Top 5 Facts about the Future of Video Gaming

#5: Expect More Physical Crossovers for Children, and for Adults

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It's no surprise to learn that mobile video games are quickly rising in popularity. According to researchers from Nickelodeon, 34% of children under the age of 11 their own tablet, and this technological ubiquity allows children's entertainment to seamlessly transition from the digital to the real world. We've seen physical crossovers already, such as Skylanders and Nintendo's Amiibo figures; Nintendo recently green lit Nintendo-themed amusement parks, and there are already Angry Birds activity parks around the world. Today’s children expect a 360 degree experience, and increasingly, adults like their favorite games to become a lifestyle, so we can expect more and more immersive, cross-platform experiences as these kids grow up.

With the advent of YouTube, video games have never been the same, as Let's Plays have become extraordinarily popular in recent years. Twitch reports 120 million active viewers a month, and we can probably all name at least a couple of celebrity Let’s Players. Developers realize this, and many, many recent games are geared towards spectating, and social interaction. This, combined with the fact that esports’ popularity across the world is quickly growing is leading some industry analysts predict that there will soon be more people watching games than playing them. So we can expect that games themselves will have more recording and publishing features built into them, so players won’t have to leave the game experience to create a Let’s Play or tutorial video.

#3: Gaming Devices Will Integrate... in the Cloud

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Analysts have been pointing out for a few years now that people are buying fewer consoles. We’re seeing more backwards compatibility on console titles, and cross-platform compatibility on smartphones. Physical discs for games are pretty much obsolete thanks to digital distribution services like Steam. And services like GeForce Now uses cloud computing to stream games directly, rendering a gaming PC or console superfluous. With Sony's PlayStation Now, all you need is a high-end TV and a Dualshock controller. Taken all together, this could all mean that we’ll someday be able to buy a AAA game, play it on TV at home, your tablet on the bus, stream it to your friend’s PC at his house, using your smartphones as controllers. All your games, everywhere, all the time, with minimal hardware.

#2: Gaming Will Rival Or Even Overtake Hollywood

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You’ve probably heard before that, in the west, the video game industry grosses many billions of dollar more than the movie industry. This is only true if you account for hardware and peripheral sales though. If you compare money spent only on game content, to American movie industry revenues including box office, blu-ray, digital downloads, etc, the movie industry made nearly double what video games did in 2014. So, while it’s hard to do an apples to apples comparison of the two industries, what seems certain to us is this: video games are being consumed more and more, leading to them taking a bigger role in popular culture. And that’s really what we should expect: video games will rival the movie industry as the pinnacle of popular culture. By and large, everyone watches movies, and in the future, we’ll be able to say the same thing about video gaming.

Whether you like the concept or not, virtual reality is on its way. By the end of 2016, the HTC Vive, the Oculus Rift and the Morpheus should all be on the market, and companies like Microsoft and Ubisoft are experimenting with their own VR concepts and technologies. From a business point of view, it’s the exciting new technology that everyone wants to invest in. The fact that VR can take gaming out of a 2D display has the potential to revolutionize the way games are designed–just as the Wiimote did… or was supposed to. That may or may not not be a fair comparison; creators are already finding thought provoking ways to exploit the potential of virtual reality. So, what do you think about the future of gaming? Do you think virtual reality gaming will take off, or fizzle out? For more futuristic top tens and society changing top fives, be sure to subscribe to Watchmojo.com.