The digital gaming industry is growing exponentially – and it’s all thanks to lightning fast advances across a wide range of technologies.
Whether your gaming involves a quick online session at Bally’s Casino UK or a regular bout of multiplayer Dungeons and Dragons, technology has certainly already transformed our gaming experiences in the last decade.
Across the gaming world, the most noticeable advance to most players has been in visual realism.
High-definition graphics, realistic lighting and advanced rendering techniques have created visually stunning gameplay. Technologies like ray tracing have been introduced, making in-game lighting and reflections incredibly lifelike.
At the same time, the emergence of virtual and augmented reality gaming have bought immersive experiences into the mainstream.
Millions now use VR headsets like the Oculus Rift and PlayStation VR and play AR games like Pokémon GO, Harry Potter: Wizards Unite and Jurassic World Alive.
The gradual roll-out of 5G will fuel the growth of VR in all forms and use of Cloud VR will boost immersive options for the gaming industry.
Internet services like Google Stadia, NVIDIA GeForce Now and Xbox Cloud Gaming (formerly Project xCloud) have popularized cloud gaming. Players are now able to stream high-quality games directly to their devices, reducing the need for them to use powerful hardware.
There is an increasing adoption of cross-platform gaming, where players on different gaming consoles or platforms can play together. Games like Fortnite, Minecraft and Rocket League have successfully used this technology already.
Artificial intelligence can now drive NPCs (non-player characters) to provide more realistic interactions during a game. AI algorithms are being used to generate some game content like maps, levels and quests to create more dynamic and replayable games.
And platforms like Twitch and YouTube Gaming now allow gamers to livestream their gameplay as a new form of content creation.
At the same time the hardware we play on has changed dramatically. Players can even now access games via their smart TVs at home.
Meanwhile the mobile gaming industry boomed with the rise of affordable smartphones and tablets. This has helped games like Clash of Clans, PUBG Mobile, and Among Us achieve massive popularity.
Technology has also helped the rise of e-sports in the last decade.
It’s now normal for professional gamers to compete in tournaments for substantial prize money. This would never have been possible without the growth of high-speed internet, streaming platforms and specialized gaming equipment.
Some online casinos and gaming operators have started incorporating blockchain technology and non-fungible tokens (NFTs) to give players ownership of in-game assets. Industry experts are predicting this could change how in-game spending and casino transactions will work in future.
Technology has also made gaming simply more accessible to the players. Features like customizable controls, voice commands, and screen readers have now allow gamers with disabilities easier access to the entertainment.
On the other side of the screen, game developers are now using extensive sophisticated data analytics to monitor and understand player behaviour. This analysis helps operators target marketing, create games that players will want and make the experiences more personalised.
Another under-appreciated development is the advance in audio technology. Game soundscapes now include high-quality surround sound and even 3D audio, significantly enhancing the overall gaming experience.
The future is accelerating towards us and the next steps are likely to be even more exciting. The gaming industry is buzzing with talk about the Metaverse and how it can be used.
The Metaverse is the online world of the future where digital avatars and representations of the entities and substances in the physical world will interact with other avatars to experience a digital representation of things in the real world.
From humiliating your boss in an imaginary wrestling ring to chatting to friends while apparently driving down your street in a hypercar, the Metaverse will employ technologies like VR, AR, mobile, and blockchain/cryptocurrencies to combine reality and fantasy.
Much of the Metaverse is still a work-in-progress, but it is expected to transform the gaming environment. Games like Axie Infinity, Decentraland, Sandbox, Chain of Alliance and My Neighbor Alice are already heavily reliant on Metaverse concepts.
At the same time, musicians like Ariana Grande, Travis Scott and Marshmello Scott have created Metaverse concerts. Microsoft has also invested heavily in developing Metaverse games.
Game creation company Roblox has created a Metaverse platform where developers can create games and players can trade them. Already this platform has 50 million users daily.
Technology has transformed the gaming industry over the last decade. This has made games more visually appealing, immersive, accessible and interconnected. These trends are only going to continue as technology accelerates.
The possibilities for the future of gaming are incredibly exciting and suggest that players everywhere are going to be the eventual winners in this technology race.
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