We have been devoted consumers of all forms of entertainment since the dawn of time. We also happen to be our prime customers – and oftentimes our own biggest critics. In the early days, entertainment was a method of teaching. Everything from history, culture, values, and habits were passed down by elders with the use of entertainment – acting or storytelling, perhaps.
Nowadays we do not use entertainment mainly for teaching (although it is much more fun to learn by playing games or watching captivating videos). Entertainment plays a key role in relaxation for most people, who look forward to arriving home from a hard day’s work, sit back and relax on their couch and binge watch their favourite TV-show or series, or take their mind off things by playing video games.
With the arrival of the internet, access to entertainment was made easier. With our lives becoming increasingly busier, faster, and more stressful, we do not always have time to visit theatres, go to the movies, or hang out at game rooms. But, thanks to the internet, we don’t have to miss out on the fun – on the contrary, we can bring all sorts of entertainment into the comfort of our home, by simply opening our browser. Whether it’s movies, games, music, socialising, or watching live performances, most components of the entertainment industry have moved online. Needless to say, the future of online entertainment looks bright, especially for the following four areas:
1) Gaming
Perhaps the earliest movers were games. Video games were developed as soon as the first commercial computers were released and online games soon after the internet. The gambling industry seized this opportunity as well and started moving their operations online. Today, online gambling is a multi-billion dollar industry ranging from basic slot and table games, to more interactive ones, such as live casino games, that mimic the experience of a playing at an actual land casino. Because many people prefer staying at home and in their comfort zones, casinos are investing resources into making online gambling as interactive, socially gratifying, and exciting as possible, and it seems to be working.
2) Listening to the radio
Radio followed the move online shortly after gaming, because this form of broadcasting was already decreasing in popularity. Going online, then, was the only reasonable course of action. Today, many of us regularly listen to podcasts, which are also radio entertainment by nature. This is one of those educational entertainment types, just like the good old (and ancient!) times.
3) Competitive gaming
If we were to label one of the entertainment industries as ‘that new kid on the block’, it would definitely be E-sports. It’s relatively new, but already insanely popular, especially among a younger audience. The great majority of e-sports fans are players of those particular games, themselves. Understandably, it is quite difficult to understand those games without having actual experience playing them.
4) TV Shows & Movies
Television has already rented its online space and it is now slowly packing its stuff into those virtual brownish suitcases and hauling it over onto the internet. It might be because Netflix and other popular sites like Hulu, have totally disrupted the video entertainment business and forced everyone else to adapt.
The future of online entertainment
We know digitalization is happening and that it is getting faster each year. If we do not want to be left behind, we must be aware of what developments are happening around us, and how they impact our daily lives. Online entertainment is all around us: in our smartphones, our screens at home, in our neighbours Alexa, and even integrated into your own hobbies. For better or for worse, we are now pretty much surrounded by it.
