2020 was certainly a year like no other and there were changes in many industries. The gaming industry is a fine example and there was a clear increase in the number of casual gamers. The question is, can casual gaming ever reach the heights of 2020 again?
What is Casual Gaming?
Before we discuss the casual gaming of 2020, it is important to understand what casual gaming means in the video gaming industry. Casual games are video games that are not as time consuming as other games. The games are easy to pick up and play, without the need for detailed instructions. There are many mobile games that fit this description, with puzzle games being a good example. Casual gaming does not only refer to the game but also the player. A casual gamer is someone who likes to play a game, maybe for an hour, stop, and return to the game later in the day or the following day. This contrasts with a serious gamer, who can spend hours on a game in one sitting.
iGaming
There are many online casino games that are casual, such as slots, with a wide variety of excellent online slot games on offer at SpinBit. Slot games can be played with just a single spin but even 50 to 100 spins can be completed within an hour. Crash games are a popular form of casual gaming in the iGaming industry, with individual games often complete in under 60 seconds.
The Rise of Casual Gaming in 2020
There was at least a 15% rise in the overall play time of online games in 2020 when compared to the previous year. There is one obvious reason the number went up and that was because regular social activities were restricted. That led some people to their mobile phones and computers to play games. However, not being regular gamers, these people were not looking to spends 20 hours of their week playing a game, they wanted a casual game that they could play to pass the time. Despite casual games being simple to play, some do include a social element and that was also a draw for people in 2020 when regular socialising was put on hold. In addition, the quality of games was improving and there were many free to play games available, especially in mobile app stores, which were high quality and attracted new players.
Can Casual Gaming Reach the Heights of 2020?
We are all hoping we do not have a repeat of 2020 and the situation we all faced. However, that does not mean we will not see another growth in the number of people playing casual games. More developers and publishers are focusing on mobile gaming than ever before and that means more free games. Also, due to the fact so many developers are competing for the attention of mobile gamers, the quality of the games continues to improve. The global mobile gaming revenue was expected to reach $76.7 billion in 2020 and that is estimated to increase to over $100 billion in 2024. So, if we assume most casual gamers are playing mobile based games, that shows casual gaming continues to increase in popularity. We may never see a surge in numbers as we did in 2020 but the casual gaming market is still growing.
