Gaming’s singularity: how games media is taking over the world

Gaming on the big screen

The Witcher is a popular fantasy Netflix series that first aired in 2019. It quickly made its way into the top 10 most-viewed Netflix shows; season one alone racked up over 541m hours of views in its first 28 days. What a lot of people don’t know, however, is that The Witcher is an adaption of a fantasy gaming series that is developed and published by CD Projekt.

This isn’t the first time we’ve seen a film adaption of a well-loved gaming series. Casting back twenty years, we saw Angelina Jolie star in the Tomb Raider films, which were based on the popular adventure game franchise Tomb Raider.

Netflix isn’t just making TV shows based on games; they’re also making games based on TV shows. In its strategy to become an entertainment provider, rather than just another streaming service, Netflix introduced Netflix Gaming in November 2021. One of the first games it launched was Stranger Things: 1984 – a retro adventure game based in the time between seasons one and two of the hit Netflix series.

The future of the music industry?

Not only is gaming influencing TV and film; more recently, it has started to impact the music industry. The way we consume music and live entertainment is changing as the digital world continues to evolve.

In 2020, American rapper Travis Scott hosted a nine-minute concert in Fortnite. It was an experience that would have been difficult to create in the real world – at one point, Scott was the size of Godzilla.

The concert was a huge success, with 12.5 million people logging on to the game just to witness the music event, surpassing the record-breaking success of American music producer Marshmello’s Fortnite concert (10 million attendees).

Could video game festivals and concerts pave the way for the future? They certainly dodge some issues around travel and accessibility, which is genius for a post-Covid world.

Gaming revenue has surpassed popular entertainment

It’s no surprise that gaming has integrated with music and film, considering that it has generated more revenue than both those markets combined.

Gaming is now the largest sector in the entertainment business, with a worth of $176bn in 2021 – that’s bigger than Hollywood. It’s easy to see why everyone is keen to find a way into this market.

What does the future hold?

The landscape of the entertainment industry will continue to be influenced by gaming media. Why? Gaming breaks down that barrier between consumer and creator, allowing entertainment to become truly interactive.

No longer will film and music be single-faceted sources of entertainment. Now, there’s a new layer where consumers can engage with the content they choose, which is so important in the ever-increasing age of interactivity.

As the possibilities continue to grow, the demands of consumers will too. Gone are the days when you simply watched a movie or listened to your favorite song. Now consumers want to play the storylines of their favorite TV show in a game and immerse themselves as the characters, or attend a music festival in a digital world where they can hear their favorite artist’s new songs without leaving their home.

One thing that is for certain: in that exciting future, gaming will be spearheading it all.

For more on all the different ways brands can advertise in gaming, from virtual billboards to product placements, social lenses and even games of their own, check out The Drum’s Gaming Advertising Deep Dive.