Gaming has come a long way from the days of Pong and Space Invaders in the early 80s. Nowadays, video games are fully-fledged visual and story experiences, with engaging gameplay that lasts for hours on end – and people won’t accept anything less. Let’s look at how gaming has evolved thanks to the advancement of technology.
High-Quality Graphics
The graphics of a video game are what you see on the screen; it’s the visual representation of the game you’re playing. Some of the earliest games used to be text adventures, where players would get a description of what was happening. The invention of 32-bit graphics gave life to the descriptions, and fully-fledged 3D graphics and textural rendering now make many modern games look just like real life. Players expect top-of-the-range graphics from every game they play, whether they’re playing racing games, casino slots online Ireland, or online multiplayer games.
AR and VR Tools
One of the ways that the gaming industry has been innovating is by incorporating augmented reality (AR) and virtual reality (VR) into their games. With the release of the Oculus Rift, players could finally enjoy a fully immersive gaming experience. The headset completely envelopes the players’ vision, giving players the chance to truly experience what it’s like to inhabit the world of the game they’re playing. In the past, people could only imagine what it would be like to live in the gaming world, but now they can live it. It’s a truly groundbreaking piece of tech that will only get better in the future.
Easier and Safer Payment
As gaming has moved towards the online model in the past decade, there has been a big push to improve the payment experience. More and more gaming companies use encryption technology to secure their payment systems, which results in safer transactions for players. The development of e-wallets such as PayPal allows for quick and secure transactions online, and online gaming companies have been increasing their security to help protect their users. Other advancements in payment technology include cryptocurrency, which allows users to send a payment without the risk of a third party preventing it from going through.
Cloud Technology
One of the major advantages of handheld game consoles and laptops is that you can take them with you and play on the go. You don’t have to plug them into another screen or carry around a ton of wires wherever you go; you can just play. However, you’re limited in the games you can play, as your device will only be able to hold so many game files. With the advancement in cloud technology, people don’t need to download games or carry around physical copies; they can play the games over the internet. It works the same way as video streaming; the game is hosted on a server that players connect to, and play from their device, just as if it was installed there. This allows players to access libraries of thousands of games on one device, wherever they are in the world.
Connecting with People
One thing that became particularly clear during the Covid-19 pandemic is that video games bring people together. Countless people were playing online games together as a way to socialise and connect with one another, even if they weren’t in the same room. Games like Words with Friends and Among Us, as well as classic video games like Call of Duty and Fifa, allow players to connect with their friends across large distances. This has led to game developers focusing more on the multiplayer aspects of games in an attempt to drive more user engagement to their platforms.
Mobile Technology
It wasn’t too long ago that mobile phones were only good for making calls, now they’re practically tiny computers! These devices have their own gaming market which is available in your pocket 24/7. Much like the console video game industry, mobile games started off simple but have since evolved into games with fully-fledged 3D graphics and engaging gameplay. Most mobile games are geared towards casual players, which is perfect for people who only have a few minutes to game a day. However, the market is so varied that it has a game for almost every niche, so you can find a mobile game that suits you no matter what you enjoy.
Rise of Hyperreality
While VR is fantastic for transporting you to another world where you can immerse yourself in your game, hyperreality takes things one step further. Rather than taking you to a new world, it augments the real world, adding characters and objects to environments you’re already familiar with. This adds another level of immersion, as you don’t have to get used to a new environment; the game takes place in the environment you’re living in! Some games even offer physical props which provide tactile feedback to virtual objects, enhancing the
gaming experience even more. While this technology may not be mainstream just yet, it’s sure to revolutionise the gaming industry when it becomes more accessible to developers and publishers.
Conclusion
The great thing about the gaming world is that it’s constantly evolving. Despite being a million miles away from where it first started, it will continue to develop and grow until it can provide the ultimate gaming experience we’ve all been looking for.
