With billions of gamers all over the world and hundreds of billions of dollars in sales, the future of video gaming seems bright. Important numbers:
- SuperData estimates that the global market for interactive media and games will be worth over $120 billion in 2019. Mobile games will account for more than half of this total, while PC and gaming consoles will contribute $29.6 billion and $15.4 billion, respectively.
- Statista estimates that by 2020, 7 billion people, or 35 percent of the global population, will be regular video game players.
Companies like Nintendo, Sony, and Microsoft are pushing the boundaries of console gaming innovation as the gaming business develops. Tech giants like Amazon, Apple, Facebook, and Google have entered the gaming sector with their own products and services that take gaming online.
A look into the future of video games can be gained through an appreciation of the industry’s past. This condensed history of video game development covers its inception in the 1970s up through the present day:
- 1970s: Home and arcade gaming surged in popularity. Popular games from the era include Pong for the Atari arcade system, The Oregon Trail for personal computers (created by the Minnesota Educational Computing Consortium), Space Invaders for the Atari VCS, and Asteroids for the Atari 2600. (made by Taito).
- 1980s: Beginning with Namco’s Pac-Man arcade game in the early ’80s, the video game market took off with Nintendo’s Donkey Kong, which featured Jumpman, better known today as Mario. Nintendo released the NES in 1985, the role-playing game The Legend of Zelda in 1987, and the portable Game Boy in 1989, and they dominated the rest of the decade.
- 1990s: Microsoft included Solitaire with Windows 3.0, introducing gaming to millions. Sonic the Hedgehog and the Sega Genesis game device dominated the early to mid-’90s before Sony debuted its PlayStation in the U.S. market. Mortal Kombat (Midway Games) was released at the beginning of the decade, and its depiction of violence in video games prompted the United States Senate to hold hearings on the subject.
- 2000s: Electronic Arts (EA)’ The Sims, a life simulation video game, marked the beginning of the decade. In 2001, Microsoft entered the game console market with Xbox, and in 2005, the software giant became a key player with the Xbox 360. Nintendo maintained dominance in the portable industry with the Nintendo DS, debuted in 2004. The Nintendo Wii, equipped with motion sensors, was then released by the business. Popular titles were Rock Band and World of Warcraft. Mobile games like Angry Birds and FarmVille caused a commotion in the industry.
- 2010s: The proliferation of smartphones contributed to the meteoric surge in popularity of mobile gaming. Independently developed games like Minecraft and the groundbreaking Pokémon Go paved the way for augmented reality (AR) in the gaming industry. Nintendo replied with the Switch in 2017, allowing gamers to take the same games they enjoy on their home TV displays with them anywhere they go. Sony dominated the 2010s with its best-selling PlayStation 4 game console, topping all other game console developers in the decade. This year, $2.4 billion was made from the online cross-platform war game Fortnite.
Today, technology such as AR, virtual reality (VR), and 3D graphics and trends such as streaming services and mobile gaming continue to influence the future of video games. New video game consoles, smart phones, and technologies like voice and face recognition, gesture control, HD screens, and wearable technology are all important factors.
Types of Video Games
Video games are typically categorized by type, or genre, depending on how players interact with them. Below are six popular types of video games:
1. Action Games
Action games, in a general sense, are any that test the player’s reflexes and dexterity with their hands and eyes. Under time constraints, the player must complete tasks like puzzle solving and face off against physical obstacles like battle.
Combat, first-person shooters (FPS), and survival games are all common types of action video games. The Super Mario Bros. series is a pioneering example of an action franchise. Assassin’s Creed, Resident Evil, and Saints Row are just a few examples of newer action franchises.
- Fighting: Fighting at close range between two or more entities. Among the games included are Street Fighter IV, Super Smash Bros. Brawl, Tekken 7, Virtua Fighter 4, and Soulcalibur VI.
- First-person shooter: First-person shooter combat with weapons. List of games includes Modern Warfare, CS:GO, Halo 5: Guardians, and Wolfenstein II: The New Colossus.
- Survival: Ability to acquire and use implements, weapons, and other materials for use in a variety of contexts. Video games with these titles are DayZ, Subnautica, and The Forest.
2. Idle Games
Idle games, often known as incremental games, are those in which the player does not have to do much. Players progress through basic actions, such as clicking, to receive rewards. In-game cash or further progression possibilities are two examples of possible rewards.
To illustrate, in AdVenture Capitalist, players begin with a lemonade stand and, with little effort, may build it into a successful business. Games like Idle Miner Tycoon, Plantera, and Cookie Clicker are all examples of this genre.
3. Role-Playing Games
Player avatars are a common feature of role-playing games (RPGs), in which players take on the role of a fictitious persona in an imaginary world. The player assumes the role of the game’s protagonist, assuming control of the avatar’s actions and those of the character’s friends and foes alike to earn experience and new equipment. Combat, a progressively unfolding story, a world to explore and a set of choices and consequences are the defining features of role-playing games.
Dungeon Master, released in 1987, is regarded as one of the earliest role-playing video games. Recent popular role-playing games include World of Warcraft, Pokémon Yellow, and Final Fantasy XV. Common types of role-playing video games are sandbox games and massively multiplayer online role-playing games (MMORPGs).
- Massively multiplayer online role-playing games: Massively Multiplayer Online Role-Playing Games are popular among gamers worldwide. The list includes games like EverQuest, Guild Wars 2, RuneScape, The Elder Scrolls Online, and Star Trek Online.
- Sandbox RPGs: Players in sandbox role-playing games have a lot of freedom to explore and alter their virtual environment as they see fit. Astroneer, Minecraft, Roblox, Survivor: Mars, and Breath of the Wild are some of the games mentioned.
4. Simulation Games
To play a simulation game, or “sim,” you must create a digital version of some element of a real or imagined world. Typical real-world experience simulators let you put your skills as a pilot, chef, or truck driver to the test. Participating in a fictitious sim’s historical event or transforming into an animal are only two examples. Video game simulations like The Sims provide players with both realism and fun.
The following are examples of popular subgenres within the simulation game:
- Life: Participating players manage the actions of digital avatars in both fictitious and realistic environments. Animal Crossing: New Leaf, The Sims 4, and Second Life are among examples.
- City building: Players create and run a community of any size, from a little village to an entire planet. Aven Colony, Frostpunk, Jurassic Park: Evolution, Skylines, and Survivors on Mars are some of the titles available.
- Flight: Users feel like they’re actually in the driver’s seat. Games like Microsoft Flight Simulator 2020 and X-Plane 11 sit beside Kerbal Space Program.
- Vehicle: Participants drive. Games like American Truck Simulator, Formula One: 2020, and SnowRunner are all in the works.
- War: A virtual war experience, covering everything from tactics to major decision-making. War games like World of Tanks and World of Warships are among the titles in this genre, along with Brothers in Arms.
5. Sports Games
Sports video games are recreations of the real thing, whether it’s soccer, basketball, boxing, or football. Some sports video games make an effort to faithfully recreate gameplay characteristics, even to the rules of physics. Arcade sports games, which don’t take realism as seriously, often feature impossible physics and over-the-top environments. Various others include of things like franchise management and player growth.
Examples of popular subgenres in the sports video game industry include as follows:
- Racing games: Virtual tracks are used for user competition. These include the racing games Asphalt 9: Legends, iRacing, Forza Horizon 4, and Need for Speed: Heat.
- Pro sports: Customers run rosters, negotiate deals, and play as their favourite athletes. Games like Madden NFL, NBA 2K11, FIFA 13, and PGA Tour 2K21 are also available.
- Arcade sports: Creating an exciting spectacle by going to ridiculous lengths in sports. Nintendo 64 games, Rocket League, and Windjammers 2, to name a few.
- Extreme sports: Users engage in dangerous and challenging virtual sports. Video games like BMX: The Game and Tony Hawk’s Pro Skater 2 are included.
6. Strategy Games
Players in strategy games are given meaningful choices that have a direct impact on the outcome of the game. Success demands creative thought, careful preparation, and deft management of available resources. In military-themed games, players prepare for battle by constructing bases, assembling and training troops, and gathering supplies. Even in games set in a seemingly peaceful setting, the player may be tasked with saving the world from certain disaster by securing the whereabouts of a legendary treasure.
A few examples of well-liked subgenres are as follows:
- Multiplayer online battle arena: The objective of multiplayer online battle arenas (MOBAs) is for two opposing teams to win the game by destroying each other’s base. Games like League of Legends, Smite, Strife, and Heroes of the Storm are examples.
- Real-time strategy: Real-time strategy games necessitate swift, well-thought-out judgments to ensure victory over an adversary. Game names include: Age of Empires II, Command & Conquer, Company of Heroes, Rise of Nations, and StarCraft II: Wings of Liberty.
Resources: Video Game Genres
Due to video games’ long history and continued development, numerous genres and subgenres have emerged.
- In-Depth Guide to Video Game Genres, HP — Covers everything from sandbox games to platformers and more
- Trends in Mobile Gaming and the Five Most Played Categories — The history and definitions of the five most played types of mobile games (MOBAs, MMORPGs, card games, puzzle games, and role-playing games).
- Gamer jargon is an alphabet soup of acronyms, and Hacker Noon’s “Video Game Genres” explains them all.
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