Hi there!
I've broken your answer down into individual segments for you:
Growth Trends
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According to Robert Garriott, CEO of Destination Games, the online
gaming industry (worth about $208.3 million in 2001!) will expand to
$1.7 billion in the U.S. by 2004. This would amount to a growth rate
of 90% a year! Sales of online games was expected to account for 24%
of the gaming market by 2002, up from just 2% the year before.
The Future of Online Gaming - PC Magazine - October 2001)
http://www.pcmag.com/article2/0,4149,103952,00.asp
Resetting online gaming's future? - C-Net News
http://news.com.com/2008-1082-939003.html
The BBC says there will be 114 million online gamers by 2006, but
cautions that the industry is still in its early stages:
"About 114 million people are forecast to be gaming online by the year
2006, says a report by US market researchers DFC Intelligence.
The gaming industry sees playing against opponents over the internet
as the industry's new growth area.
But online gaming is still in its infancy, with experts saying it will
be some time before it becomes part of the mainstream."
Online gaming set to explode - BBC News
http://news.bbc.co.uk/hi/english/sci/tech/newsid_2031000/2031091.stm
Demographics
------------
According to the Interactive Digital Software Association:
-- 32% of Internet users play online games
-- slightly more than half of online gamers are women
-- 79% of all online gamers are between the ages of 25 and 55
Brief History of Online Gaming > Glimpse at the Future
http://howto.lycos.com/lycos/step/1,,3+26163+26003+22820,00.html
PC vs. Console and Broadband Penetration
----------------------------------------
According to Jupiter Media Metrix, online PC gaming will continue to
outstrip online console gaming considerably - PC gaming revenues are
expected to reach $1.5 billion annually by 2006, while console
revenues are only expected to rise to $250 million annually by 2006.
Jupiter notes that the success of online console gaming in the US will
be largely contingent upon broadband penetration - of 79 million homes
with consoles, it's expected that 12.3 million will pay for online
console gaming by 2006, a number directly correlated to the number of
homes with broadband connections. The number of homes in the US with
broadband access is expected to rise to 46% by 2006, up from just 15%
in 2002.
The Future Of Console Online Gaming
http://www.videogamereview.com/dailynews/comments/1008720333,98363,.asp
Consoles Hope to Score With Online Gaming - Eileen Rivera - TechTV
http://www.techtv.com/news/computing/story/0,24195,3397496,00.html
Wireless Multiplayer Gaming
---------------------------
Wireless multiplayer gaming hasn't quite caught on yet, but it appears
it will be making small inroads soon. According to a report at
WirelessNews Factor, Verizon, Sprint and Motorola have deals with
companies to create multiplayer games for wireless phones.
Currently, costs, transmission delays, "dead zones" and a lack of
wireless standards are inhibiting growth of wireless multiplayer
gaming. Because there are no stardards for mobile phone design and
technology, game makers must make several different versions of each
game, driving expenses up. Wireless multiplayer gaming isn't expected
to take off until standards in design and technology evolve and are
implemented.
Wireless Games Mean Big Bucks
http://www.wirelessnewsfactor.com/perl/story/9805.html
Wireless Gaming: Finally No Fantasy
http://www.businessweek.com/technology/content/jan2003/tc20030122_7509.htm
Possibly of further interest to you, Bird's-Eye.net offers a detailed
16 page report covering each of the above areas and more for $19.95:
Broadband Online Gaming Market Research
http://www.birds-eye.net/analysis_archive/online_gaming_market_research.htm
I hope this information is helpful to you. If you require further
assistance, please ask for clarification. I'll be glad to help!
--Missy
Search terms: [ "online gaming" future ], [ "online gaming" broadband
], [ "online gaming" wireless multiplayer ] |
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