Human society and civilization has been growing and developing since its very inception. From the invention of the wheel to the development of the cotton engine machine, our society has come further than we ever thought possible. And we are still striving for more.
However, the mid-to-late-20th and early 21st century was the period that saw greater development than ever before. This was the time of television, computers, PCs, and of course, the internet. The popularization of the internet during the 1990s and early 2000s is what eventually led to the online entertainment culture we have today.
What is Online Entertainment?
Well, as one could understand from the phrase alone, online entertainment is entertainment that one could find online. This can include anything from film and show streaming services like Netflix, to video game Let’s Plays, to gambling websites. The term could even be said to apply to YouTube videos, Twitch streams, entertainment blogs, and all other forms of online content.
In 2024, there is almost no one alive who has not, in some way participated in the online entertainment sphere. Even if you don’t have a YouTube account, chances are you’ve seen a tutorial video of some kind or another. But this fact was not always so. So, the question that naturally arises is this: Just how did the online entertainment industry become the juggernaut that it is today? Let’s take a look at a brief history of the internet, and find out.
The History of Online Entertainment
Online entertainment has only recently been popularized. However, it has been around for a very long time. Online casinos, for example, have existed since the late 1990s. Take 888Casino with its bonuses, which has been around since 1997. And it wasn’t just them. A ton of now popular betting and gambling websites got their start in the 90s.
But it isn’t just gambling that made the online entertainment industry what it is today. Gaming in general propelled the industry to new heights. The now defunct Flash system made it possible to play browser games, which at one point were hugely popular online, and have been around since the early 2000s.
And of course, the absolute peak of online entertainment, YouTube has existed and pulled in decent views since 2006. However, back then, the big names could only pull in a few thousand views. Today, the website has grown and its biggest content creators garner subscribers in the millions.
However, once upon a time, online entertainment was considered, in some ways at least, lesser than mainstream media entertainment. The folks who partook in online content creation were often considered weird or outcasts, and the people who watched them were not much different.
The Growth of Online Entertainment
Today, though, there is almost not person who does not, in some way, partake in online entertainment. Whether it is watching content on YouTube, Twitch, or other video aggregator websites, playing online multiplayer games, taking part in online casinos or sports betting websites, most of us spend the bulk of our time participating in various forms of online entertainment.
So, what changed? Well, for one, more people moved on to online entertainment. Mainly because it is convenient, and usually free. So, in this next section of the article, we are going to talk about the rise in the esteem of online entertainment, and what led to it.
The Rise in Esteem
In 2024, online entertainment is the most prominent way to obtain content. Netflix, Hulu, Disney +, Amazon Prime, all of these companies have grown in both popularity and market capitalization by enabling you to watch movies from different genres from the comfort of your own home. And it is Netflix that is largely responsible, at least partially, for the rise in appreciation of online entertainment.
Streaming Services
When Netflix began its streaming service, the risk was quite high. Most people had cable, and nobody could even imagine paying for a different service when you could already get your content through the cable company.
However, Netflix proved to be a superior and much more convenient service. Soon, the company’s business model inspired others to try their hand at streaming content. That is how we got services like Hulu, Amazon Prime and Disney +, which are all very popular today.
But, Netflix is not the only thing responsible for online entertainment’s growth. Another contributor was YouTube, and some of the big content creators which came along during its inception. One of the first content creators to make it big was the Angry Video Game Nerd, or AVGN.
Who is the AVGN?
The AVGN is a character and a property created by YouTuber and filmmaker James Rolfe. The idea was simple. A nerd stereotype would play Nintendo games and get over-the-top angry over how bad they are. The AVGN’s rapid growth helped YouTube as a company grow. Not only did he draw in thousands of viewers (in those days, that was considered a lot), but he also inspired hundreds of similar content, which in turn also became quite popular.
The popularity of AVGN also led to content creators noticing that YouTube could be a valid way to share your own content and make some money out of it. And boy, is that true nowadays. YouTube is one of the most popular websites on the internet, drawing in multiple millions of viewers from all over the globe.
The AVGN’s style of content inspired a ton of other creators. Many of them did to other forms of media, what James Rolfe did to old video games. Nowadays, most content has moved away from what came to be known as “angry reviews”, and even Mr. Rolfe doesn’t do the AVGN as often as some old-school fans might like. However, his impact on online entertainment can’t go understated.
Final Thoughts
Online entertainment has certainly come a long way. It is much more popular than it ever has been. Not only that, but if trends are to be trusted, it will only keep growing in the future. In other words, the online entertainment industry has certainly grown in esteem.
