🕵🏽‍♂️MURDER😵MYSTERIES III🚫

The video game industry is on the cusp of an exciting evolution:  Having first transitioned to games in the digital space, now expanding to gaming across platforms and devices, the video game industry is poised to offer “gaming as a service”.

First, we have seen a move away from purchasing physical copies of games, as the ability for some systems to play games made for their previous generations also increases the life of a game. Second, we are seeing an increase of gaming flexibility, allowing games to be played across platforms and devices. Video games have been transitioning towards the digital model for some time now and gaming services such as Playstation Now and Microsoft’s Xbox Game Pass and Xbox Play Anywhere (the next step being Project xCloud) are allowing people to play their games, previously only on physical discs accessible only with their consoles, on multiple compatible devices and platforms.

The above two changes have been happening for some time now but this third shift is far more recent. We have just stepped into gaming as a service — subscriptions to libraries of games and streaming video games rather than buying them — creating an array of possibilities in many distinct areas of the gaming industry. The combination of these three stages has begun to kick into high gear and is sparking a new wave of competition and innovation in this industry.


First Stage: Games in the Digital Space
The first stage of the transformation of the gaming industry has been the transition away from purchasing physical copies of games towards digital distribution. The digital distribution of video games has aided in introducing key changes into the gaming industry, the largest of which has been the creation of digital storefronts such as Steam and the Epic Games Store selling vast libraries of games from indie to “AAA developers”. Other developments during this time are the proliferation of mobile games on a wide range of devices such as phones and tablets and expansion of the subscription model with services facilitating online multiplayer and digital game libraries such as Playstation Plus, Playstation Now, Xbox Live, and Xbox Game Pass.

The digital distribution of video games has encouraged innovation and competition from developers across the board. The rise of digital distribution also came hand in hand with increased power in a range of devices. Games moved from physical discs on PC and cartridges on consoles to digital downloads not only on computers and consoles, but additionally to mobile gaming on less powerful yet still capable portable devices such as tablets and smartphones. Today the market for mobile gaming accounts for approximately 51% of the market share in the global gaming industry, with console and PC gaming comprising 25% and 24% respectively.

Furthermore, statistics from the recent Sky is Rising report — including that the digital format has grown to approximately 80% of video game sales since 2017, the number of games released each year on Steam has dramatically risen from 2012, the U.S. gaming penetration rate among the general population reached 66% in 2018, the number of North American mobile gamers is around 225 million people, and the global mobile video game market value is over $120 billion — all demonstrate that the video game industry is seeing substantial growth in games, gamers, and money in the industry.

App stores, digital PC gaming stores, and game console stores have allowed a wider range of developers, not just AAA developers or big studios, a gateway to consumers. Going digital has removed two key barriers to entry and competition: it has eliminated the need for manufacturing, shipping, and distribution of physical copies of games (though there is still a strong market for physical copies and collector’s editions) and increased developers’ reaches into varying systems and platforms. This shift towards digital distribution has also contributed to broadening the business model in gaming, no longer just about single up-front purchases, towards multiple different means of game monetization such as free-to-play, subscription, and freemium styles.

This shift created a natural flow to the next stage, gaming across platforms and devices. Developers took advantage of the nature of digital distribution and the growing power of an increasing array of devices to create games that could be played across those devices and platforms.


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