How Millennials Have Helped to Transform the World of Gaming
If modern popular culture is to be believed, the millennial generation wields a fairly sizable amount of power at the moment. Defined as those who have reached young adulthood in the early 21st century, the age bracket – which is thought to roughly run between 18 and 35 – is thought to be having an impact on so many different aspects of life.
Whether it is challenging how retail businesses operate or even affecting how literary classics can be defined in the future, the presence of this generation is seemingly being felt everywhere. But what impact has the age group had on gaming?
Rude health
It is safe to say that the gaming industry is in rude health at the moment, with market intelligence organization Newzoo stating that 2.3 billion gamers across the world will spend in the region of $137.9 billion on games in 2018 alone. Quite simply, gaming is a huge market that takes in everything from small mobile titles to blockbusting console and PC games which cover a range of different genres. Whether you want the colourful fantasy of Zelda, the gritty action provided by the ever-popular Call of Duty series or simply want to play casino games at a site like Betway, the modern gaming scene has something for everyone.
But just what role have millennials played in shaping gaming’s ongoing success, and how have they influenced the industry and some of the directions it has taken in recent times?
Going mobile
From the outset, it is clear that millennials are big fans of gaming and that the pastime plays a huge role in their lives. According to research carried out in the UK, more than half of gamers aged 18 to 30 say playing games helps them to relieve stress and relax. In addition, a similar number also said that the pastime helped them also look positively at their lives away from the screen. Many also outlined how gaming was important to their social lives, helping them connect with friends.
So, while millennials feel that games have a positive impact on them, just what are they choosing to play on? Well, the aforementioned Newzoo research revealed how gaming on mobile has grown massively in the past decade and, for the first time, more than half of all game revenues are expected to be generated from smartphones and tablets. When such findings are considered alongside further research by PayPal and SuperData, which found that 77 per cent of millennials play on smartphones, it is easy to draw a link between that generation and the massive growth seen in mobile play in recent years.
PlayStation preference
In terms of preferences for PC or console, the PayPal study found that millennials tend to opt for PlayStation 4 ahead of rival systems. This point tallied with research by Google, which found that millennials also regard PlayStation as the coolest gaming brand, although teens now have a preference for Xbox.
But, while that sheds light on what millennials use to play games, what type of titles are they actually playing? The State of Online Gaming 2018 market research by Limelight highlights that the generation spends a large amount of its time playing so-called casual single-player games like Angry Birds or Candy Crush, although, compared to older generations, they also spend a fair amount of time on other titles including RPGs, MMOs and first-person shooters.
Watching the action
Another gaming trend that millennials are likely to have driven is the rise of eSports, with professional gaming now a multi-million dollar industry that is edging closer to the mainstream. A study by Kleiner Perkins found that those in the age bracket tend to enjoy eSports as much as traditional sports and dominate viewing figures for major competitions too.
As well as watching big eSports events, millennials have also had a hand in the growth of Twitch and the idea of seeing other gamers in action. Limelight’s aforementioned study found that the generation is actually spending more time watching gamers than watching traditional sports on TV.
A huge impact
When all of this is considered, it is safe to say that millennials have had a major impact on gaming and the direction that the industry has taken in recent times. From the rise of mobile gaming to the popularity of eSports and streaming services like Twitch, the generation seems to have played a role in so many of the biggest developments seen in the past couple of years.
It will be fascinating to see how their influence continues to impact how gaming grows in the near and long-term future.
