Whether you're an investor, a content creator, or a casual gamer, watch out for these trends in the gaming sector this year.

#1: Cloud Gaming
Ever since the gaming industry started, it has been necessary to upgrade your gaming hardware every several years. Not anymore. Cloud gaming is disrupting the industry in a humongous way.
It's replacing hardware with the cloud, allowing you to play all sorts of online games without installing large files. This is a big win for gamers everywhere. You no longer need to make huge hardware investments.

All you need is to pay for fast Internet and an account at a cloud gaming provider. These are the biggest brands in this niche:

• Google
• Microsoft
• Nvidia
• Apple
• Sony

When you think about it, online casinos also provide cloud gaming experiences. Ever since web apps launched, gambling sites no longer ask you to download software to play slots and poker.
These sites provide instant play games on PC or mobile devices. According to online-casinos.com, the most trusted online casinos have 500+ slots and table games. Most of them welcome you with bonuses to boost your bankroll.
They don't charge you monthly fees like most cloud gaming providers. Instead, they allow you to play slots on the go. You can spend $10 if that's your budget. But you could deposit up to $10,000 on most casinos.

#2: Esports
Esports is growing sporadically. Last year, this upcoming sport was unveiled as a competitive event at the Asian Games for the very first time. Community members are advocating for the sport to be added to next year's Olympic Games in Paris.

But even if it's not included as a sport, it already has the world's attention. For starters, the Olympic committee is supporting eSports in major ways. Earlier this year, the organization hosted an eSports week in Singapore.
Olympics aside, eSports is now a $2 billion industry. It has over $400 million fans and countless opportunities for investors to make money. If you've ever dreamed of making money in the gaming industry, there's never been a better time to do so.
The easiest way to get into eSports is to be a streamer on Twitch or YouTube. Both of these platforms pay you for views. They pay through ads, subscriptions, and affiliate programs.

#3: Virtual Reality
Some of the biggest companies in the gaming space are wholly invested in Virtual Reality. Take Meta as an example. It's working on a series of next-generation VR headsets like the Meta Quest.

Meta is competing with Oculus and Apple to control the VR hardware space. Apple is promising to create the best VR headwear the world has ever seen. But in the usual style, this will also be the most expensive pair of headsets in the world.
Although VR technology is still a work in progress, it's worth trying a few VR games. They provide an out-of-this-world gaming experience. Consider borrowing a friend's headset to experience this technology before you make an investment.

Also, select the right VR games. Check out Resident Evil Village, Firmament, F123, Tea for God, and Ghosts of Tabor. And if you like casino gaming, Gonzo's Quest, Thunderstruck II, and Starburst all offer VR support.

#4: Crypto and Blockchain
Though crypto has been around for over a decade, it's making headlines on major gaming news networks. One of the reasons is that new casinos keep accepting it as a means of payment. They accept Bitcoin, Ethereum USDT, and a few more cryptocurrencies.
On the other hand, video game fans are increasingly investing their time and resources in NFTs and Metaverse games. Most gamers are focused on Play to Earn crypto games like Decentraland, Axie Infinity, and My Neighbor Alice.
Blockchain-made crypto games pay you to complete simple missions. For example, Axie Infinity pays you crypto coins to breed in-game characters called Axies.

Axie Infinity was inspired by Cryptokitties, one of the first P2E Metaverse games. Cryptokitties pays you to breed and sell virtual cats. Each cat is unique and cannot be replicated.

#5: Fitness Gaming
For a long time, people thought gaming was bad for your health and fitness. Times are changing. Thanks to technology, you can stay fit while engaging in fitness activities like running, boxing, and playing basketball.
Fitness gaming is helping people who enjoy gaming stay fit while doing what they already love. While it's not exactly a new thing, it took off during the pandemic. Nintendo owns one of the bestselling games in this niche: the Ring Fit Adventure.
Released in 2019, Ring Fit Adventure is a ring-based role-playing game designed to strengthen your core. The game combines elements of fitness with regular gaming. That means you need a Nintendo Switch console to complete missions.

#6: Mobile Gaming
Mobile gaming keeps making headlines in the gaming world. There are a few reasons why. For starters, it's a target of many innovations. Presently, developers are working on new AR and VR games for mobile users.
Mobile gaming is a darling for investors because it's a money-minting sector. It has more fans than both PC and console gaming. Yet, the best publishers tend to overlook it.

Things are changing, though. In the past few years, companies like Tencent, Apple, Microsoft, EA, and Activision have been investing hugely in mobile games. Most of them are making billions of dollars from their investments.

#7: Cross Platform Play
Cross-platform play is now a ubiquitous feature for many online games. That's because it's convenient for players and it helps developers maximize their profits. Take Fortnite as an example.
Cross-platform play allows you to download the game on your iPhone, Android smartphone, or PC computer. You could also play the game on both PlayStation and Xbox consoles.
In other words, you could play this game with all your friends regardless of their preferred gaming device. Due to this convenience, there's a strong chance that all games in the future will support cross-platform gaming.