Factors that Impact the Online Gaming Industry in the UK
Internet searches related to online gaming have increased rapidly in the past five years. According to the Telegraph, most gamers in the UK play mobile games. They spend up to 24 hours every week playing mobile games like Fortnite, Candy Crush, Subway Surfers, and slots.
For clarity, console and PC gaming aren’t going anywhere any time soon. The UK is still in love with FIFA and Call of Duty. However, more and more gamers are gravitating towards mobile gaming.
In this guide, we’ll dig deeper into the factors influencing the growth of online gaming in the UK. Let’s get started.
Mobile Gaming
As mentioned, mobile gaming is all the rage in the UK. It doesn’t matter if you like Battle Royale games or slot machines. Everyone is into mobile gaming. Surprisingly, mobile games are not even as advanced as their PC counterparts.
PC and console games are much more sophisticated than Candy Crush Saga. They have intricate storylines. They have intuitive mechanics, advanced graphics, and capabilities that can only be supported by expensive gaming machines.
Despite that, mobile gaming is growing rapidly in the UK. Most players don’t seem to care about the sophistication of PC games. They care about being able to play entertaining games on their iPhones and Android devices.
Fortunately, video game publishers do an excellent job of creating fun mobile games. Take Subway Surfers as an example. It’s an endless runner game starring a graffiti artist.
In the game, you run away from a security guard and his dog while avoiding obstacles. The game ends after you hit an object. Or, if you’re caught by the guard. It’s a simple, casual game.
ESports
The UK is home to some of the biggest eSports gamers in the world. There’s Zerkaa, who has more than 17 million watch hours on Twitch. Then there’s Quicky Baby, who loves God of War and has more than 560,000 followers.
Although UK streamers play all sorts of games, they dominate the online casino space. If you like online slots and table games, you need to follow a few streamers from the UK.
They share their winning tips on the app. They also provide casino and bonus recommendations. Read more about online casinos before you become an avid player, though.
Also, figure out what games you like. The casino industry has games like slots, blackjack, poker, and roulette. If you decide to play eSports games, consider popular titles like CS: GO, League of Legends, Fortnite, and Dota 2.
Regulations
Regulations primarily affect the iGaming sector. They impact the amount of money you can deposit and play at casino games. Also, they impact the conditions new casinos must meet to acquire a license from the Gambling Commission.
This year, the biggest change to the remote gambling sector is the release of a new gambling white paper. The document proposes affordability checks for people who lose over €125 per month or €500 per year.
For clarity, these checks won’t interrupt casino players. Instead, if you pass the net loss threshold set by the white paper, the casino will check your financial well-being from credit card companies.
Another proposal included in the white paper is the elimination of gambling adverts from sports jerseys. The Premier League knew this proposal was coming. And so, it voted to end front-of-jersey betting adverts starting the 2026-27 season.
International Trends
When you think about it, the online gaming industry in the UK mirrors international trends. Today, Twitch streaming is a big deal in the gaming industry. It’s the same case in the UK.
VR gaming has been trending for a few years in the US and Asia. Likewise, it’s a trending topic in the UK. In other words, the British online gaming space is a reflection of the global gaming industry.
This explains why the most popular games in the UK are also popular in other parts of Europe, North America, and Asia. FIFA is the only exception. It’s incredibly famous in the UK but not in the US or Canada.
Games are CS: GO, Minecraft, and Call of Duty have millions of fans in both the UK and North America. It shouldn’t come as a surprise, though. Gamers from around the world tend to share the same likes—exciting games.
Technology
Technology lies at the heart of all forms of gaming. Without it, the industry would die a natural death. In the past three decades, online gaming has been improving with the growth of technology.
In the 1990s, visuals in video games were terrible. The AI was simple and the mechanics weren’t always good. With time, things changed. Artificial Intelligence spiraled into the advanced technology it’s today.
Most modern games use AI to create realistic gaming environments. From the NPCs to playing against the computer in simulation games—the games are exciting due to modern AI.
Beyond AI, technology has improved graphics, programming knowledge, hardware, and storytelling. The best online games today can’t run on old-school computers and consoles. They’re too advanced.
Cloud Gaming
The future of online gaming is linked to two technologies: the cloud and mobile gaming. Cloud gaming aims to revolutionize gaming, and not just in the UK. With cloud gaming, you may never need to purchase expensive gaming machines anymore.
Cloud gaming doesn’t just benefit players, though. It also helps publishers by eliminating the need to invest in expensive hardware and server rooms. You see, cloud computing takes care of a business’ hardware needs.
By doing so, it makes it easy for games to run smoothly on the Internet. For the uninitiated, cloud gaming is the reason we can play multiplayer games online. Without this technology, you would still be inviting your friends to play games through Local Area Networks (LAN).
Conclusion
Mobile gaming, cloud computing, and the international gaming community are some of the biggest influencers of online gaming in the UK. If technology improves, so do online games. If gaming trends around the world change, the UK adjusts.
