Gaming – Winning Hearts the World Over
Be it teenagers or married men and women, gaming enjoys special attention from all age groups and both genders. However, each age group plays games for different reasons. Older people do it to alleviate loneliness and reduce stress, while teenagers have made it their only leisure, even an obsession. The availability of games for girls has also resulted in an increase in women’s interest in games. It has been reported that 41% of all gamers are women and roughly 43% of all gamers are aged between 25 and 49. The data shows how everyone enjoys gaming, and it is not limited to some particular segment of the society.
Titles are now available online, to enjoy playing free of cost. This form of gaming has seen a surge in popularity in the last few years, as the only prerequisite is a good broadband internet connection. There are stored games too, that are played on consoles and computers, which have heavier graphics and more complexity that come at a high price and require internet only when playing in multi-player modes. People can choose between these two genres, and both remain equally popular to this date. There is a lot being done to facilitate advancements in this growing industry, with the result that the rise in popularity is unlikely to level off any time soon.
Gaming employs all the user’s senses, as well as intelligence and strategic analysis skills and couple it with complex, very real graphics and colors to create a truly enjoyable experience for every gamer out there. With the incorporation of internet into many gaming titles, the multi-player gaming experience that was created attracted many users into a whole new world of gaming where they could compete with professional gamers present not just in their own city or country, but in all other parts of the world as well.
The ecosystem of online gaming has six segments:
– The subscriber
– The advertiser
– The gaming platform provider
– The broadband service provider
– The network service provider
– The content provider
Together, the revenue this ecosystem has been generating since 2000 has been in the billions, and the rise continues without any visible chances of coming down.
There is a downside to this greatly innovative industry’s output too. While games stimulate the user’s minds, excess gaming can grow on to become an addiction, disrupting everyday tasks like studying, work and may also put the housewives off their daily routine. It may also lead to obsession, neglect of duties, lying, depression and nervousness that can in turn bring about suicides, mental imbalances and destruction of careers and lives generally. It adversely affects each gamer’s social life as well; outside their usual circle of gaming friends and competitors of course. Other physical effects that gaming can have, include carpal tunnel syndrome, dry eyes, sleeping disorders and general lack of personal hygiene.
The foreseeable future is undoubtedly very bright for the gaming industry, and can bring about great changes in how the world spends recreational and leisure time. However, if certain control measures are not observed, it can turn into a global epidemic due to the addicting effect that games these days have on youth and older people alike.