South Africa's gaming industry is enjoying rapid growth, eclipsing traditional entertainment draw cards like movies and music.
A recent report from market research company GfK revealed that, together with gaming hardware and peripherals, gaming is a R1.72 billion industry locally, and this figure does not include digital game downloads.
Another study, by entertainment industry research firm The-Numbers.com, says, in SA, nearly 3.9 million physical games valued at over R900 million were sold in 2011. Local movie ticket sales were in the region of R788.13 million, it adds.
Gaming as an industry is larger than the music or movie industries and is becoming increasingly popular as more people come to experience the thrill of playing online, says Carolyn Holgate, MWeb's GM.
She points out that whereas movies combine amazing visuals and sound effects to engross viewers in a story line, gaming offers an even more in-depth immersive experience.
“The difference with gaming is that, instead of simply watching the story unfold, you participate in the game, heightening the experience through your engagement with the game,” she says.
digital downloads take over and music stores diversify their offerings.
She believes it is the online element of gaming that is driving the market, as gamers are able to pit themselves against an endless list of opponents in order to hone their skills and move up leader boards.
This results in hundreds of hours of gameplay, as opposed to the average movie, which only lasts about 90 minutes, she explains.
“The growth of online gaming in SA has led to the formation of groups of gamers called multi-gaming organisations (MGOs), which have several teams across different games in the MGO who compete to be the best in their respective games.
“In fact, many of these gamers will spend more time playing against each other during the week, conversing through online chat and voice applications like Mumble and Teamspeak, than they will in social interaction with friends,” says Holgate.
That doesn't mean gamers are anti-social, she notes, merely that much of their communication has moved online.
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