The gaming boom: the industry that is a green shoot in the midst of the crisis

Eighty-six million in the country and more than 90 billion dollars globally are some of the numbers of the gamingwhich has on the platforms clouds a new challenge and more growth opportunities

With more than half a century of life (yes, it is about to turn 83), the industry of e gaming and video games billed, in 2021, 176 billion dollars globally and were among the most fruitful industries, from an economic point of view, of the pandemic years.

According to data from the Ministry of Economy, through the Secretariat of Industry and Productive Development of the Nation, the national video game industry currently has more than 100 companies, employs almost 2,000 people and concentrates more than 100,000 students. higher level linked to gaming activities. The data is completed with another from the Observatory of the Argentine Video Game Industry: this subsector represented more than $86 million dollars in 2020, of which 77% corresponds to exports, with the United States and Canada as the main markets.

Eighty-six million in the country and more than 90 billion dollars globally are some of the numbers of the gaming industry

In relation to the global numbers, in a 2021 report carried out by the market analysis firm Statista, it shows that, in 2021, video games registered approximately 2.700 million players worldwide, which, in total, generated income of up to 93,200 millions of dollars. In 2020, meanwhile, the gaming generated about $174.9 billion with 3.1 billion consumers. In a five-year projection, industry earnings are estimated at $340 billion for all items.

The video game industry is a highly dynamic and active economic sector, which is constantly looking for new projects and programmers who, through originality and talent, are capable of developing a new online proposal that seduces the players, who number in the hundreds of millions around the world.

The history of video games, however, is not new and although for many Mario Bros, Pac-Man or Space invaders is the origin, the industry originates in the 1940s, after the end of World War II, although video games had to wait almost two decades to see the light, since they did not go on sale until 1960.

To reach the X-Box or PS4, the industry evolved from the ancient Master System of 1940 as far as consoles are concerned while, among handhelds, the Atary Linx of 1987 evolved to the very modern Nintendo Swich, which since 2018 It is the best-selling of portable consoles.

And in this round trip between nostalgia and current machines, it is worth taking a look at the universe of players. Although considered entertainment for younger and younger youth, the audience gamer measured by Google for Latin America distinguishes four age ranges of players, statistically not so separated from each other: according to the measurement, the highest percentage of players is between 25 and 34 years old, which means 33% of the surveyed universe, while both the age group from 18 to 24 like those between 35 and 44 obtain the same proportional figure of 24% and not far behind, the Senior team of +45 is counted among 19% of users.

Two of the factors that made the gaming industry grow the most were, without a doubt, the popularization and accessibility of the middle markets to a Smartphone and the online sports competition. This last aspect of the market grew so much that companies like Red Bull launched their own team as if it were Formula 1, the former soccer player Sergio Kun Aguero formed KRÜ to launch his team to compete in the gaming world, as well-known Argentine athletes did in the business, such as the tennis player Guillermo Coria and the former basketball player Fabricio Oberto.

In short, eSports is a video game whose competition becomes a sport, with million-dollar prizes and teams backed by companies that are measured, for example, in FIFA, Counter Strike, or Fortnite tournaments.

Salaries start at $250 a month for beginners and can even exceed $10,000 for the most advanced and champions.

The last Dota 2 tournament, for example, distributed prizes for 40 million dollars and the Fortnite World Cup 2019, another 30 million.

How much does a player? It depends on several factors, including their ability and the sport in which they compete. Of course they are not alone: ​​there are also coaches, analysts and different specialists who accompany the development of the career. Salaries start at $250 a month for beginners and can even exceed $10,000 for the most advanced and category champions.

Undoubtedly the future of the business gaming. This technology allows you to play from almost any device with an Internet connection via streamingFor example, a version developed for a next-generation console on a mobile phone, even from the street thanks to connectivity technologies such as 5G.

Despite being an emerging option, 88% of cloud players were already gamers pre-pandemic and 50% say that the cloud is their preferred support platform.

As we said, the greater availability of smartphones in the region, as well as the improvements in the mobile infrastructure allowed the growth of the gaming and e-Sports audience, so much so that, according to the forecasts of different agencies, Latin America will not only grow in gamers from from different regions, but they will also increase the game time.

the future of gamingUndoubtedly, it is huge and after a decade of depending on consoles for its growth, digital platforms are the ones that, in a few years, will set the trend and generate the greatest profits.

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