Photo by Afif Ramdhasuma on Unsplash
Unless you’ve been living under a rock, you’ve no doubt noticed that all is not well in tinsel town right now. July has witnessed the largest combined strike action from the Writers Guild of America and the Screen Actors Guild in modern history. Their demands range from improved pay conditions, to accommodations around the regulation of AI in the industry.
While it’s hard to know to what extent their demonstrations will be successful in ushering in reform, there’s no escaping the fact that this will hit the entertainment industry hard with many top TV and movie productions being halted as a result of the picket line.
And while boycotting the viewing of major upcoming films such as Barbie and Oppenheimer will do little to impact this institutional process, there’s no escaping the fact that the coming year is not going to be able to deliver on the usual bustling roster of new visual content we’ve come to expect.
Fortunately, related industries are encountering no such issues at present, and thus serve as a safe haven for those wanting to unwind and enjoy some top tier media at the end of a long day. Chief among these, is of course, gaming. Here we will explore what this newly dominant industry can do to help pick up the slack in our entertainment diet below.
For many years, the combined TV and movie market was the largest entertainment sector in the world. All of this changed however in 2004, when the games industry eclipsed its preeminence. Now, the gaming industry is at least twice the size of Hollywood, with an estimated $300 billion in annual revenues typically accounted for.
Part of the reason for the game industry’s vast scale and success is its diversity. When we talk about conventional visual media, we typically mean television shows, one-off specials, and movies. However games encompass everything from simple web-optimized minigames, to big budget triple-AAA console titles and everything in between.
What few realize is that mobile gaming is now the largest single sector in the market, accounting for around half of its revenues. As a result of this, it’s the perfect place to begin exploring if you’re unfamiliar with the delights of this format – after all, most people own a smartphone, which is more than can be said for the latest and greatest $500 game consoles.
Mobile
Mobile games enjoy enormous diversity, from freemium titles like Candy Crush Saga and Clash of Kings, right through to veritable console-style multiplayer experiences like Call of Duty Mobile and Genshin Impact. For those that like a challenge, there’s even a growing community of players committed to high level competition of any number of emergent mobile esports, such as PUBG Mobile and Mobile Legends: Bang Bang.
Photo by Billy Freeman on Unsplash
Web-Based
Many games are designed to simply run on any web-browser, thus making them extremely accessible to gamers of all persuasions. Many of the world’s most popular games belong to this category, such as 8 Ball Pool and the Scrabble clone, Words with Friends. What’s more, many of these can be accessed through Facebook’s Instant Games service, allowing for a seamless experience wherein you can challenge anyone on your friends list.
It’s not just frantic mini-games that call this category home though. For those that prefer their gaming to run at a different pace, or perhaps enjoy the classic thrills of brick-and-mortar gaming, the bustling iGaming sector is a good place to explore. This market is home to over 20,000 online casinos offering everything from slots to roulette and blackjack. This can naturally make it difficult to pair down your options – but fortunately a new generation of comparison platforms such as CasinoBonusCA has sprung up to provide detailed recommendations and furnish competitive sign-up bonuses to get you on your way.
Free to Play
Games belonging to the F2P category offer their base gameplay experience free of charge, instead relying on funds recouped from microtransactions to fund ongoing development. This means they represent amazing value to gamers unsure if they want to commit to purchasing a new triple-AAA game. Many of the world’s most popular games now belong to this sector, including Call of Duty: Warzone 2, and Fortnite. These can be an excellent option for those that want a fully fledged gameplay experience, without wanting to invest in it.
