About GAMING

  

DEFINITION

gaming

• Gavin Wright

What is gaming?

Gaming is playing an electronic video game, which is often done on a dedicated gaming console, PC or smartphone. People who often play video games are called gamers.

How popular is gaming?

Gaming is an extremely popular activity worldwide. The number of people who play games is estimated to be over 3 billion. Some estimates put the worldwide gaming market value between $180 billion and $220 billion in 2022. This is about double the market for the global film industry. The majority of the gaming market is people playing games on their smartphones.

What are the origins of gaming?

The word gaming originated in the 15th century to refer to gambling in dice or card games. Gaming was used to refer to gambling until the late 1900s, where it was applied to playing recreational board games and pen-and-paper role-playing games. With the introduction of video games in the 1970s, the term gaming became more associated with its current use.

Types of gaming

What are casual, hardcore and professional gaming?

Gamers are often ordered into several groups, depending on how often and how involved they are with gaming.

A casual gamer is someone who irregularly plays games or who only plays a single low-intensity game. An example casual gamer would be someone who plays word or puzzle games on their smartphone while on public transportation or at home while watching TV. Casual gaming is the largest portion of the gaming market due to its wide appeal and the ease of access provided by smartphones. A casual gamer would often not self-identify as a gamer.

A hardcore gamer is someone who regularly plays video games. They usually own dedicated video game devices, such as consoles or gaming PCs. A hardcore gamer often plays many games but focuses on one game or type of game they particularly enjoy. A hardcore gamer usually self-identifies as a gamer.

A professional gamer is someone who makes money or supports themselves by playing games. Some are e-sports athletes who play video games at a professional level in tournaments. They may be part of a team, or clan, and play in broadcasted events. They may make money from tournament prize pools and from corporate sponsorships. They usually focus on only a single game. Another type of professional gamer is a streamer. A streamer makes money by posting video of them playing games. These videos are often done live and put on Twitch or YouTube. They make money from viewer donations, sponsorships and ad revenue.

While these are the traditionally accepted categories of gamers, there is no definitive way to classify all gamers, and these categories are skewed toward traditional gaming culture. For example, a retired woman who plays a farming or Sudoku game on her iPad for many hours a day would be considered by many people a casual gamer, although she probably plays video games for more hours a month than a traditional hardcore gamer.

Generally, gamers have been divided into three categories: casual, hardcore and professional. The casual gamer plays games irregularly or as an occasional pastime; the hardcore gamer is devoted to regularly playing video games on dedicated video game devices or a PC; and the professional gamer makes money or even a living playing games.

Single player vs. multiplayer vs. massively multiplayer online gaming

Video games can be played alone or with others. With the internet now widely available, playing games with other people is now extremely popular.

Single-player games are games that are played alone. These types of games traditionally tell a narrative and take the player on an adventure or through a story. They often present a series of challenges that get progressively harder. These are self-contained experiences and are paid for upfront at purchase. Most games have a single-player campaign but may also include a multiplayer component.

Multiplayer games are games that are played with a small group. Typically, they have between two and 100 players at a time. They usually take the form of one person or team against the other in matches. They are designed to be played competitively, and there is no story between the matches. Multiplayer games can be played locally with people in the same room or over the internet. Multiplayer games may be paid for at once in a purchase or be free to play (F2P) and have microtransactions to buy small items to fund the game. Some games have a cooperative mode where two or more players work together to overcome a challenge instead of against each other.

Massively multiplayer online (MMO) games are games where thousands of players inhabit the same game world at one time. These are persistent worlds where players can interact and play together. These games are often paid for in a monthly subscription.

The three major types of gaming today are single player, multiplayer and massively multiplayer online (MMO). Traditionally, single-player games tell a narrative and take the player on a self-contained adventure or through a story, while multiplayer games are those played with a small group between two and 100 players at a time. These are often competitive in nature and can be played locally or over the internet. MMO games, meanwhile, are where thousands of players inhabit and interact with one another in the same game world at one time.

Console vs. PC vs. mobile gaming

Gaming is usually played on three kinds of platforms: a video game console, PC or mobile device. All can be played by people individually or with multiple players locally or over the internet.

A video game console is a dedicated device to play video games. The console is commonly connected to a TV, and the player uses a controller to interact with the game. The major consoles are Microsoft's Xbox, Sony's PlayStation and Nintendo's Switch. Games and accessories do not work between console manufacturers. If a game is only released for one console, it is called an exclusive; if the game is available for more than one, it is called a multiplatform game.

PCs can be used to play video games