Gaming remains one of the most successful industries in the world, and the mobile sector is facing unprecedented growth. More people had been playing their favourite games on smartphones in 2020 than they did while using other platforms – the mobile gaming industry generated a revenue of $86.3 billion in the past year. The console gaming segment ranked second by reaching $51.2 billion, while PC gaming ranked last with about $37 billion.
The Internet of Things, on the other hand, is another trend in technology that keeps growing and will cover new areas. The IoT is a network of interconnected devices and objects with automatic or sollicited data exchanges enabling new services or able to improve existing ones. By the end of 2018, about 22 billion IoT connected devices in use existed around the world, easily surpassing the total number of the planet’s population.
Mobile gaming keeps evolving thanks to IoT
Today the Internet and gaming space are inseparable due to online gaming and the gaming gadgets we use, connected to the internet as part of the Internet of (gaming) Things (Io(g)T). And all the new IoT devices and technologies flourishing are constantly influencing all aspects of gaming, especially when it comes to the social angle. For instance, gaming that involves Augmented Reality leads players to game in the real world. And this has been partly achieved through always-connected devices like smartphones but also IoT-enabled wearables (like smartwatches). A perfect example is Pokémon Go where players would roam their own towns looking to ‘catch them all’.
Cloud gaming will be enhanced even more
Through cloud gaming services such as Google Stadia, we get a good example of how consumer-IoT devices can help the gaming industry. Through Stadia, gamers can play a game at home on their PC and continue playing it from another smart devices (smartphone, tablet, smart watch) while they’re on the bus. More and more exciting games will be added to cloud gaming platforms in the near future, and some of them will be leveraging the multitude of connected objects out there in our homes to provide unique gaming experiences.
Blockbuster games will be added to Google Stadia soon, and we can see upcoming titles such as Far Cry 6, Cyberpunk 2077, Mafia 2 Remastered, Mafia 3 Remastered, ARK: Survival Evolved, Cris Tales, Chorus, Killer Queen Black, Farming Simulator 22, Resident Evil Village, and Street Power Football.
Google Stadia has been through some rapid and interesting changes, considering only the fact that the service was released only 17 months ago. In only a few months, Google’s service reached one million users, according to stats offered by GamesIndustry.
Gaming has gone a long road since it once represented pretty much nothing more than playing classic games like Chess, Poker, Solitaire, or Backgammon on a screen. No disrespect intended for those games, however, as their role was significant in the evolution of gaming. Klondike Solitaire, for instance, remains a highly playable game even today, and there’s no wonder why. Microsoft announced that about 35 million people still play the famous card game each month. Solitaire can become very fun and addictive once you continue to play it, and it has certain benefits like improving memory, soothing the mind, and more.
But the real surprise will most likely come from games using connected objects such as smart clothes, smart glasses or VR helmets. By leveraging those smart IoT devices, gaming editors really have the opportunity to create and deliver innovative gaming experiences.
