The world of tech moves at an incredibly fast pace and affects many industries, including the gaming industry. This includes both video gaming and iGaming, and in the article below, we take a look at five trends that are changing the way in which we play games.
- Microtransactions
Microtransactions are everywhere, both in the gaming industry and the iGaming industry, to a degree. For example, you can use a PlayOjo bonus code with a small minimum deposit, and there are many online platforms that accept incredibly low deposits to start gaming.
In the gaming industry, microtransactions are in virtually every game, on consoles, PCs and mobile games. These are small in-game purchases you can make ranging from as little as $0.99, mainly for cosmetic items or in-game currency.
It’s a way for game developers to make more money after the initial sale of the game, or so that they can provide a game for free but still monetize it.
- Virtual reality
We’ve had some experience with VR in gaming and it’s like nothing else. Compared to playing a game on a TV or PC, putting a VR headset on is unreal and offers a huge level of immersion.
Currently, the number of high-quality VR games is limited but we can expect this to develop in the future as the headsets and underlying technology improves. Developers such as Oculus already have some impressive kit and the quality of the VR experience continues to improve year after year.
In time, we can expect to have fully realized virtual casinos to explore, and to be able to complete multiplayer VR games the likes of which we’ve never seen before.
- The metaverse
The metaverse is this big, unknown entity, and right now, there isn’t much practical application for it. However, we believe that it has incredible potential and it is likely the direction in which the gaming industry is heading.
If you have ever watched the film Ready Player One, then the oasis is similar to what the metaverse is supposed to be like eventually. It will be a huge virtual world that people can log in to using their VR headsets, and explore. Within the metaverse could be anything from games and shops to places to hang out and chat – if and when it realizes, we are in for some exciting times.
- Cloud-based gaming services
When I was a kid, we had VHS and then CDs and DVDs – these are all considered antiques now, and many gaming services and platforms have moved to cloud-based operations. This essentially means that game data and storage is not on your device but resides instead on a cloud server somewhere on the internet.
There are already lots of cloud gaming platforms, such as Nware and Xbox Game Pass, that allow you to download games from the cloud without the need for a CD.
- Improvements in console power
Lastly, we have seen a huge development in the processing and graphics power of gaming consoles, with next-gen offerings like the PS5 and Xbox Series X. These consoles rival gaming PCs and have the power to process huge games with epic graphics.
As technologies are refined, we can expect console performance and power to increase as new generations are released. This means our gaming experience and immersion should improve.
The future looks interesting for the gaming industry
I can’t wait for the future of the gaming industry, and with the rise of technology like VR and cloud-based gaming, we should have more avenues for fun, entertainment and gaming exploits. The next five years certainly promise to be exciting as tech continues to progress!