Gaming across all platforms is very popular in the UK, but one trend that has been dominating the industry in the UK is that gaming is going digital. More and more people in the UK are playing exclusively online games on online platforms, which is further resulting in other areas of gaming via the internet becoming more popular.
The city of Birmingham is further inspiring one such gaming trend which continues to gain traction in the UK and is based on this love of everything online gaming.
The UK’s love of gaming via the internet
Source: Pixabay
As the general connection to the internet continues to improve, and more games rely on an internet connection to either be played or to give access to its whole offering, online marketplaces have increasingly become the go-to options for getting games.
The internet and digital stores are now being seen by all who want to game as the best place to buy, download, and play games, with convenience being at the heart of the rise of digital platforms. Despite most digital copies of games being slightly more expensive than physical copies and often requiring a long time to download, 80 per cent of all UK video game sales are now digital, according to eurogamer.net.
The sheer availability of mobile gaming stores has also helped to normalise the need for convenient access to games, as has the popularity of online browser games. One of the largest gaming industries is iGaming, which has even led the way for bingo to make a huge comeback online.
Birmingham helping to propel online gaming in the UK
Source: Pixabay
The UK has been very quick and willing to adopt anything that comes online in the gaming industry, from browser games to digital stores, to triple-A games which are exclusively played online. But it’s not just the UK: much of the global gaming community enjoys the convenience and diversity that comes with online gaming. In fact, pcr-online.biz reports that MOBA and MMO titles are expected to account for $43 billion (£33.3 billion) of the industry by 2021.
It shouldn’t come as a surprise, then, that MOBAs like DOTA 2 and League of Legends, as well as MMOs like World of Warcraft also hold strong player bases in the UK. A love of convenient online gaming, as well as the excitement that comes from these games, has enabled the UK community to become big enough that the emerging world of eSports has identified Birmingham as a viable location to host a major tournament.
The world of eSports is founded on the love of online gaming and turning the competitive nature of that gaming into real events and major competitions. In 2019, ESL One will return to Birmingham, per esl-one.com, following the success of ESL One Birmingham 2018, citing thunderous atmosphere and the passionate fans.
Having access to live event like ESL One Birmingham will only further propel the UK’s love of online gaming, with people enjoying the battles unfurl before them as well as seeing professional gamers earn heaps of applause.
If the 2019 ESL One Birmingham is also a success, more major eSports tournaments may come to the city, further inspiring even people to immerse themselves in everything online in gaming.