"The console gaming market has plateaued. PC gaming is bigger than ever but not exploding. To the extent that video games are still growing, it's thanks to players in China and Roblox. And as user-generated content and casino apps thrive on mobile, the traditional AAA blockbuster model is finding it harder than ever to compete with the rise of OnlyFans, Draft Kings, and TikTok."
"Those are some of the main themes in venture capitalist and analyst Matthew Ball's annual report on the state of the video game industry. His 2026 mega slideshow is full of graphs painting a picture of where gaming's been and where it's headed. It's a fascinating and occasionally grim portrait of a stalled industry struggling to compete with everything else consumers could do in their free time."
"Increasingly, especially among young men, those distractions include looking at porn, betting on sports games, playing in live casinos, and endlessly scrolling videos on YouTube and TikTok. Ball argues that while interactive entertainment is still "ascendant," that doesn't just mean video games any more. The rise of content creator economies and legal online gambling means some of the oldest forms of interactive entertainment are now more accessible than ever."
The console gaming market has plateaued while PC gaming has grown modestly without explosive momentum. Growth in video games is now concentrated in China and the Roblox ecosystem. Mobile platforms capture attention through user-generated content and casino-style apps, undermining the traditional AAA blockbuster model. Younger users increasingly divide time among pornography, sports betting, live casinos, and short-form video platforms such as YouTube and TikTok. Social media usage has exceeded 500 million average hours daily, TikTok watches remain over 100 million daily hours in the U.S., and OnlyFans annual U.S. spending approaches $5 billion. Crypto trading, AI app installs, and prediction-market betting have also surged.
#gaming-industry #mobile-user-generated-content #online-gambling #social-media-competition #china--roblox-growth
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