From Super Mario to AI, change comes to gaming

When Japan's Nintendo launched the Super Mario video games in 1985, few imagined that the fictional Italian plumber's popularity would span generations and assist the rise of a multi-billion dollar gaming industry.

- PRANJAL SHARMA

More than 40 years later, the appeal of console-based video games continues in an era of artificial intelligence (AI) and the internet. AI is changing the way consumers use console games by making them interactive and immersive. Thanks to smart algorithms, games have lifelike characters, changing environments, and challenges adjusted to users' skills. Such features make console games engaging and challenging, while making players more emotionally connected.

The global gaming console market was valued at $42.0 billion in 2024 and is projected to grow and be worth $61.2 billion by 2033, according to a report by research firm IMARC.