Video games are a form of technology, so it’s not all that surprising that the gaming industry has often been at the forefront of technological innovation, embracing emerging technologies and looking at ways to integrate them to make games even better. As technological innovation has picked up pace over the past two decades, many would agree it has changed gaming for the better. The internet has transformed gaming from a mostly solitary activity into a social gathering.
Online platforms have made it possible for gamers from all corners of the globe to come together to compete and collaborate while playing their favourite titles. Mobile devices have changed the way we game and have expanded the definition of gamer, with people from all walks of life using these devices to play all types of games. In this article, we look at technology’s impact on how we play games.
The Growth of Online Gaming
It would be difficult to overstate the impact the internet has had on gaming. As high-speed internet has spread throughout the globe, online gaming has become one of the most popular forms of gaming. Just a few years ago, people had to travel to brick-and-mortar establishments or organize game nights to play their favourite casino games. Online platforms have changed all of that, with digital casinos giving players a place to gather to play games like poker, bringing one of the world’s most popular games to a new audience. Players don’t need to be experts in the ins and outs of the game to get started. Instead, online tutorials to learn how to play poker and other table games are available for players to use. Whether they want to explore bluffing or increase their knowledge of hand rankings, technology has made it easy to do.
Beyond games like poker, massively multiplayer online games and popular franchises like Fortnite and other battle royale games have turned gaming into a global community, much in the same way WhatsApp groups have made it easy for people to connect. Cross-platform gaming has made it possible for gamers to play many of these games with their friends no matter what gaming device they use, be it a console, mobile device, or PC. With 5G and fiber optic networks being rolled out around much of the globe, these sessions have become even smoother, with less lag and fewer interrupted sessions.
The Mobile Gaming Takeover
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What would have been thought inconceivable at the turn of the century is reality today — by many metrics, mobile gaming has taken over console and PC gaming to become the world’s preferred platform for gaming. It makes a lot of sense, too. Most of us own a smartphone, and we carry it with us everywhere we go. As advanced as they’ve become, many people have found games that are more than satisfying to play on their mobile devices, and more and more mobile devices can handle complex AAA titles.
For those who don’t want to invest in an expensive gaming PC or console, playing on their mobile devices has solved that problem. Mobile games range from casual to competitive titles, and they’re often a lot less expensive than buying a game for a PC or console. App stores have helped push the mobile gaming trend, offering thousands of titles with free-to-play models that lower the barrier of entry to gaming. Today’s smartphones come with high-performance mobile GPUs that support graphically rich games, making the mobile gaming experience close to console quality for some games.
The Shift to Immersive Experiences
When virtual reality (VR) was first introduced, it was prohibitively expensive, and most gamers didn’t believe it was worth the steep price of entry. As with all technologies, the cost of VR headsets has come down over time, making them accessible to a broader range of gamers. Many gamers are embracing the immersive gaming trend that VR has started, enjoying how these headsets transport them to fully realized worlds where they can interact with environments and characters in much the same way as they would in real life. Augmented reality has also made a splash in the gaming space, most famously with Pokémon GO. These games encourage players to get out, explore, and interact with virtual environments, changing their approach to gaming.