Gaming has risen in popularity, so much so that it has taken centre stage in the life of many people. Games like Fortnite, Pokemon and Call of Duty earn significant amounts of revenue for developers and publishers.
The variety of gaming content available is vast with multiplier games at the forefront of the industry. Casino gaming is also rising in popularity with sites like Betboss.com providing information about the best providers in the sector.
UK companies securing their part of the action
The UK gaming industry accounted for half of the total entertainment revenue in the country in 2018. This meant that the money earned in the industry was greater than that for the music and video industry combined. In fact, the UK video game sector is the largest in Europe having contributed more than $1.96 billion to British GDP in 2017. Gaming companies in Norfolk are taking advantage of this growth in the UK gaming industry.
Gaming developer community growing in Norfolk
The gaming industry in Norfolk is an inclusive one. It is growing not just because of the sales it attracts but because of the community that has been created.
The Norfolk Game Developers group is a big part of this. The group has members from different backgrounds and they have various levels of development experience. With this in mind, the group does not just include professional developers, although those who do want to make money from a thriving industry are helped in doing so by the opportunity to build networks with other members of the group. Aside from this obvious advantage that the group creates, it also helps to create support for gaming, and related businesses, within Norfolk, together with other initiatives.
A welcoming gaming environment
The Norwich Games Festival is an event which is supported by the Norfolk Game Developers Group. It helps to create a friendly gaming environment in the area and also helps to promote gaming overall. The event is self-financing and aims to attract various groups in the local gaming community including:
- Gaming fans.
- People new to the gaming world.
- Families.
- Students of gaming related subjects.
- Game developers.
- Gaming startups and freelancers.
Events like this help to increase awareness of local gaming related businesses such as One Life Left which is a video gaming cafe in Norwich. Gaming enthusiasts can call into the cafe to enjoy playing their favourite games and have a snack and a drink at the same time. The cafe was opened by Jon Gage who had worked as a manager at Game and saw the opportunities that the growth in the gaming industry was creating in Norfolk.
It’s clear that the gaming industry is having a big influence on business in Norfolk. Whether it’s independent developers networking in the Norfolk Game Developers group or businesses like One Life Left opening up, there are many opportunities to be explored. Given the continuing growth of the gaming industry in the UK it seems like this is a situation which will continue into the future.
