5 gaming trends in the UK in 2022

Every industry has its trends and gaming is no exception. It’s a business that is extremely lucrative for its members and one that refuses to ever just stand still. Whether it’s how we play our favorite games, what we play them on, and where, there are changes afoot all the time. Let’s look at five gaming trends that have taken place in the UK this year.

Music is becoming more important in the gaming industry

When you play a game, the accompanying soundtrack is going to grab your attention. It may be so frustrating and repetitive that you reach for the mute button but that’s rarely the case. Whether it’s your latest video game purchase or playing a slot machine at UK online casinos there’s going to be a soundtrack that might just linger in your head for a fair while.

These compositions are now being given greater recognition. This year saw the BBC take a bit of a gamble by holding the first ever Gaming Prom at the Royal Albert Hall in London. The Prom season is usually dedicated to classical music or songs from the shows.

You can bet it was a bit of a surprise when this year, video games music was the theme with ‘8-Bit to Infinity’ being held. Hardly Elgar or the John Wilson Orchestra, mind you they have had Dr. Who-themed proms, so why not a video game one?

This isn’t the only sign of more recognition for the soundtracks of video games. Next year the Grammy Awards will be introducing a category for the best soundtrack from a video game release. Will perhaps one day bookmakers be offering odds on who’ll win a Brit award for that kind of category?

Increasing costs

Everything seems to be getting dearer these days. Whether it’s fish and chips, heating, or petrol, prices are rising and the gaming industry is not immune it seems. There have been complaints about games becoming far too expensive.

It’s not just the purchase price of the game but the in-game items that can be purchased. These add to the cost of the game but do they make playing it more enjoyable? Players don’t want to be paying over the odds for games.

The fear is that companies just want to make as much money out of them as they can for these whales. Just as online gambling sites offer bonuses to attract more betting, these add-ons are enticing players to spend an increasing amount of cash.

The Metaverse

The future of the gaming industry is guaranteed if successful new games can be created. They need to be different because the odds are that players won’t always want to play rehashes of past successes with little new on offer.

2022 has seen massive investments made when it comes to the metaverse. The way in which we play video games or slots at online casinos is going to change. Virtual Reality and the metaverse are going to be the driving power behind the new-look games.

Take, for example, the $2 billion worth of funding that Epic Games are investing to build their own metaverse. Such an investment might be seen as a gamble but the company is confident of it supporting its “continued growth.” Metaverse investment will create a whole new landscape in the gaming industry and a very exciting one too.

Change of venue

Where we play games is another trend that has been seen in 2022. YouTube Gaming has been spending huge amounts of money to boost its content. Many have switched to YouTube Gaming from Twitch.

Sykkuno joined the exodus by becoming exclusive to YouTube Gaming. Now gamers have lots more excuses than wanting to catch up on the latest podcasts and old telly shows that are on that site. He’s joined names such as DrLupo, Ludwig, and DrDirespect who had already made the move. Will this continue in the coming months? With the huge amounts of cash on offer and YouTube getting exclusive broadcast rights for top games, it’s a good bet that will be the case.

Cloud Gaming

Another way in which games are now being played is by signing up with cloud-based subscription services. The big guns such as Google, Sony, Microsoft, and Amazon are all offering players this service.

It’s good news for those of us who just do not want to have to continually go out and buy more hardware and make all those upgrades. All that cash spent on new consoles can be spent in far better ways such as purchasing new games.

Another boost is that you just need to be buying a smart TV, Chromecast, or FireTV, and then connect to the cloud. Streaming is the way ahead though you can bet something new will come along in a few years time.