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The aim of this article is to highlight the emergence of the addictive online games market and how it has become the fastest growing sector in
the whole online entertainment industry.
The skill gaming market or casual games market, as it is more commonly known, has become big
business in recent years; it has become attractive to investors and entrepreneurs alike. The casual games sector grew from almost nothing in
2002 to in excess of $600 million in 2004, in the US alone. In 2008, the US market has now grown to over $2 billion.
The casual games
business reaches virtually all demographic sectors, with women in their forties comprising the typical casual game player. However,
statistics show that men, teens, children as well as the older generation also enjoy partaking in this booming pastime.
By utilizing
the web as the key platform for the creation, monetization and promotion of casual gaming content, the industry has created a channel that
both drives and is driven by consumer demand. Today, addictive online games are some of the ‘stickiness’ forms of web-based entertainment
and it is therefore not surprising that skill games websites are among the highest ranked and most visited sites on the web. In the past,
online games entertainment content was dominated by game reviews but this has now been replaced by the actual games themselves. Due to the
mass market appeal of this gaming genre, it has rapidly moved well beyond the realm of niche into the mainstream.
The huge growth in
global broadband take up has boosted the online distribution of skill games which has made them a great deal more accessible to
non-traditional gaming audiences, particularly female players who may have never considered themselves “gamers” per se.
Unlike
typical hardcore gaming which generally appeals to males in the 18-34 age range, casual gaming is much more the pastime of both men and
women from the age of 35 to 65; In fact there is even a slight demographic skew towards women. Statistics show that women spend a great deal
longer playing these games each week than compared to men. On average, women spend 9.1 hours per week playing online games compared to just
6.1 hours with men.
There is a glut of companies competing for a share of the online skill games profits. However, the quality of the
service can vary dramatically from company to company, so it is imperative that you do your research before making your choice. One of the
common complaints made by gamers is the poor level of customer support offered by many firms. Getting a speedy response to a query is often
rare since most organizations use an email ticket service where response times can vary from 24-48 hours. Conversely, there is the other end
of the scale when you are offered a 24/7 telephone and email support service in 7 languages. However, I have so far only found one company
offering this exemplary service.
Once you have selected the outfit of your choice, you will surely lose yourself in hours of fun
enjoying the fabulous array on addictive online games on offer.
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