The evolution of gaming from desktops to phones and everywhere for gaming

Do you remember the days when families only had one shared computer, if that? You had to wait a long time for your turn, if the other one, and you could listen to the loud whirring of the desktop computer starting up for a long time before the gadget started up. The games were made to run by inserting a CD into the computer, and even a single scratch on the disk caused a headache when the game either did not run or functioned poorly.

Others still like to play physical games using either a computer or game console. The change from twenty years ago is at least that computers work much faster. You don't even have to go to the game store to buy games anymore, because you can get almost everything these days also in completely virtual form.

Best of all, you can play anywhere and anytime, and you can even find a gaming club in another country. Creating relationships with people on the other side of the globe is also common in gaming circles. Gaming is no longer limited to small groups, but thanks to the internet, online games can be played among a large number of people.

From fiddling with a slot game to a wide selection of online games

When technology slowly started to develop, games moved at least partially to mobile phones. Many have had their first contact with mobile gaming through, for example, Nokia's mat game, which gained great popularity in the latter half of the 90s. After this, the number and popularity of mobile games literally exploded.

Before laptops, playing games on a computer was still tied to a place - playing usually took place either at one's own house or at a friend's house. At least electricity and a socket were needed to play. Primarily, cell phones made it possible to spend time playing games, for example, while sitting on a bus or in an airplane.

When mobile phones became common, for example, playing the above-mentioned mat game did not require the Internet. Phones equipped with an Internet connection were just in their infancy, and various game applications were either ready-made on the phone or had to be purchased, like ringtones. At that time, hardly anyone had any idea how gaming would later be revolutionized.

As the popularity of the Internet grew, the number of different online games grew exponentially. Gaming became more social when the gaming sites found on the Internet made it possible to chat with other players over Lempipel. For example, different casino games used to be mostly familiar with the gaming machines connected to shops or the gaming halls found in larger cities.

When smartphones entered the market and the supply of online games became more common, the world opened up to a whole new kind of casino gaming. You no longer have to go to a physical casino to hit the table with your card - it is enough to write, for example, LeoVegas slots in the address field of your device, and numerous familiar casino games can be played completely in real time and virtually via the screen.

Could electronic games also be played at the Olympics in the future?

Although online gaming was not possible until a few decades ago, games have been played virtually for a long time. For example, to the surprise of many, electronic sports did not come into existence until the internet, but its roots go back even further in history.

The first known tournament in competitive gaming was held at Stanford University in 1972 in the computer game Spacewar. In Finland, we got a taste of electronic competitive gaming, for example, with the mat game championships, which were organized during the game's golden age in 2000. Electronic sports are dreamed of even being played at the Olympics, which may well be possible in the future. For the Paris 2024 Olympics, competitive gaming is even being considered as a demonstration sport.

Playing at home alone or with friends has expanded into global tournaments played in large stadiums and followed on the internet and in the news like any other sport. Many people have their opinion on whether playing virtual games even counts as a sport, but whatever one's opinion on the subject, eSports has really succeeded in establishing its place in the wide spectrum of sports.

Before electronic gadgets and games, the definition of playing was related to, for example, kicking a football in the yard with friends. Now gaming as a concept is connected to online games and virtuality in the minds of many. Development has been fast, and changes and progress are happening all the time. It remains to be seen how gaming and games will change in our revolutionizing world, and how quickly.