It is incredible how the industry of gaming has grown over the last couple of decades. Rapid growth is the benefit of a couple of developments. The two big ones were the development of the internet and the COVID-19 pandemic.
The latter half yielded its way to a frequency of more gaming being played, especially among the older generation who moved to online casino games to both protect their own health and get their gambling fix. Others did, too, by playing online poker, blackjack, slots, and other games that can be gambled on.
The Internet really changed the gaming industry as a whole and kicked off the rapid development of other gaming gadgets. Here is a breakdown of the eras and where gadgets are now.
Original Growth
In the early 2000s, as the internet began to develop, it truly changed gaming. People had to gather in one place to game together in what was known as LAN parties. Groups of people gathered and would play on a large box television so others could watch when they weren’t playing.
But once the internet came, more consoles were produced and sold. This allowed those gaming companies to invest in better technology and research to get the best products possible. Sony and Microsoft dueled for years to get consumers’ dollars.
Now that consoles were in more households. The development phase began for game developers. Party chats were created so those friends could have a sense of community while in their own homes. Most game modes were offline to start until the later 2000s. Being able to compete against strangers and playing on a team with friends or other strangers got gamers’ mouths wet.
From there, the consoles and games continued to become more refined. There were better graphics, better controllers, and better processing speeds. It allowed for more copies of games and other items to be sold over time, so the gaming companies and developers got richer.
A Pandemic
Things had become so refined in the industry that there wasn’t much separation between Sony and Microsoft. Meanwhile, gaming computers and laptops became popularized, but not a lot of sports titles were offered on those devices. So it is for a lot more shooters.
What the pandemic offered was a way for the gaming industry to target those who were held at home. Nobody was risking getting sick by venturing out places in their free time just for the necessities like food and beverages to have at home.
That created the opening for gaming to be the premiere entertainment option for kids and young adults. People were watching gamers, they were playing games, and some were even streaming themselves. It was a completely different boom from what once occurred two decades ago.
At this time, people began switching from televisions to gaming monitors.
The competitiveness was at an all-time high because of the availability of professional leagues and accessibility to those gamers who streamed in their free time. Being able to glean different strategies and find different ways to use a controller or keyboard allowed those to have a sense of accomplishment and allowed them to connect with these celebrities.
There are all sorts of devices for streamers. There are upgraded headsets, microphones, stream decks, computers, and things that will separate their content from other creators. It also gives them a variety of ways to connect with the communities that they have built up over time.
What’s Next?
Four years since the beginning of the pandemic, and it finally feels like the world did before COVID-19 altered things. People are finding new ways to entertain themselves or going to the familiarity of attending concerts and live sporting events. There are comedy shows, musicals, many traveling options, and so many great ways that people are choosing to get out and no longer stay inside and play video games.
That isn’t ideal for the gaming communities, but perhaps the Call of Duty title is ahead of the game as it is catering to more amateur players who pick up a controller every so often instead of every day. It is less about skill and more about having fun while playing the game. What does that mean for gadgets? We’ll see.
