Are you familiar with 2021 gaming trends?
Due to people spending an increased amount of time in their homes over the last year, there are many changes in gaming trends.
In fact, gaming is one of the few industries that is booming.
These changes to the gaming industry won’t go away. These habits are now ingrained.
By reading this guide to 2021 gaming trends, you’ll not only discover changes in the gaming industry but also gaming trends you may not be aware of. You’ll also find out about the rise of social MMO (massively multiplayer online video games.)
Let’s get started reading about all the changes to gaming in 2021 and beyond.
Cloud Gaming and Other 5 Key Trends in Mobile and Social Gaming
The year 2020 was a year of disruption – and destruction – for many industries and companies.
But one area that saw unprecedented growth was cloud gaming. The industry generated $159.3 billion US dollars in 2020, which was a 9.3% increase from last year.
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Mobile and social gaming saw a lot of growth and we can expect to see many changes in the year to come.
Let’s take a look at 5 key trends we should see in that space in the near future.
5G Smartphones are Opening Up Avenues for Cloud Gaming
One of the biggest obstacles for cloud gaming has always been connection speeds. While these have greatly improved in homes, mobile speed was still not at the level needed to support cloud gaming on a large scale. 5G is changing this and making cloud gaming accessible to the millions of people using smartphones as their main or secondary gaming device.
Bloggers Lead the Way
Gamers are also increasingly reliant on social proof to find new games or before trying new platforms.
One area where this is particularly true is when it comes to online casinos. Players look at insights into the world of gambling from casino bloggers before they make their decisions on where they’re going to play and which casinos offer the best perks.
The trend is affecting all sectors of gaming, however, and influencers are being courted by gaming companies left and right. They are often the first people brands talk to when they want to spread awareness about new developments and games.
Not only tech bloggers, but also famous streamers are often instrumental in the success of titles, and more companies are understanding their importance these days.
Subscription-Based Gaming
Services like Spotify and Netflix changed the way we consume content forever and are a continuation of your neighborhood video rental store.
The same thing is happening with gaming and we can expect more platforms to allow players to access their selection of games based on a monthly subscription fee.
The subscription economy is growing at 5 times the pace of the retail economy since 2012, and it’s affecting the gaming industry. As a matter of fact, 44% of responders in a recent survey stated that they would subscribe to a video game subscription service if given the chance.
Would you?
Cloud Gaming and Virtual Reality
Even though there was much hype around them, VR gaming hasn’t really caught on. The high price of gear is one of the biggest obstacles to it.
However, cloud gaming could help keep those costs at a minimum. Power-hungry and high-end VR games could be transferred to the cloud which minimizes the need for buying and constantly updating high-powered PCs that can run them.
Increase in Collaborative Games
Did you ever play Farmville?
My daughter and I attempted to play, but the excitement of playing together online never had the thrill one would expect from a social MMO, and the app closed on December 31 of 2020.
What is a Social MMO?
A social MMO is a massively multiplayer online video game.
Collaborative games were mainly missing on mobile, but the massive success of social deduction games like Among Us could increase their popularity.
Advances in connection speeds could also accelerate this trend. Among Us is another example of a game that was mainly popularized by streamers, influencers, and popular YouTube channels.
This was one of the biggest sensations on Twitch with millions of views. Other social games to watch for the next year include Escape Team, Out of the Loop, and Psych!
Gaming Trends Frequently Asked Questions
Is Gaming Becoming More Popular?
Yes. Due to spending so much time indoors in 2020, the gaming industry is booming. Gaming has always been popular with males, but gaming trends include the popularity of gaming picking up with females.
What Are the Current Trends in the Gaming Industry?
Subscription-based gaming and collaborative gaming are two of the gaming trends of 2021.
Wrapping Up: 2021 Gaming Trends
These are just some examples of trends we should expect to see this year, and in the years to come. Keep a close eye and expect this year to be full of surprises.
Readers, please share so smartphone users learn about these gaming trends for 2021 and beyond.
I look forward to your views in the comments section. Can you add any additional 2021 gaming trends to the discussion?
Author: Riley Cooper
