Some of the most important things to think about with the popularity of video games are players' preferences worldwide. What kind of games are fans actually playing the most?
At a glance, there's a lot of argument for FPS supremacy: 27.5% of all US video games purchased in 2016 were shooters. Similarly, 35% of multiplayer gamers prefer playing FPS games.
However, looking at the same US demographics, 71% prefer casual games, 53% like action games, and 48% love to focus on shooting in their games. Thus, while still popular, casual games are clearly an underground goldmine.
But speaking of goldmines, the money-making kings of gaming might surprise you: it's free-to-play games. 78% of digital game revenue comes from them. While they don't cost $60 like many Triple-A main titles, that same lack of cost makes it easier for players to convince themselves to spend a little here or there for their favorite things. After all, if they've played 100 hours of Lux in League of Legends, why not spend $5 to get her beautiful skin cosmetic? And with 56% of the most frequent players focusing on multiplayer games, which are often free, that's a lot of money to make.