Game On: How the Gaming Industry Has Grown in the UK

Over the last five years, the growth registered in the UK gaming industry has been nothing short of miraculous. An annual growth rate of over 10% makes gaming one of the fastest-growing industries in the UK, which is no mean feat. In 2021, the revenue of the UK gaming industry (including both video and online casino games) topped out at a little over £5,317 million, which is hardly a surprise given that more Brits are choosing to stay at home in the evenings and over weekends than ever before.

Whether you play MMOs like World of Warcraft or prefer a little wagering on the online slots UK options, gaming is HUGE in the UK. The growth that has been seen in this field both recently and over the preceding years can be attributed to a number of factors: more widespread access to technology, better internet, a desire to stay indoors rather than hit the town to have fun, better development tools and the like. The gaming ecosystem in the UK is booming and doesn’t look like it’ll be slowing down anytime soon, so let’s take a look at the factors that contributed to this growth and how the industry came to be where it is today.

Gaming in the UK: A history

Gambling has been present in many ways in the UK since long before computers, and the internet came onto the scene. Online gambling in the UK has provided access to casino games that were once only accessible if one left the house and headed to a brick-and-mortar casino. While this might sound like an ideal outing for some, there were many all across the UK who rejoiced in 1998 when the first online casinos in the UK were allowed to open. Since the late ‘90s, the popularity of online casino games has grown steadily, seeing many gamblers lean towards online gambling as their preference.

Gaming, as it is more commonly understood – referring here to video games – has been around in the UK for a substantially longer period of time. The first computer games were developed in the US in the late 1950s, but it would be a long time until owning a home PC capable of supporting games became a reality. Gaming now makes up around half of the UK’s entertainment income, but it hasn’t always been that way! Arcade games released in the early ‘70s paved the way for the console game boom that would follow later in the decade and the computer game boom that would follow that in the ‘80s. From games such as Android and The Way of the Exploding Fist in the ‘80s to Tomb Raider and Dungeon Keeper in the ‘90s to Horizon Forbidden West and Call Of Duty Vanguard today, the UK loves computer games.

Why Gaming Has Grown in Popularity in the UK

1.   Improvements in technology

The growth of the technology sector influences absolutely every industry in the world. The better technology becomes, the more easily understood it becomes, the more affordable and accessible it becomes, the more portable and constantly useable it becomes, and the more people want to own it. The first computers were mammoth things that took up entire rooms, but today, a computer can fit under your arm or in the palm of your hand.

The radical improvement of technology over the last 50 years has been a major contributor to the growth of the gaming industry in the UK. As tech became, smaller, easier to use, and more affordable, more and more people saw that gaming could become a part of their lives too.  For a fraction of the cost compared with 10 years ago, people can now own smartphones, computers, and consoles that can provide years of entertainment if they are well-maintained. Your games and online slots can now come with you wherever you go, fitting snugly into your pocket or handbag.

Better technology also means the ability to develop more realistic and immersive gaming experiences than ever before. Games in 2023 can hardly be compared with the games released in the ‘80s because the technological framework that developers worked within was an entirely different beast. Games graphics are now rich in realistic colour; there are gaming chairs that vibrate with the events in the game, keyboards that can be programmed to flash any colour you could imagine, and VR/AR are both bringing us further into game worlds and bringing game worlds into our lives.

2.   Change in lifestyles

It’s clear from recent reports that many Britons prefer staying home these days. Where the average weekend used to consist of a trip to two down the pub, having dinner out with friends, or going dancing at a club, this is no longer the case. Home-based activities such as gaming, having friends over for meals, or watching TV with the family, are now often preferred, even by the younger generation, over costly drinks and dinners out. The lifestyle of the average UK resident has changed a lot over the last few years, and more people than ever are now homebodies.

Gaming at home is not just about sitting around relaxing, though. Many games, such as Wii Sports, for example, are actually helping people to get a workout in their own homes at no extra cost. Keeping busy with gaming at home can get you fit!

Wrap up

Gaming in the UK is an industry in constant flux. New jobs are being created, new game worlds and concepts developed, and new experiences are being curated as we speak. The gaming industry in the UK may have grown a lot already, but it’s nowhere near done yet!