Game Servers on a Trending Decline?

[Jesse]

With online gaming now available to the console market, is PC gaming loosing its market share to equally powerful consoles like the PS3? It seems game servers have been on a steady decline for years now.

 

http://www.google.com/insights/search/?hl=en#q=%22game%20servers%22&geo=US&cmpt=q

 

Will the market strengthen to where it was back in 2004? With the On-live service now becoming a new player in the console world will game servers restrengthen?

[trancemode]

I am actually testing the on Live thing and you can play console game on the PC which is actually neat.

 

I do think PC game servers been declining throughout the year due to the new technology we have today and consoles as well since its cheaper compared to PC

 

The only thing really keeping PC gaming alive are MMORPG like WoW, etc.

Blizzard games like Starcraft & Diablo. Other few games like CS but since most leagues and the US scene is mostly gone, its really hard to say.

 

Also the capability of mods and such on PC compared to console.

 

If all new PC games are going to be console port soon like how COD:MW2 was no dedicated server, no league or mod support, etc. I rather play it on my console since its cheaper and I don't have to upgrade just to play it or any games that are console port.

 

Hopefully things will change soon...time will tell.

[SickPuppy]

With 14.6 million Americans unemployed and 125000 losing their jobs each month I don't think the decline has much to do with gaming trends or changes in technology.

[Jesse]

It's been happening since 04 tho.

[CobbyJUK]

how about?

 

http://www.google.com/insights/search/?hl=en#q=%22gameservers%22&geo=US&cmpt=q

[Jesse]

That's for the company gameservers as it isn't getting as much traffic.

 

Comparrison

http://www.google.com/insights/search/?hl=en#q=%22gameservers%22%2C%22game%20servers%22&geo=US&cmpt=q

[SickPuppy]

That's for the company gameservers as it isn't getting as much traffic.

 

Comparrison

http://www.google.com/insights/search/?hl=en#q=%22gameservers%22%2C%22game%20servers%22&geo=US&cmpt=q

 

That is because there are 100s of GSP now back in 04 gameservers.com had a larger market share. It is so easy and cheap to start a GSP today that the competition has increased exponentially.

 

Each time a new competitor enters a market the market share of all the existing providers is reduced.

[proclan]

The problem lies in the cost per family.

 

Consoles: 129.00-400.00/ per console

 

Gaming PC: 1000.00+

 

Most of your console players are under the age of 18 because mommy and daddy are not going to spend 1000.00 on a new gaming pc so there kid can play the latest games on the market when the console option is much cheaper. Now if you could build a nice gaming rig for 400 bucks and play bfbc2 on it what do you think would happen?

 

 

Plus figure in Sickpuppy's answer....

[adamnp]

Gaming as a whole is seeing a major increase due to the massive influx of unemployed and underemployed, however the amount they spend per household per year has subsided. People don't have money to spend to go out and party, so they are resorting to less pricey and more novel forms of entertainment--In home entertainment. I fail to see where you guys see that gaming is on a decline. Have you by chance followed/watched any of the E3 news? The amount of new hardware, gaming platforms, games in general, and overall in house entertaining is increasing exponentially.

 

However, I will *completely* agree that the overall "GSP" market has/is subsiding and downsizing massively, and has for the past 3 years. Why? There are many probable causes we can all hammer over here, all of which I'm sure have some part to play in the outcome we are faced with today.

 

IMO, In order to survive, the "GSP" is something that needs to be molded with the development that is being released in today's age. Think cloud, think MMO, think content, stats, and information servers. Infact, if you completely look at the picture, there is actually more that needs to be hosted now than in the past, you just need to be selling the service to a different end-user. Is this something that can ever be done? Who knows.....Personally, I think the market is just evolving, as opposed to dying. Looking at it from a community owner, our numbers and our traffic is still increasing as opposed to decreasing, so that's another bright sign.

[SickPuppy]

Gaming as a whole is seeing a major increase due to the massive influx of unemployed and underemployed, however the amount they spend per household per year has subsided.

 

I agree gaming is on the rise and high unemployment is contributing to this; however, playing games online for the most part is free.

 

Where we are seeing the decline is in server rentals. As household disposable income decreases people look to reduce expenses. They can cancel the server and still play the game for free.