Technology:Gaming Predictions

Carrying on with my gaming and technology theme this week and my fascination for this industry, I wanted to share with you that the hottest action in gaming and most innovative industry developments are happening outside the shelves of our local games retailer. This industry is going digital, and it's going digital very quickly... as fast as it possibly can. I want to flag up two stories about technology and the gaming industry that I think we should all know about, as I believe we will be hearing more about it in 2011.

The first story takes place in India, with its current 584 Million mobile subscribers, representing one of the world's largest, fastest growing, and highly untapped mobile gaming markets. The past few years have been quite revolutionary for the industry here especially with the emergence of smartphones, GPS enabled sets, and 3G handsets. They have provided a much awaited boost to the industry, which grew more than fivefold during 2005-2009. According to a new report, 'India Mobile Gaming Analysis', the Indian mobile gaming industry has secured one of the world's fastest growth rates during the last five years. The research revealed that in 2011 the industry will continue to grow and will help India to emerge as one of the most attractive destinations for foreign mobile game developers, technology and distributors for investments and outsourcing services. Domestic companies account for the majority of the mobile technology and gaming market in India. These home grown companies have been witnessing rapid growth in their overall revenue compared to their foreign counterparts. However, it has been anticipated that the entry of international players will somewhat balance the market dynamics, resulting in competitive product pricing and overall improved quality. This will benefit the Indian consumer most and will help propel industry's future growth...this is one to watch.

The other news item is that in the world of gaming there has been speculation and rumours about whether Apple could be making the move into the console gaming market. I think this is very possible. Apple's gaming strategy is currently focused on the mobile space, and it could easily make the transition into the living room. It's hard to overstate the success of gaming on the iPhone and iPod touch and there's an estimated 125 million iOS devices in users' hands and more than 40, 000 gaming titles in the App Store. Games continue to be among the top-selling apps on the iOS charts and Apple has the most important part of the gaming equation down: a solid software library for users to choose from. Apple doesn't need to make a game console for the living room, because it already has all the components and technology readily available to consumers. The Apple TV, the iPad, and the iPhone/iPod touch are all the home console many people could ever want...another one that will be unfolding next year.

Photo Credit: Mykl Roventine