The gaming industry is expanding quickly, and technology is one of the main reasons why. The video game industry is changing as a result of important gaming technology trends. The following are these trends:
1. Cloud gaming
An important development in the field of gaming technology is cloud gaming.
The gaming world before cloud gaming
Since the introduction of the first video games, playing video games required a PC or console. You paid for that; it’s a cost.
The gaming industry is now very cutthroat. Companies that create video games are always looking for ways to improve the user experience. For this, they frequently upgrade their gameplay scenarios, content, and design. Better graphics, gesture controls, etc., could be some of these. When playing games, you should use them to your advantage.
The improved games are more thrilling, but they also demand much more powerful computers or gaming consoles. Your computers or gaming consoles required regular upgrades. Every 5 years, many users upgrade them. This may be pricey.
Cloud gaming eliminates hardware upgrades to play games
Major publishers of video games are using cloud services to distribute their titles. These cloud-based services are accessible via subscription. These games can be accessed through Smart TVs. You can play these games on lightweight streaming devices like Fire TV as well.
Technology based on cloud computing handles all the “heavy lifting.” No longer are costly gaming systems required to be upgraded frequently.
Cloud gaming market and key providers
The market for cloud gaming is anticipated to expand quickly. According to a report by Allied Market Research, this market will increase from $244 million in 2020 to $21,954 million in 2030. The introduction of 5G will further boost this expansion.
Giants like Google, Sony, Microsoft, Nvidia, and Amazon have all consciously entered the cloud gaming market. Some of the well-known cloud gaming services include Vortex, Boosteroid, Shadow, Amazon Luna, Nvidia GeForce Now, and Nividia GameStream.
2. Virtual reality (VR)
Virtual reality gaming is widely used in the video game industry. Future predictions indicate that VR games will grow in popularity.
Why VR gaming continues to grow
An immersive experience is provided by virtual reality (VR). This immersive experience can be very appealing in the gaming world if it is well designed. Early on, several game developers understood the appeal of a virtual world.
The potential of virtual reality in the gaming industry is being boosted by a number of recent and ongoing technological developments. These are listed below:
- Meta Quest 2 and other VR headsets are getting more affordable. They are now more accessible to gamers.
- Design professionals have been able to raise the bar for digital content thanks to the introduction of new technology. More gamers can be drawn in and kept playing when stunning graphics are coupled with a VR experience that is completely immersive.
- The development of VR, including the gaming sector, will be fueled by the deployment of 5G.
- Future VR adoption will increase thanks to cloud VR. The gaming industry will experience the same thing.
VR gaming market
The market for VR games is expanding significantly. This market is expected to increase from $7.92 billion in 2021 to $53.44 billion in 2028, according to a Fortune Business Insights report. The CAGR predicted by the report for the years 2021 to 2028 is 31.4%.
The following are the most well-known VR games:
- Sunshine in Arizona
- Astrobot: Search and Rescue
- VR adaptation of Batman
- overcome Sabre
- VR’s Elite Dangerous;
- Alyx from Half-Life
- I Anticipate You Dying 2;
- Continue talking and nobody will blow up;
- Isolated Echo 2.
Some of the well-known companies that create VR games include Argentics, Whimsy Games, and KEVURU GAMES.
The market for Augmented Reality (AR) games
Although virtual and augmented reality are frequently used interchangeably, these technologies have different growth curves. The same is true of AR games.
The use of AR in video games is becoming more popular. According to a report by the imarc group, the global market for augmented reality games will increase from $6.39 billion in 2021 to $38.03 billion in 2027.
Several well-known AR games include the following:
- Go Pokémon!
- Batman by DC: Bat-Tech Edition;
- Wizards United in Harry Potter
- The Living Jurassic World;
- Run, Zombies!
- Our World in The Walking Dead;
- Pool Kings.
3. The Metaverse
The Metaverse is a topic of much discussion and is also a significant trend in the gaming industry.
The intersection of gaming and the Metaverse
The online environment of the future, known as the Metaverse, is already developing. It will have virtual versions of the people, things, and things in the real world. Real people’s digital “avatars” will communicate with other “avatars” and interact with digital representations of reality.
The Metaverse will make use of VR, AR, mobile, blockchain, and cryptocurrency technologies. People will conduct their business and social interactions online.
Even though the Metaverse is still very much a work in progress, the gaming industry has already enthusiastically embraced it! The Metaverse is not a system that starts and stops. Users can engage with this immersive online world whenever they want because it is constantly available. Gaming businesses profit from this ongoing, immersive online environment. This growing trend is likely to continue.
In the Metaverse, the games listed below are already very well-liked:
- Infinity Axie;
- Decentraland;
- Sandbox;
- Alliance Chain;
- Alice, my neighbour;
- Krystopia;
- Space Worlds;
- Agriculture World
- Prospectors.
Examples of the synergies between the Metaverse and the gaming world
The Metaverse is used by more than just well-known video games. The Metaverse and the gaming industry work in harmony. The examples below show what we mean:
- Ariana Grande, Travis Scott, and Marshmello Scott all performed at concerts using the Metaverse. For this, the immersive setting of the well-known video game Fortnite was utilised. The developer of Fortnite, Epic Games, has made sizable investments in the Metaverse.
- Microsoft has ambitious plans to make the Metaverse practical for business. The industry titan in technology has put a lot of money into this undertaking. With the purchase of Minecraft and Activision Blizzard, it has also made an investment in the Metaverse games.
- The video game development company Roblox has developed a Metaverse platform. On this platform, game developers can produce digital goods, and players can trade them. According to reports, this platform has close to 50 million daily users.
4. Blockchain and NFTs
Blockchain and NFTs are growing in significance in the gaming industry.
What makes blockchain and NFTs click in the gaming world?
Cryptographic tokens called NFTs (Non-Fungible Tokens) are similar to cryptocurrencies like Bitcoin and Ether. NFTs, however, have two unique characteristics. They are one and the same. NFTs are perfect for tokenizing any digital asset due to these features.
NFTs are used by people to tokenize things like art, music, real estate, etc. Blockchain provides immutability thanks to its consensus algorithms, which are computer programmes. Nobody can tamper with the ownership information of these assets thanks to the decentralised security and immutability that blockchain offers.
NFTs can be used to tokenize video game characters because of this. In card games, you can use them to tokenize trading cards. In November 2017, the first NFT game based on blockchain technology, called CryptoKitties, was released. Since then, a lot of NFT games have gained enormous popularity.
Actually, a large number of the well-liked Metaverse games are NFT games. Examples include Farmers World, Axie Infinity, Sandbox, Chain of Alliance, and My Neighbour Alice. The blockchain and NFTs make it possible for the “play-to-earn” game trend to take off.
The market for blockchain-NFT games
Blockchain-NFT game sales are expanding quickly. According to reports, there were 29,563 crypto wallets associated with gaming at the start of 2021, but there were 754,000 by the third quarter.
According to these reports, blockchain gaming brought in $2.3 billion during the third quarter of 2021. They mention Axie Infinity as the market leader.
5. eSports
The demand for eSports management software will increase as eSports gain in popularity.
Video games are a part of eSports. They do, however, also incorporate many significant elements of conventionally competitive sports. ESports have spectators, leagues, tournaments, sponsors, prize money, paid athletes, and media attention, just like traditional competitive sports.
High-quality eSports management software is needed to manage all of these. Games for eSports will be created by many game developers. Esports management software will also be produced by a large number of developers.
According to experts, there will be 285.7 million eSports fans worldwide in 2024, up from 197 million in 2019. They predict that from 200.8 million in 2019 to 291.6 million in 2024, there will be an increase in the number of casual eSports viewers.
A larger eSports market will lead to an increase in this growth in popularity. According to reports, by 2023, the eSports market will have increased from $694.2 million to $2,174.8 million.
6. Artificial Intelligence (AI) in Gaming
We anticipate that AI will become more prevalent in gaming. AI is assisting game designers in making much more thrilling games.
NPCs are characters that are not players in video games. While playing these games, players interact with NPCs frequently. Game designers coded NPCs’ potential responses before AI became the norm.
NPCs now have the capacity to learn thanks to AI. This AI-enabled learning can be used by NPCs to change their responses on the fly. Because of this, video games are harder.
AI is used in well-known games like Halo: Combat Evolved, Middle Earth: Shadow of Mordor, Civilization, Need for Speed, Counter-Strike, and Need for Speed. An example of a company that develops AI-powered games is Apex Game Tools. Other examples include Blizzard Entertainment, DeepMind, and Opsive. According to market research reports, AI in gaming will continue to grow steadily.
7. Mobile Gaming
The prevalence of mobile gaming is understandable given the increasing importance of mobile apps in all aspects of our lives. Gaming on mobile devices will increase. The recent improvement in the ease of game monetization will be a major driver of this expansion.
The top mobile games include Rush Royale: Tower Defence TD, Monument Valley, Genshin Impact, Elevenar, Forge of Empires, and Shadow Legends: Raid. According to a report by Research and Markets, the market for mobile gaming will increase from $95.448 billion in 2019 to $420.386 billion in 2026.
8. Cross-platform gaming
Video games that can be played on different platforms, such as PCs, consoles, tablets, Android phones, and iPhones, are referred to as cross-platform games. They’re frequently referred to as “cross-play” games.
Multiplayer games may allow for the use of a variety of devices. Regardless of the device, they can participate in cross-platform games. Popular cross-platform games include Fortnite, Rocket League, Minecraft, Chess Ultra, and Ark: Survival Evolved.
Developers must make sure that no player benefits unfairly from their device. According to experts, there is an increasing demand for cross-platform games. As a result, we can anticipate game developers putting more effort into cross-play game development initiatives.
9. Open-source gaming
The major game developers that control the market are well known to all. Independent game developers can now compete in the gaming market thanks to open-source gaming.
Open-source game engines like Godot, Cocos2d-x, CryEngine, Armoury, and Openage can be used by independent game developers. Market research studies show that the gaming sector is notably adopting open-source gaming platforms.
10. The growth of mobile-based puzzle games
Mobile puzzle games fill a crucial niche in the already well-liked mobile gaming market. 8% of the mobile game market, according to observers, will be occupied by puzzle games in 2020. In that year, mobile puzzle games brought in $6.9 billion. In the upcoming years, we can anticipate more puzzle game projects being undertaken by mobile game developers.
11. The growth of hyper-casual games
The mobile gaming landscape has seen a huge increase in the popularity of hyper-casual games. According to observers, the number of downloads of ultra-casual games for mobile devices increased from 7.8 billion in 2019 to 11.8 billion in 2020.
Future hyper-casual game development projects are something that mobile game developers can anticipate working on in a big way. Game designers must concentrate on the lightweight design of these entertainment-focused games.
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FAQs
1. Which are the top video games of all time?
The Legend of Zelda: Ocarina of Time, Tony Hawk’s Pro Skater 2, Grand Theft Auto IV, SoulCalibur, Red Dead Redemption, Grand Theft Auto V, Disco Elysium: The Final Cut, Perfect Dark, Metroid Prime, Batman: Arkham City, and Elden Ring are the best video games of all time.
2. Which are the best game development companies?
Epic Games, Nintendo, The NineHertz, iTechArt, Zero Games Studio, Electronic Arts, Ubisoft, Sony Interactive Entertainment, Activision Blizzard, Gameloft, Square Enix, and Bungie Inc. are the top game development companies.
3. Which are the top video game consoles?
Playstation 5, Xbox Series X, Nintendo Switch, PlayStation 4 Pro, Nintendo Switch Lite, SNES Classic Edition, Sega Genesis Mini, and PlayStation VR are the top video game consoles.
