Angry Birds has inspired a theme park. Actress/writer Felicia Day has created a hugely popular Web series based on countless hours of playing World of Warcraft. And thousands of people flocked to 7-Eleven to get Mafia Wars and FarmVille cups.

It’s increasingly obvious that online gaming is becoming more and more mainstream, as millions of people sit in front of their computers, tablets and smartphones to take part in these wildly popular games. And there is money to be made, not just from wild and whacky ancillary products. There is an enormous opportunity for IT infrastructure providers to take advantage of this growing and lucrative market.

Numbers indicate that the online gaming space is about to explode. A recent report from Business Insights forecasted that online gaming revenue will rise from $13.2 billion in 2009 to a whopping $25.3 billion in 2014. That represents a compound annual growth rate of 13.9 percent.

With such a large chunk of money at stake, there are plenty of opportunities for IT infrastructure providers to enjoy the fruits of that revenue. But there are also challenges that these same providers must face in light of the enormous increase in users and hours spent on these games.

IT infrastructure providers face a host of questions surrounding the online gaming space. Is the gaming in the cloud ready to take off? Among the many types of online games – MMOG, FPS, social games – what are the best environments for each type? How does the impact of mobile devices such as tablets change how players consume these games? And what infrastructure trends are proving to be the most successful?

For anyone interested in answers to the above questions or in the topic of online gaming infrastructure, there will be a free webinar on August 22, 2012 at 2 p.m. ET/11 a.m. PT. The webinar, “Online Gaming Infrastructure Trends: Capitalizing on a Growing Industry,” will feature gaming IT infrastructure experts discussing tends in the industry and optimization of online gaming environments.

To learn more about the webinar or to register, click here.

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