Video Game Trends in 2019

The world is an everchanging place, and that’s the case when it comes to video games. Since their introduction, they have undergone astonishing changes as technology has moved at an incredibly fast pace. In 2019, their evolution is continuing with new games being released that really take your breath away.

It seems crazy to think that when video games first came on the market, players were drooling over games that looked as basic as you can imagine and with the kind of speed that makes cars stuck in a traffic jam resemble a Mercedes in F1.

From those early games such as the legendary table-tennis game called ‘Pong’ that would stink out the market these days, there’s been tremendous progress. As much as people became obsessed with video games such as ‘Space Invaders,’ ‘Pac Man’ and ‘Asteroids’ (on which most of this writer’s student grant was spent), they can’t compete with blockbuster titles like Call of Duty which we have today and heaven knows what is on its way in the future.

 

Fast forward from the 1970s and 80s to the end of 2018, and it’s a totally different industry. The graphics are incredible, there’s the ability to store your games, and you can be playing them wherever you want now. The days of having to pop down to your local amusement arcade or wait to get on your favourite machine in the pub are a long distant memory. This phenomenon was not lost on the gambling industry, with online casinos cropping up providing new ways of playing like realistic video roulette.

The video games industry is one that doesn’t seem to know the meaning of ‘standing still.’ 2018 ended with the massive success of ‘Red Dead Redemption II.’ This Western-themed release from Rockstar Games was the second in the incredibly popular ‘Red Dead’ series.

These days video games don’t just look like movies, they behave like them, too. This latest release was a prequel to the 2010 game ‘Red Dead Redemption.’ If you love shootouts and heists, then this is for you. With bounty hunters on the march, this game had the second-largest launch in history with $725m being generated in sales during its opening weekend. Over 24 million copies were shipped out, showing just what an incredibly popular and lucrative business video gaming has become.

There are so many different versions of video games in the current market. First-person shooters remain incredibly popular with releases such as ‘Battlefield V’ and ‘Call of Duty: Ops 4’ continuing to build on the success of previous games in the series.

It’s not all about shooting, though; strategy games are also proving successful. Games that require a bit of thought and not just a good aim include the 2018 release ‘Into the Breach’. The game saw its many players battling to save humanity from the Vek. Such was its success that it was the highest rated game of the year on the Metacritic site.

2019 has already seen the success of video games continue. New games and further instalments of successful series are the order of the year. Digital sales in April 2019 were an astounding $8.8bn.

 

That massive figure (7% higher than in April 2018) was achieved due to the release of ‘Mortal Kombat 11.’ The latest entry to this lucrative series continues the ongoing story with its increasingly complex plot featuring characters such as Cassie Cage and Liu Kang. This new game is second in the 2019 sales chart with only ‘Kingdom Hearts III’ having earned more. That’s another long-running series being the 12th release and has a voice-artist roster that any Hollywood movie would be proud of. No wonder it sold five million copies in its first two weeks.

The rest of the year will see the launch of games such as ‘Warcraft III: Reforged.’ ‘Star Wars Jedi: Fallen Order’ and ‘WWEk2019.’

The similarities between video games and the film industry continue with the number of awards that are handed out these days. Video gaming in 2019 isn’t just about the gameplay.  It’s about building characters that can grab the attention of players and building the groundwork for successful series that can bring in cash time after time.

There are awards for the Best Narrative and Best Score/Music. Also, look out for more movies based on video games, such as ‘The Angry Birds Movie: 2’ and ‘Doom: Annihilation’ as the video gaming industry continues its incredible evolution.