For this to work, marketplace platforms must also remember to protect their communities and clamp down on fraudulent activity with a zero-tolerance approach. By providing gamers with the ability to set the price they think is fair for a game, marketplaces allow those looking to try a new title to do so without spending beyond their means. The beauty of the marketplace model is that it puts the power in the hands of the gaming community. On G2A, in 2020, we saw a 19.8% year-on-year rise in buyers who were either brand new or returning after a year away. This is one possible reason why we see the gaming marketplace model and its lower prices attracting new users.

However, our research results suggest that current and projected future pricing is ostracising a significant proportion of people that keep the gaming sector ticking. With the potential to unlock bonds of community, educate and inspire, the power of gaming is too important to be exclusive to the rich, developed world. The record quarterly revenue that Activision reported - a 27% year-on-year increase to $2.28 billion, driven by free-to-play Call of Duty: Warzone - for Q1 2021 only proves the strength and potential of a microtransaction model. Even once a game is bought, the in-game purchase model means the temptation to spend is never far away. In a survey we conducted last year, almost six out of 10 gamers believed that gaming had become too expensive - with half admitting to dipping into their savings or using credit cards to fund their hobby. At a time when many are experiencing financial challenges, this is unacceptable and detrimental to the progress of the sector.ĭata shows that this rising cost is gradually ushering gamers out of the door. Recent years have seen a continued rise in the price of gaming, to the point where we now sit on the verge of the $70 game becoming commonplace. Higinbotham discovered in 1958, video games can be a brilliant way to exhibit knowledge.Īs we look forward, we must remember that the growth of this industry is driven by those who play video games. For example, Assassin's Creed Origins includes a Discovery Mode for gamers to explore Egypt under the reign of Cleopatra. Popular video games have already started to weave in educational modes to help players learn about the worlds in which they are set. While traditional stigmas would suggest gaming represents a hurdle to education, the reality is that several popular titles are already designed to facilitate learning.

Such has been the rise in classroom gaming, we partnered with academics to create our own teacher-training course (G2A Academy), which has attracted over 7,800 users since February.

have turned to gaming to try to engage their students during periods of virtual learning, with 91% claiming it's helped. Often considered bound to the confines of people's bedrooms, gaming is now starting to show its true worth in other walks of life - including the classroom.Ī survey we conducted earlier this year found that almost half of the teachers in the U.K. It's not just in entertainment where the role of gaming has evolved during the pandemic. With esports already booming as a spectator sport, the enjoyment from gaming was no longer exclusive to those with a controller in hand. According to a study by Streamlabs and Stream Hatchet, Twitch - the world's leading livestreaming platform for gamers - saw an 83% year-on-year uprise in viewership when the pandemic hit, with over 5 billion hours of content viewed in the second quarter of 2020 alone.

Even those without access to gaming consoles or PCs were able to immerse themselves in the world of gaming and feel like part of the community.

The world after game