Games as we know them today may slowly but surely disappear. Because the next generation plays very differently – and does not even see itself as “gamers”.
Gaming is our favorite hobby. Whether we play MMORPGs on PC, shooters on console, or Zelda on the Switch 2. However, this definition of “gaming” could die out – along with a whole part of the industry. Because the following generations have a completely different understanding of play.
Some games captivate millions of players. For now. Such as Where Winds Meet:
Where does the information come from? Analyst and YouTuber Bellular repeatedly addresses trends in gaming in his videos. He bases his statements on various studies or statistics and puts them into perspective with what is happening in the gaming market. In one of his latest videos, he paints a picture that will likely not be pleasing to “older” gamers – meaning all those who still play on console or PC.
The next generation no longer plays like “we” do
One of the most important statements from the video is found right at the beginning. The Alpha generation has a completely different understanding of video games than is the case with “older” gamers. An article on GamesIndustry.biz, which is based on a survey by IGN, states: 93% of the Alpha generation prefers to play on mobile devices.
That the trend is moving more towards mobile gaming has long been clear – but the scale seems gigantic.
But something else is striking. In older generations, it was common to feel affiliated with a “type” of gaming. Were you part of the “PC Master Race” or a “console gamer”? Many identified with their chosen platform, but in one thing, most saw themselves as united: they were gamers.
For the Alpha generation, this is no longer the case. They do not identify as gamers anymore, but rather as players who only play a very specific game (gamesindustry.biz).
The absolute winner in the young generation is probably Roblox. The platform is criticized from many sides, especially regarding data security and exploitation – yet it is incredibly successful among children.
Bellular then wonders:
Based on the real trends we see, the future of gaming looks like this: These are people who are fans of exactly one game and probably play it on a mobile phone, which is a bit strange. I don’t like that and it raises a big question: What does that mean for people who prefer traditional gaming experiences?
Games have grown with gamers – Now comes the generational shift
Bellular illuminates the gaming industry and the development of gaming. After the first major crash, video games experienced a second boom in the early 1990s. But with a clear difference: games back then were marketed as toys for children. Although many games were difficult and could also be enjoyed by adults, the marketing was clearly aimed at children.
These children who grew up with Super Mario were then the target group in the following decades. Games have grown with the target audience, becoming more serious and mature. Or, as Bellular describes it:
The medium has literally grown with its target audience. You had ROB the robot aimed at boys. Then came […] Tony Hawks and Call of Duty for the cool teenagers. […] And what do we have now? Cinematic games with sad fathers, like The Last of Us. Yes. It has just grown with us.
This generational shift is just around the corner. Because the next purchasing generation will be the Alpha generation, of whom 93% indicate that they prefer to play on a smartphone. Only 15% of respondents find gaming on a PC equally interesting or even preferred.
But this is not an issue that only Gen Alpha is facing. The preference for mobile gaming is also increasing among millennials – 32% prefer to play on a mobile device, namely a smartphone.
Gaming industry in crisis – but not everyone
After the pandemic, the gaming industry headed towards a crisis that still persists in many areas. Numerous layoffs and canceled game projects are the result. The hope that the “pandemic boom” of the gaming industry would continue has not been fulfilled.
However, there are exceptions – and the platform Roblox is one of them. It has maintained its growth and is now a market power that attracts nearly an entire generation of gamers. The Roblox game “Grow a Garden” has recorded 21.3 million concurrent players, the highest number ever measured for any game.
Compare your AAA studio with several hundred employees to a 16-year-old in 3 days. And now feel sad.
The big publishers also notice where the young generation is hanging out – the next generation of customers. Publishers like Sega and Starbreeze have already begun licensing games in Roblox – games like “Like a Dragon” or “Payday” are now found in Roblox.
Mono-gamers are on the rise
Bellular believes that we are already noticing many of the effects and that the trend did not start with Roblox. In previous generations, it started that players focused increasingly on just one game.
So many, who play Counter-Strike or World of Warcraft, play exactly one of those two games – and hardly anything else. Take a look at your guild or ask how many people play something else besides WoW. Sure, some will – but there are many for whom their chosen MMORPG is exactly what gaming is all about. And platforms like Fortnite or Roblox represent that for the next generations.
Other data also supports this. An interesting report from Newzoo shows that 30% of all gaming time of PC players over 18 occurs in just 5 games: Call of Duty, Counter Strike, Fortnite, League of Legends, and Minecraft. If you take the top 10 of these games, they already account for 50% of total gaming time.
On consoles, it’s even more dramatic. Here, only 5 games account for 50% of all gaming hours – Call of Duty, FIFA/EA FC, Fortnite, GTA, and NBA 2K.
If 5 games already demand so much attention and capture the interest of several generations – how can new games still break through?
Sure, individual hits come along every now and then. Long-awaited sequels of franchises like GTA 6 or unexpected blockbusters like Clair Obsur: Expedition 33 cause momentary spikes. However, even such unexpected hits are just a drop in the bucket. Because in 2023, only 6.5% of all gaming hours were spent on games that were newly released that year.
Even more shocking: Of these 6.5%, only 4 games accounted for half of that time: Diablo IV, Hogwarts Legacy, Baldur’s Gate 3, and Starfield.
The RPG milestone “Baldur’s Gate 3” only accounted for 0.6% of gaming hours in 2023, the year of its release – and it is still considered a gigantic success.
Are “our” games dying out?
Even if the statistics look grim at first glance, Bellular is convinced that there will continue to be good games in every niche. Only developers need to focus more. The idea of making a “game for everyone” rarely works. Instead, one should make a game for a specific target audience, because that, according to him, is the key to success:
Expedition 33 is everything you want, with none of what you don’t want in such a game. It’s not an overloaded, chaotic accident that had to try to find meaningful work for hundreds of employees. And funnily enough, that can lead to a good execution and a strong focus. I believe that this is the way forward for games that many of us fear we will not see one day.
One thing is clear: the gaming industry is undergoing a transformation. A change that is hardly stoppable when you look at the gaming habits of today’s young generation. Whether new games can find their niche here or whether we will face a major consolidation of gaming platforms in a few decades remains to be seen. But the data is interesting. A bit alarming, but interesting.
If you’re feeling frustrated and don’t know what to do with yourself, then enjoy the time instead and turn to a nice game. For this, we have our list of the 10 best MMORPGs you can play in 2025 – there are likely some suggestions you can consider to get your thoughts back on track.
