Recent years have seen an increasing demand for cloud architects, as cloud functions have grown both more varied and more essential. Numerous industries are now taking full advantage of cloud technology, with more still getting on board regularly. And lately, it has become clear that the gaming industry in particular is on its way to becoming a major factor in the cloud space.
Already, growth in cloud gaming has been significant. Per MarketWatch, a compound annual growth rate (CAGR) of 15% or more is expected in 2021. This is a massive number indicative of the kind of explosive change some have been predicting for a few years now. It also speaks to the value that cloud technology has for gamers — namely that it can negate the need for downloads and make it easier to access and enjoy games of all kinds.
But what types of games will actually be responsible for the bulk of this growth? Or, put another way, what types of games stand to benefit the most from cloud technology? Answering this question may lend some helpful direction to those interested in working in cloud architecture (or those who are simply intrigued by the topic). And while it’s a little early to declare concretely where cloud gaming will have the most impact, there are some broad categories that look to be natural fits.
Console & PC Games
The primary benefits may well be in console and PC gaming — a space that typically involves the biggest and most demanding games. It’s generally understood that cloud gaming allows players to stream their games rather than download them or use physical copies of them. Per an explanation of cloud gaming on DigitalTrends, though, this is a more involved concept than it’s typically described as. Said explanation clarifies that the server where a video stream is coming from can actually respond to inputs — essentially meaning that you’re truly playing the game through said server rather than your own equipment. This means that so long as they have strong internet access, console and PC gamers can enjoy their favorite games without worrying about device quality, graphics cards, or any other hardware or software upgrades they might typically concern themselves with. Basically, cloud gaming will in time guarantee the highest possible quality to anyone with a capable device and reliable internet.
Casino Games
Online casinos aren’t the most demanding games in terms of size or graphics. However, these platforms do pride themselves on massive variety and non-stop innovation. Developers may release dozens of games in a given year; several sites host hundreds of games at once; and the Foxy Games platform known for hosting some of the newest and most exclusive games openly states a mission of bringing “as many exciting online games to your screen as possible.” To be fair, this sort of mission is manageable even as things stand today, given that these games are most typically played through browsers rather than downloaded. Nevertheless, improving cloud gaming networks will enable more seamless navigation of vast ecosystems of casino games, as well as allow for the faster and smoother integration of new content.
Mobile Games
When discussing casino games, the idea of updates mostly has to do with that of new games being added to collections. In the mobile gaming category though, updates are actual improvements to existing games. And as any regular mobile gamer knows, they can get pretty disruptive. Lots of popular games are updated regularly, and in many cases it’s impossible to play them until downloading the updates. This leads to unnecessary frustrations and delays that cloud gaming has the potential to do away with. If players were to access mobile games via stream rather than downloads on their own devices, they would presumably be gaining access to the most up-to-date versions of the games. There would be less (if any) need to stop and conduct inconvenient updates.
These categories comprise a massive portion of the broader gaming industry, and thus speak to how and why cloud technology is expected to be so significant in the space.
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