Online Gaming Scores Big in 2020
Gaming has never been more popular than it is in 2020. The COVID-19 pandemic that took the world by storm introduced lockdowns in countries worldwide. Hundreds of millions of people had a lot of time on their hands, and many turned to games to stay occupied.
Even though forecasts from 2019 predicted that online gaming would get a significant boost in 2020, they couldn’t have guessed that it will grow this fast. While 2020 is the worst year for most industries, it’s the best year in gaming history. Stay with us as we take a look at the numbers.
COVID-19 And Online Gaming
2020 is the best year for gaming so far. The entire gaming market has grown by almost 20% since 2019, increasing the total value to $159.3 billion in 2020. COVID-19 mostly influenced the massive increase in the gaming market. Gamers from all over the world spend more time playing their favorite games, even after the lockdown.
The original forecasts were about 5 to 12% lower than the actual numbers. Console gaming saw the most significant spike with a whopping 21% growth, doubling the original forecast made in the first half of the year. With the release of the new PS5 and Xbox consoles, many gamers switched to consoles.
Mobile gaming is also reporting massive growth due to new technologies that allow players to enjoy some of their favorite games of all time on smartphones. Titles such as Call of Duty: Mobile attracted tens of millions of players, helping the industry grow rapidly. The latest forecasts say that the entire gaming industry will surpass $200 billion in the next two to three years. Video gaming statistics also indicate that approximately 40% of the worlds’ population are gamers.
New Industry Trends
When most people think of online gaming, they usually think of consoles and PC platforms. Mobile gaming is becoming one of the most prominent players in the industry and will soon be the most popular way of online gaming.
The new technologies have allowed game developers to take a different approach to games. As much as 48% of all gaming studios worldwide are currently working on VR/AR games. The gaming industry has become the wealthiest branch of the entertainment industry. It’s growing faster than anyone expected, and it’s not showing any signs of stopping.
The newest trends put mobile gaming in front of other platforms for the first time ever. Today, the mobile gaming industry is worth close to $80 billion, followed by console gaming and finally PC gaming.
It’s estimated that there are over 3.1 billion gamers in the world right now. China and other Asian countries have the highest percentage of gamers, with over 1.36 billion new gamers registered in 2020. However, the recent growth trends in the industry are closely followed by new cybersecurity threats.
Gaming and Cybersecurity
It’s no surprise that the number of cybercrimes follows the same trends as the gaming industry. As mobile gaming gained billions of new players in the past few years, cybercriminals have many more potential targets. They use all kinds of methods to breach personal devices and steal valuable information they later sell for a lot of money.
Hackers exploit vulnerabilities and humans’ trust to gain access to devices, and gamers seem to be one of their primary targets. Many cyber criminals use fake links, patches, and cheats to gain access to devices from all over the globe. One wrong tap and you might download a corrupted file that unlocks your entire phone allowing the criminals to download your personal information without you knowing a thing.
Millions of online gamers experience some kind of cybercrime every year, and the situation is only getting worse. Game developers are trying to improve their security features, but even so, cybercriminals always find a way to breach their systems and steal a portion of their income. Sadly, most gamers have to defend themselves, as they can’t rely on game developers to protect them at all times.
Stay Protected at All Times
Every time you connect to a gaming server, you leave pieces of information that can be used to track you down and steal your data. Many new viruses and malware can infect your device even though you have the latest version of popular antivirus software.
One of the best things you can do to stay protected is to use a gaming VPN. That stands for Virtual Private Network, and it allows you to connect to the internet without leaving a digital footprint. You appear as a gamer from a different country, making it impossible for hackers to track you down accurately.
Protect Yourself Every Time You Play with Friends
Playing online games with friends during the quarantine has probably saved millions of people from losing their minds. However, if you’re not careful, you can end up having all kinds of problems due to a cyberattack. That’s why you should protect yourself with a VPN, just to make sure that no one can track your location and spy on you while you enjoy your favorite video games online. While gaming can be fun, and the industry grows tremendously, it is not an activity to take lightly. If you invest hundreds of dollars into your account, losing it might be extremely depressing. Stay safe, have fun, and get to gaming!