Art, Tourism & Heritage
GAMING
5G and Gaming
The video games industry’s value will exceed $200 billion in 2023: nearly a tenth larger than its expected $180.1 billion worth in 2021. Mobile and cloud gaming is expected to lead this growth, with microtransactions being at the heart of turnover. But despite the sector’s large following and wide-demographic appeal (women now comprise up to 45% of the world's gaming population), it is not without its issues.
Mobile users regularly report "failure" and "games not running smoothly". Players want immersion, competition and cognition but connectivity problems are obstructing this potential for a richer experience. Cloud gaming similarly raises issues on rendering and lagging, in addition to requiring users to purchase the latest, and therefore most expensive, device.
ESports is booming—audiences are set to reach 646 million by 2023, with Generation Z more likely to watch esports than the NBA, UEFA Champions League or Formula 1—but tournaments today are largely limited to PC and console. Considering that 86% of people play on several devices, this presents a lucrative opportunity for mobile and the cloud, yet demands a faster data download speed and bandwidth than 4G and Wi-Fi can offer.
5G has the potential to revolutionise gaming: featuring lower latency, higher capacity, and increased bandwidth.
How Could 5G Help Your Business?
Mobile and Cloud Gaming
Where has this been done?
5G, which offers low latency and high bandwidth for devices, unlocks precise real-time response capability and richer graphics that are typically only possible with wired solutions. Mobile and cloud games are able to create and deliver the experience that consumers are demanding, without restriction. It also presents an opportunity to develop video and graphics-rich games, near real-time response capability and far fewer limitations on required computing power. Square Enix believes that “5G will end the dominance of console gaming”.
When will this be available? View our predicted timeline here.
Increased User Experience & Accessibility
Where has this been done?
5G and Multi-access Edge Computing enables you to bring the render closer to the user, which delivers a far better experience. More importantly, high specification devices are not required, making mobile gaming more accessible to a broader and more diverse audience.
Virtual & Augmented Reality
Where has this been done?
Richer experiences, wire-free and multiplayer
When Pokemon Go took the world by storm, the possibilities of virtual and augmented reality in gaming became understood. But truly immersive and social experiences through mobile games haven't yet had their chance to shine. 5G has the potential to change that, allowing developers to leverage its ultra-low latency and high bandwidth capabilities to deliver AR experiences that are both deeply immersive and highly social, with multi-player functionality.
When will this be available? View our predicted timeline here.
Esports
Where has this been done?
Enabling a transition away from console games
5G has the potential to cut the cables in esports, enabling tournaments to be broadened out to incorporate mobile gaming. This opens up the potential for different games and gamers to take part, and also creates huge possibilities in terms of how tournaments are delivered. Without a reliance on a fixed location, there are opportunities to radically rethink the way that esports tournaments are run.
All of which means more gamers, new audiences, greater reach.
