It just takes one look at the popular video games one, two, or three decades ago to see how the gaming industry has drastically evolved. Nowadays, this industry is bigger than movies and sports rolled up together. So, what makes video games so popular? Thanks to various tech innovations, games have become incredibly realistic, and the lines between fantasy and reality are getting more blurred by the day. It is amazing what games developers have managed to accomplish so far, and one thing is for sure – we have a lot of cool upgrades to look forward to in the future. Here is what the future of gaming might look like.
VR
Virtual reality is not new, but it must live up to the hype. This sort of tech upgrade should help players become immersed in a game. In other words, VR should transport the player into an alternative world where they will feel like their character. Currently, tech companies are spending a fortune developing VR hardware and games. Currently, VR headsets are too big, and prices are too high, which tends to drive away potential users.
Furthermore, this equipment offers only a solitary experience, which is a downside. The future of VR lies in social VR, where gamers will be able to hang out in alternative worlds in real time. For instance, in a couple of years, we can expect to sit with our friends at the same poker table, chatting and placing bets, while in reality, we won’t even leave the couch. For now, we have to settle for live casinos such as those found on livecasinoreports.com where you can play with real money, real players, and real dealers.
AR
While most people are familiar with the term “virtual reality,” augmented reality still sounds Greek to many newbies in the gaming world. However, if we mention the Pokemon Go game that took the world by storm a few years back, you may have a clearer picture of what AR is. In 2016 Pokemon-catching missions were a huge hit, and this was most people’s first encounter with AR. In this game, players got to chase digital creatures in their real surroundings. This blend of virtual and real helped Pokemon Go reach $5 billion in sales. It seems that players want to enjoy a more enriched reality, not be removed completely from it, which is why AR is taking off faster than VR. AR is currently reserved for mobile games, but many companies such as Facebook, Apple, and Snap, believe that the future of AR lies in special glasses. We have to wait and see.
AI
Non-player characters have been around for decades. A bit older generations surely remember those colorful ghosts in Pac-Man. Most GTA players have killed many innocent people while completing their missions. The downside of NPCs is that they can do only what is written in their code, so the game’s developers predetermine their behavior. In the future, we could expect the appearance of a more complex AI system, but there are still many potential issues that need to be addressed. For instance, if NPCs get a mind of their own and start to run free in the games, they could ruin the whole experience for the players instead of enhancing it. However, we may expect to see games that will alter their gameplay according to the player’s behavior to make the whole experience much more fun. For now, AI is responsible for collecting data and sending feedback to game developers so they can tweak them and make them more appealing to users.
The Metaverse
The metaverse is a concept that was developed back in the 90s. It is a type of cyberspace that will combine virtual and augmented reality and allow players to lead second lives. Although this is still a theoretical concept, and we are still a long way off, hints of it are starting to appear. For instance, famous brands are already hosting events on gaming platforms like Roblox, while in Fornite, your character can watch virtual Ariana Grande concerts.
Cloud Gaming
Do you wish to play incredibly advanced games that require you to own a very expensive, high-powered PC? You won’t have to spend a fortune on gaming devices with cloud gaming. Instead, you can connect to a game via a server from any device you own and jump into the action.
Various tech innovations are changing the gaming industry, so it is no wonder that the gaming community is thriving. What will the future of gaming bring us, we can’t say with complete certainty, but we can surely look forward to some amazing experiences.
