By Luke Windsor
The gaming industry is a multi-billion dollar industry. This shouldn’t come as too much of a shock, as gaming has always been a huge part of pop culture. And now that the outside world has become inherently less social, it’s led to a huge rise in “social gaming”, with more people than ever using their mobiles, PCs, and consoles to connect with other people from around the world.
- The COVID-19 pandemic led to the social gaming explosion between 2020 and 2022 (Statista)
- 40% of Gen Z and Millennials socialize more through video games than in the real world (Deloitte)
As things stand, the market is being dominated by games that incorporate different social elements, such as player-to-player interaction and the opportunity to climb up ranked leaderboards. Some of the standout examples of this include Apex Legends, Call of Duty: Warzone, and Minecraft, which all have millions of players around the world. Minecraft alone has 185.7 million monthly players, with many of them using the game as a tool to socialize with other players and make new friends above everything else.
On the surface, social gaming appears to be a good thing for society — and it is. However, as with any new trend in the gaming industry, there are a few underlying concerns that might need to be addressed in the near future, especially now that social gaming has become one of the most in-demand genres within the wider industry. By addressing these concerns, games companies and publishers can keep players safe while ensuring their social gaming “experience” remains as fun as possible.
How to keep social gaming safe for players
Regulate social and sweepstakes casinos
Over the past several years, the social gaming revolution has picked up speed following the launch of countless new social casinos and sweepstakes casinos. According to the sweepstakes casino review site sweepstake-casinos.com, these two types of casinos have a strong focus on encouraging players to chat, interact, and socialize with each other while they play different casino games, such as slots and roulette. As great as this is, though, these social casino sites also have an option for players to purchase virtual ‘Sweeps Coins’ in exchange for money. If players then win enough of these coins back, they can be redeemed for prizes. Although it’s ultimately harmless if you’re a responsible gamer who can manage their money, this type of gambling element is becoming increasingly common in the social gaming world, which is why regulators need to take a closer look at it to keep player security as strong as possible — especially when it comes to those from younger generations.
Reduce microtransactions and loot boxes
Investopedia estimates that between 5% and 20% of game communities now make microtransactions, with many of these communities coming from social games. If you play one of today’s many social games, there’s a pretty high chance that it will offer in-game microtransactions or loot boxes, both of which can pose risks to players who don’t have the ability to control their purchases. For instance, a younger player might jump into Call of Duty: Black Ops 6, select Zombies mode, and purchase a ton of loot boxes without realizing how much money they’re spending. Sadly, because microtransactions and loot boxes are now a huge part of the social gaming experience, it means that they need to be reduced and better regulated in order to protect players. This is something that the UK government has recently recognized, detailing plans to make it so that anyone under the age of 18 cannot purchase loot boxes without parental consent.
Ensure that social gaming doesn’t entirely replace real-life socializing
There’s no doubt that social gaming is doing a lot of good for people. It allows gamers to join wider communities, make new friends, and ultimately enjoy the games they love with other people without the hassle of having to leave their homes. But as great as all of this is, it’s important that we don’t let the rise of social gaming lead to a complete replacement of socializing in the real world. This could potentially harm relationships, prevent genuine connections from being made, and ultimately lead to a society that uses video games (and the internet more widely) as it’s main tool for socialising with other people. The message with this one is relatively clear: social gaming is great, but it’s not a good idea to have it replace bars, sports clubs, and other places where people traditionally meet. Instead, social gaming should be something that people enjoy as a hobby on the side, which is where social video games can best serve their purpose.
What does the future hold for social gaming?
Over the coming decade, GlobalNewswire reports that social gaming will become an even bigger industry than it already is, hitting a landmark value of $110.9 billion by the time 2030 rolls around. Until then and in the years following 2030, more social games are going to keep hitting the market. But as the industry continues to grow, it’s worth keeping an eye on some of the changes that will almost certainly be implemented, including stronger regulation of games that offer prizes, microtransactions, and loot boxes. Ultimately, the aim here will be to keep players safe from exploitation as more and more of them join the social gaming revolution, which is what matters the most.