It’s no secret that the internet has had a transformative impact on, well, just about everything. But it’s had a bigger impact on some aspects of life than others. While you can buy an internet-connected refrigerator, you wouldn’t say the web changed the refrigeration game.
However, you would, could, or should say that the internet has transformed gaming. In fact, while digital gaming has been around since before the invention of the web, you could argue that it’s the internet that really allowed gaming to reach its full potential.
In this post, we’ll take a closer look at the internet’s impact on gaming, including how it transformed gaming culture, breathed life into old games, and allowed for new and engaging ways of playing.
Increasing Number of Players
It’s easy to fall into the trap of thinking that gaming has always been popular, but that’s not the case. While it was still a big industry back in the 1990s and earlier, it was relatively niche — the vast majority of people were not gamers.
The internet changed all that. According to the latest data, there are some 3.51 billion gamers on the planet, and that figure is rising all the time. That number simply wouldn’t be possible without the internet, which allowed for the mobile games that brought gaming to the masses.
Thousands of Games
It’s staggering how many games are released each year. In 2024, there were more than 18,000 games released on Steam alone, and the early stats from 2025 suggest that there’ll be even more games released this year.
That wouldn’t be possible without the internet, and for one simple reason — game developers no longer need to go through the process of creating a physical copy of their game. They can just release it online. That’s made it much easier and much less expensive to bring a game to market, which has been especially beneficial for indie game developers. In today’s gaming climate, there’s always a game to play.
Easier to Discover New Favourites
Of course, not every one of the thousands of games released each year is worth playing. In fact, the vast majority aren’t worth playing.
Happily, the internet hasn’t just led to an increase in the number of games out there. It’s also made it easier to discover which games are worth playing and which aren’t. From reviews to algorithms that’ll recommend a new title based on what you’ve previously played, the web has made it straightforward to find your next game. Compare that to the old days, when playing a more obscure game meant taking a big risk — it might be a great game, but it might also be a waste of money. There was no way to know until you got home.
It Breathed New Life Into the Classics
We think of the internet as being a tool to march us into the future, but actually, it’s also allowed us to connect to the past in new and engaging ways, too. Nowhere is that felt more sharply than in the gaming world, where the internet has helped to breathe new life into classic titles that might otherwise have been forgotten.
Classic games like backgammon, blackjack, bridge, checkers, and solitaire have been played for hundreds of years, and remain remarkably popular thanks to the internet, which has brought the games to a whole new audience. Even poker, which is more popular than ever, owes a debt of thanks to the internet. There are currently around 100 million regular poker players, and that simply wouldn’t be possible if it weren’t for the web.
Streaming Content
Nobody in the pre-Internet era would have thought that people would tune in to watch other people play video games. But the internet is full of surprises, and today, streaming is big business. In the gaming world, Ninja, Ibai, Auronplay, and KaiCenet are household names who have made millions of dollars just by streaming.
Multiplayer Gaming
Yes, multiplayer gaming has long been a feature of the gaming world. But in the past, you were limited to however many controllers you had and whether the person you wanted to play with was physically in the same room. The internet has unleashed the true potential of multiplayer gaming, allowing for, in some cases, thousands — or even millions — of people to play at the same time.
This aspect of modern gaming is more than a nice bonus. It helps to keep relationships strong. With life busier than ever, we don’t all have as many opportunities to see our friends and family as we’d like. With multiplayer gaming more convenient than ever, it’s easy to hop on to play with a loved one.
Correcting Errors
It can be kind of entertaining when a game has a glitch, but for the most part, it isn’t very pleasant. In the old days, if you bought a game with a glitch, there wasn’t all that much you could do about it.
Today, because everything’s online, it’s easy for developers to go in and quickly patch an error. Games also receive frequent updates, ensuring that they stay relevant. The downside of patches is that sometimes game developers release their titles before they’re truly ready, because they know that they can go in and make corrections later if necessary. Still, on balance, it’s better to have patches than not have them!
Mobile Gaming
If there’s one thing that’s transformed the gaming world, it’s mobile gaming. This has helped bring in billions of people into the gaming fold, and is today responsible for some 49% of the entire gaming market. This, of course, wouldn’t have been possible without the widespread adoption of the internet. The increase in the number of players has led to mobile games becoming significantly better than the initial games that were released for smartphones would have suggested. In the future, it’s not unrealistic to think that mobile games will have graphics, storylines, and gameplay that’s as impressive as their video game counterparts.
New Business Models
The internet has also allowed for new business models to emerge in the gaming industry, the biggest being in-game purchases. This helped to make the gaming industry highly lucrative — it’s worth more than the movie and music industries combined — while also being beneficial to players. Take free-to-play mobile games as an example. A player can stick to the free version if they like, but should they choose, they can pay to have a more premium experience.
Cross-Platform Play
Video game players have long wished that they could play online against their friends who were using another console or device, or switch from playing on one device to playing on another. The internet has allowed for cross-platform playing experiences that seamlessly allow for devices to be connected. And what’s exciting about this aspect of gaming is that it’s really only just getting started. In the future, cloud gaming technology will ensure that players across all devices can have an exemplary playing experience, wherever they are, with whatever playing device they wish to use.
Online Communities
The internet has also facilitated the development of gaming culture. While people have always wanted to get together to talk about their favorite games, offer help, and simply talk shop about games, there weren’t all that many places to do so. Today, that’s all changed. The internet is awash with digital spaces where people can get together to discuss video games, especially on Reddit, where you’ll find game-specific subreddits as well as general subreddits that discuss all aspects of gaming culture.
