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The online gaming industry has boomed significantly since the start of the 21st century after it first started becoming mainstream in the late 1990s. It was partly to do with the engaging nature of games, and partly the growing availability of the internet that fuelled these.

But it wasn't before 2004 that the industry really took off. The catalyst for this was the release of the highly popular World of Warcraft. It drew gamers in with great visuals and the ability to connect with other players.

What's driving the online gaming boom?

The possibility of connection with the community is a big reason for the growing popularity of online gaming. With millions of players logging into some of the most popular games, there are endless possibilities to meet new people. Players can engage with their friends in the real world to form teams, for example. Or they could compete with complete strangers in these games.

The games themselves have become increasingly attractive. Players can choose their own avatars from an array of choices. Games also have the option of various environments. These can range from a car chase in a bustling metropolitan city to the ruins of an ancient, abandoned town.

Supporting the creation of these games and the easy access to them is technological advancements. The biggest of these, of course, is the rise of the internet. It made developers' access to potential players far easier and particularly with the advent of smartphones, app stores made it possible to download these games on the go. As a result, developers can now easily reach customers directly rather than having to go through the traditional retail market.

Internet usage itself has received a fillip from much effort to expand its reach. Broadband speeds and consistency have improved vastly over the past two decades. In fact, the fact that the internet is now available even in public spaces was an inconceivable concept at the turn of the century. Competition among data providers has also lowered costs for consumers, making it available to everyone. Better phones and gaming consoles along with the use of virtual reality has also contributed to the success of online gaming.

The role of online slots

A possibly overlooked but important contributing factor to the success of online gaming is also the transition of games from brick-and-mortar rooms to virtual rooms. A good example of this is online casinos. In the UK alone, their revenue more than doubled between 2017 and 2024 to USD 6.5 billion.

The most popular of online casino games is, unsurprisingly, online slots. Since slots tend to be simple to understand and easy to play, they can introduce players to casino games. Chances are, anyone who has tried casino tourism has spent some time at slot machines. It's exactly like that for online casinos.

Besides just their simplicity, though, online slots are also popular because of the following reasons:

● Unlike games of strategy like poker, slots are purely based on chance.
● Slots can be visually appealing as well, with various themes available. There are different options available on slots, which add a novelty factor for players even in the same game.
● Even though slots are solo games, they can be great discussion points with friends and family because of their accessibility.
● Slots also allow small bets that suit players with smaller budgets. At the same time, they also offer the potential opportunity to win big on progressive jackpots.

The gaming boom will continue

The number of online gamers is only growing over time. With fast paced technological advancements in particular, this growth can continue even further. Internet penetration is still not complete, and there's progress being made in technologies like virtual reality that can take them to the next level.

Importantly, the growth of online marketplaces is also opening up access to gaming. No longer do developers need to depend on traditional retailers, since games can be downloaded from app stores. Further, with growing technology, the interface and themes of the games can be far more involved. The transition of traditional gaming, like casinos, moving online has also further aided the progress of gaming.

At the heart of the gaming boom, however, is the ability for games to connect people. Gamers who might be shy in the real world, can feel at ease presenting themselves in various avatars in games. The opportunity to connect with others in multi-player games is virtually endless. Gaming communities can even trickle into real life, with conferences and meetups that bring gamers together.

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