Online games are witnessing a massive boom with gaming streams and E-sports becoming the new normal in the virtual world. Cloud-based infrastructure, real-time personalization, and 5G networks are taking the gaming user experience to the next level, says GlobalData, a leading data and analytics company.

Kiran Raj, Practice Head of Disruptive Tech at GlobalData, comments: “The online gaming industry is embracing technological, behavioral, and economic shifts. The rising enthusiasm from various demographics, especially Gen-Z and Millenials, as well as the growing popularity of E-sports is adding momentum to the industry’s lucrative potential. This in turn has led to the wide-scale adoption and integration of various fintech solutions enabling game developers to earn more than ever before.”

Rahul Kumar Singh, Senior Analyst of Disruptive Tech at GlobalData, comments: “With E-sports trending where players can directly compete with each other, competitive multiplayer mobile gaming is gaining traction. Next-gen gaming consoles along with technology proliferation are driving innovation in areas such as live event gamification, play-to-earn (P2E) gaming, and on-demand video gaming, thereby boosting the online gaming industry.”

GlobalData’s FutureTech Series report, “Online gaming: key disruptive forces to transform the user experience,” highlights  25+ disruptive forces in online gaming as emerging, accelerating, and maturing innovation areas based on their rate of growth in innovation.

Live event gamification is the process of integrating game elements into non-game environments, such as virtual events. Gamifying virtual event helps motivate attendees as well as provides branding opportunities. In May 2022, India-based LeadSquared launched Ace, a sales performance management suite that uses a combination of psychological and analytical tactics to gamify sales processes and enhance sales performance.

Play-to-earn (P2E) games are free-to-play games that allow players to earn in-game currency by playing the game and completing missions or activities outside of the game. Players can earn cryptocurrencies and NFTs or receive them as gifts from other players during gameplay, which are then stored on a blockchain. In March 2022, Singapore-based GuardianLink launched a P2E cricket game and entered the NFT gaming space.

On-demand video gaming, also known as cloud gaming, is a method of playing games that run on remote servers and stream directly on any device of the user. It requires minimal hardware and allows users to play subscribed games from anywhere and anytime with a compatible device. In October 2022, Google announced the launch of Chromebooks that are built for cloud gaming.

Singh concludes: “The enormous growth of gaming throughout the pandemic boosted by the rise of mobile gaming, high-quality gaming content, social gaming, and increasing accessibility demonstrates the rising number of online gamers. Furthermore, increasing focus on the online gaming industry is also indicated by the uptick in patent filings from big companies such as Sony, IGT, Nintendo, and Tencent.”