Gaming: can it be a job? How playing video games can become a career

That
of gaming can become a real job
? Today’s numbers make it confirmo and they also tell us something else: the market is growing strongly. Let’s find out more in this article of ours.

Playing video games has long been considered an activity for leisure time only.

Since the late 1990s, what began as a simple pastime has evolved considerably to the emergence of the

gamer


professional
(Pro Gamer).

This phenomenon is not only due to the spread of so-called
eSports
(literally: “electronic sports”), i.e., organized competitions between video game players (sports and otherwise), but also to the growing interest of the younger generation.

Almost all professional gamers share their games online, using platforms such as
Youtube
o
Twitch
, or other social channels, increasing their following.

How much is the global gaming industry worth

The gaming industry is growing steadily; according to estimates by
VentureBeat
(
reported by playtoday.com
), by the end of 2022 the industry will globally reach
175.8 billion in revenue
. More than half of this (huge) figure comes from mobile games.

The industry will continue to expand next year, to the point of exceeding 200 billion in sales.

Also in the forecast of
Business Wire
, the video game industry is set to expand further, strong with an
average annual growth rate of 12 percent through 2025
.

Based on the
data
compiled by
Newzoo
, the
China
and the
United States
represented the two largest global markets for the gaming industry in 2020 with 40.8 billion and 36.92 billion in revenue, respectively.

This is followed by Japan (18.68 billion) and South Korea (6.65 billion); in Germany, Europe’s top market, video game industry sales approached six billion (5.97) in 2020.

Italy, with sales of 2.66 billion, ranks fourth in Europe, behind the United Kingdom and Spain.

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How many gamers are in the world

Between 2015 and 2021, according to reports from
financesonline.com
, the number of gamers (professional and non-professional) in the world increased by about one billion, from 1.99 billion to
2.81 billion
.

According to estimates by
Newzoo
, the figure will increase further in the next two years, peaking at 3 billion in 2023.

In terms of geographic distribution, more than half of the world’s gamers are concentrated in Asia Pacific (just over 1.44 billion); the rest are in Europe (386 million), the Middle East and Africa (377), Latin America (266) and North America (210 million).

One
study
ESA (the Entertainment Software Association) conducted in 2020 showed that, in the United States, 38 percent of gamers are in the 18-34 age group while 6 percent are over 65 years old, indicating that the average age of gamers is gradually rising.

From pastime to sporting discipline: the parable of E-Sports

If it is true, as
The Post
, that video game tournaments, even at the international level, date back to the 1980s, the real growth of the industry lies in the 1990s, when the spread of the Internet allowed gamers to also compete online in multiplayer mode.

In recent years, the status of eSports has grown significantly: in May 2020, CONI started the process to recognize them as a sport discipline while last year the Olympic Virtual Series, sponsored by the IOC, the International Olympic Committee, was held.

In further proof of how video games are an evolved form of entertainment, the “World Cup” of
Fortnite
was watched by more than two million viewers.

Such resonance matches the professional development of the figure of the Pro Gamer; Kyle Giersdorf, winner of the 2019 edition of the Fortnite Individual World Championship, was awarded a prize of
$3 million
(more than that collected by Simona Halep after winning the Wimbledon tournament).

It is not surprising, then, that in the face of such figures eSports are equated with other sports and that Pro Gamers are considered to all intents and purposes real athletes, also in view of the (increasingly specific) preparation they must undergo in order to participate in tournaments.

Gaming accessories on Fastbrain

Fastbrain Engineering, a company specializing in the professional distribution of technology and information technology products, offers a wide range of
gaming accessories
.

Fastbrain provides a catalog of products suitable for gaming, including
wireless mice
e
laptop
(necessary for PC gaming).