Online gaming is a massive business and millions of people around the world are choosing to spend their free time playing online games with friends.
We all know about online gaming competitions and eSports is now one of the leading forms of elite sports on the planet. You must only look at the thousands of people who pack the arenas for gaming events to see how popular eSports has become in 2024. However, not all those who want to play online games are doing so to become professional gamers. Many people choose to play online games with friends as opposed to competing with people they do not know.
For example, the big football video games not only allow you to compete online against strangers in competitions but also to arrange matches with friends. It is possible to send an invite to a friend and play a game against them with you both in your own home. The matches may be competitive as they are played but there is no official outcome to the games. The winner has the bragging rights but nothing in the way of recognition from eSports teams who may be on the lookout for new talent.
There is no doubt the online gaming industry is on the rise and global game market revenue for 2024 was $178.2 billion, much of which comes from online gaming. This figure is expected to rise to somewhere close to $200 billion in 2024, which is an astronomical figure. If you look at the number of players using Stream, which is one of the leading online gaming services, the numbers tend to be around 15 to 30 million players in any 48-hour period. Not all of these will be playing online games with friends but even if a small percentage of those people were playing online games with friends, it gives you an idea of how common online gaming with a group of friends is in 2024.
So far, we have been looking only at the leading online video games but there are other types of games to play online with friends. Multiplayer online board games are a good example and some of these charge a fee to play but some are free. Monopoly is a perfect example of a classic board game that can be played online with friends. You do not have to get a group of people together in your home to enjoy a game of Monopoly. The game is available to play online, and you do not have to play against a computer-generated opponent because up to six players can play online at any one time.
Chess is another classic tabletop game that can easily be played with a friend online. You have the option of playing against a random opponent or a computer opponent, but the beauty of chess is playing against someone you know and testing your skills. Chess continues to be one of the most popular online games and the leading chess-playing websites have additional features, such as clubs, forums, and blogs. This is where you can get together with friends and discuss your latest game, swap tips, and talk about general life.
According to a recent study, 65% of all gamers said they played games with others in 2020. In 2024, this figure increased to 71% and we expect that number to increase further in 2020. So, from those numbers alone it is easy to see just how common online gaming is with friends in 2024. Even if the number of people playing online games with friends in 2024 does not increase, more than half of those who play video games will be doing so with other people.
Granted, the other people they are playing against may not necessarily always be friends, but many people have made friends from playing online games. Over 75% of gamers in the United States in 2024 said online gaming has allowed them to make new friends. You may get to know new people and become friends purely because of the games you play together, or you may get to know someone from your life better through playing online games. Whichever it is, people are making new friends from online gaming and continue to play online games with their new mates. This only adds to the number of people playing online games with friends and underlines further how common online gaming is with a group of friends in 2024.
We have already mentioned classic board games that have been converted into multiplayer online games. Casino games are another type of online gaming that is popular with groups of people. Live casinos are fantastic for those who want to play a casino game online and socialize with the dealer and fellow players. Also known as real dealer games, these allow you to not only play the game with a chance of winning money but to also chat with the other players.
In most instances, when playing at an online casino such as casumo.com, you will be competing against people you do not know. However, there are plenty of online casino games that allow you to invite friends to play. Poker is a good example, and you can set up an online poker game and send your friends invites to join the fun. Some online poker games even have a live video chat element, meaning the group can see each other and socialize during play. There are several free online poker websites available and that shows how much demand there is for playing online poker with friends in 2024.
We must mention the pandemic when discussing the rise in the number of people playing online games with friends in 2020 and parts of 2024. Online games provided a valuable means of social interaction when it was not possible to meet with friends outside of the home. This may have seen online gaming introduced to people for the first time and have enjoyed the experience, they have continued playing in 2024.
