Tweet
The new Apple TV will be available for a mere $150 (for the 32GB model) and aims to provide users with another gaming option that doesn't come from the Big 3 (Sony, Microsoft, and Nintendo). While some have been quick to shoot it down before it's even out there-Kotaku.com threw some serious shade-there's something that needs to be remembered here: even if Apple TV only offers simple and straightforward options, more people are playing those types of games than ever before. It stands to reason, then, that the company may be introducing even more people to the realm of "casual gaming."
Yes, a lot of the more hardcore gamers out there aren't remotely interested in anything close to casual gaming, but that's too bad for them. Why? Well, for one, most casual games are meant to be fun and not taken seriously. Who the hell could harbor any negative feelings toward something like Fallout Shelter anyway? That aside, the hardcore group needs to come to terms with the fact that more people are playing games than ever before—and most of them are doing it in a casual manner on their mobile devices.
Proving that point earlier this year was a report from Fortune.com that outlined the fact that mobile game revenues will overtake console games in 2015. Now, some will argue that a reason for that is the microtransaction-hungry world that is playing a game on your smartphone. Sure, there are plenty of things to discuss when looking at what microtransactions could do to the gaming industry at large. That all being said, it's still impressive that mobile games could rake in more than their console counterpart. It simply has to represent more than the fact that people are paying $1.99 every few days to get further in Candy Crush Saga or whatever they're playing. More people are playing and plenty of folks are moving from the PC and TV screens to their mobile devices.
The same boom is happening in another portion of the casual gaming industry: online casinos. This is evident in the growth of Gala Coral Group, which posted across-the-board revenue increases for fiscal year 2014. As reported here, "Coral’s platform Galacasino.com posted turnover of £21.6 million, marking a 56 percent increase as compared to last year." It's an impressive figure, as is the fact that their active customer base grew by 14 percent in that same time period. Those stats drive home points made by BigFish.com last year when they reported that casual, casino, and similar-style games are becoming just as popular as console options.
Could this all mean that the Apple TV will be the latest device to usher in even more folks to casual gaming as we know it? That's really up to the people to decide, because they'll be the ones buyin' the thing. As for the rest of us, we'll just have to wait and see how it all pans out.
(Image via Apple.com)