Tech is now part of modern life and something which is central to how people live. One tech-heavy sector which has grown massively in recent years has been gaming. A multi-faceted industry, gaming is now perhaps at its highest peak ever and seems set to continue an upward trajectory.
It is also a sector which managed to weather the recent COVID-19 storm and one which has actually benefited from the changes to our lives it brought. We are now tentatively moving into a post-pandemic world and this leaves many wondering which trends in gaming might carry on moving ahead.
Playing games online set to continue
One major shift the pandemic brought was the move towards online forms of gaming. This was especially true for casino games, where people turned to online casino sites after land-based ones closed during COVID.
Post-pandemic has seen people stick with internet casinos for the convenience, bonuses and range of games they offer. Many think this will continue in the coming years and players will continue with online casino play. If you are looking for a top iGaming site to try yourself, check out CasinoUK today. They bring together the safest and most awesome UK internet casinos to look over in one handy place.
More time on gaming could carry on
Another trend which looks likely to continue in future is people spending more time playing games. This covers everything from online casino games to mobile play and traditional PC/console video gaming. The simple facts are that people discovered a love for gaming during the pandemic, when they were stuck at home and needed to find fun things to do. This love for playing games has endured post-pandemic and 64% of British gamers enjoy increased playing time in our post-COVID world.
Spending on in-game items set to hang around
While things like the future of 3D smartphone tech might be a hot topic in future, one recent trend within gaming (especially mobile games) has been the ability to buy in-game items. This basically sees players purchasing things like new maps, new skins or new weapons online to use in the game they are playing. During the pandemic, this became more popular as people had more time to play games and make these purchases.
In 2020, the amount we spent on in-game items was estimated to be around $54bn but this had gone up to around $61bn in 2021. With in-game spending figures for 2022 coming in at an estimated $65bn, it is clear that this is a trend which is not showing signs of slowing down anytime soon.
Post-pandemic trends in gaming to look out for
Everyone is understandably happy to be in a post-pandemic world now, where we can get back to living normal lives. While this is true, it does not mean we will go back to how we used to do things across the board. Gaming is a great example of this, and it does seem that some trends which appeared in the last few years will be here for a long time.