The video gaming industry is on course to generate revenues of more than $100 billion in 2015, according to a research carried out by Gartner.
Out of this, games plays on mobile devices will generate $30.3 billion. To understand how video gaming got to this point, it is necessary to look at history of PC gaming as well as the future of mobile gaming.
A Brief History of PC Gaming
Alexander Douglas is credited with creating the first video game in 1952. It was not fancy but a crude version of tic-tac-toe.
Video game aficionados agree that William Higginbotham, a nuclear physicist, created the first interactive video game in 1958. These games were only available to a few people with access to computer labs.
This changed in the 1970s thanks to video arcades. Atari was in its element during this period releasing hits such as “Pong” and “Space Invaders”.
Other popular games included “Asteroids,” “Death Race,” and “Space Wars.” In the 1980s, companies such as Mattel, ColecoVision, and Atari hit the market with video games such as Mario Bros, Pole Position, Metal Gear, Zork, Donkey Kong, Prince of Persia, and Mega Man. Nintendo debuted the handheld Gameboy in 1989 with the popular Tetris game.
In the 1990s, game consoles became the rage allowing enthusiasts to play games such as Sonic the Hedgehog from Sega. Sony debuted the PlayStation in 1994 with hardware to render 3D graphics.
Popular games during this era included Virtual Fighter, Myst, Tomb Raider, Command and Conquer, and Monkey Island.
From 2000 to 2009, some PCs had the capability to render complex graphics leading to the rise of MMORPG games such as World of Warcraft in 2004 to latest state of the art games such as Avalon 2 and Game of Thrones which can be played at euro Palace online casino.
It’s incredible to experience the story and structure of these online games. The last couple of years also saw the emergence of blockbuster games such as Halo 3 and Killzone 3. Furthermore, Sony pioneered physical interaction with the introduction of the Wii game controllers.
Since 2010, Sony and Microsoft have perfected the art of games that involve physical interaction releasing Wii U and Kinect game controllers. Blockbuster games such as Assassin’s Creed, Grand Theft Auto V, and Call of Duty: Black Ops continue to thrill fans.
Mobile Gaming and Its Future
Mobile gaming simply exploded after the introduction of smartphones and tablets. In 2010, mobile gaming revenues stood at $1.6 billion. Research firm Newzoo expects this figure to hit $30.3 billion in 2015 and grow to $40.9 billion by 2017. With this in mind, the future of mobile gaming is likely to involve virtual reality gear such as the one fronted by Samsung. Facebook may also venture into this niche with its Oculus virtual reality headgear.
It is also worth noting that mobile gaming will continue to attract more women unlike PC gaming widely dominated by men. This is because of the ease of whipping out a mobile device and playing a game while stuck in traffic or on a work break. Thanks to powerful processors, mobile devices will soon be able to render complex graphics once the preserve of PCs.
Conclusion
PC gaming has come a long way from the early days in the 1950s when games were only available to academics with access to huge computers in learning or research facilities. Mobile gaming has also evolved quickly with titles such as Angry Birds becoming household names.