The global economy might be in recession, but gaming seems set to enjoy a bright 2009. We take a look at the trends that will influence it most through the coming year.

if 2008 was a year dominated by sequels to popular games and an intensification of the Battle of the Consoles (Microsoft vs Sony vs Nintendo), 2009 is likely to be an equally busy one for the gaming community. We go beyond the regular flurry of new games, graphic card updates and firmware upgrades for consoles, and look at five trends that we think will make a difference to gaming in 2009.

The return of the computer

The rumours of the demise of the computer as a gaming machine seem to have been exaggerated. Even as 2008 drew to a close, Rockstar had admitted that it would be developing a PC version of GTA IV, arguably the game of the year. Similarly, the success of Spore just showed that no matter how popular consoles got, the computer was in no mood to lie down and die in the gaming arena. Most console games spawned PC versions sooner or later and major game developers refused to give up on it. With World of Warcraft still going incredibly strong, and the likes of Diablo 3, Deus Ex 3 and The Sims 3 scheduled to arrive in 2009, there is a fair chance that console gamers will have plenty to be envious of. Yes, we are unlikely to see the end of the “upgrade your system to play the latest game” trend (more’s the pity), but the consoles have not yet won the War of the Gaming Platforms. If anything, we are betting that 2009 will belong to the computer—no, we are not saying the ‘PC’, because thanks to their improved graphics capabilities (and the presence of BootCamp), Macs too can now claim to be gaming machines.

The console war goes online

After fighting it out over who has the larger gaming library, gaming consoles are set to slug it out over the Internet. Both Microsoft and Sony have invested heavily to provide online options to users of their consoles. While Microsoft recently boosted its Xbox Live service with the addition of avatars, Sony added a whole new dimension to the PlayStation Network by giving it a Second Life kind of feel—users can even set up their apartments and invite friends or go out shopping. It is no longer about just playing games but building communities. Of course, Nintendo has no intention of sitting back while all this happens. No, we are unlikely to see something as vast as the World of Warcraft on consoles, but in 2009, console gamers are going to spend more time online—and not just while playing.