What Are The Latest Trends In Gaming?

When it comes down to the many tech trends having an impact on our lives, the $90 billion global video games industry is frequently one of the first places that many individuals get to see them in action. This is very true of artificial intelligence (AI), virtual and augmented reality (VR/AR), blockchain and, specifically, today’s hottest buzzword – the metaverse.

Video games have developed quite a long way from the primitive and blocky sprites that many of us enjoyed in our younger days. Today’s gamers are accustomed to exploring realistic 3D worlds as well as interacting with hundreds or thousands of other gamers in real time. The infrastructure that is put in place by games developers to enable this is founded on some of the most cutting-edge tech, from super-powered computers to incredibly fast 5G and cloud networking.

So let’s have a look at the most exciting and important trends impacting the fast-moving world of gaming.

New Ways To Pay

The traditional model of paying hefty upfront costs for a new game and owning it entirely is now being challenged. Free-to-play and subscription models are rapidly becoming the preferred delivery method of many of the game providers out there. Even if you enjoy online blackjack real money games, you don’t have to pay for the actual game.

With free-to-play, the game – or a particular version of it – are provided without charge and monetised through in-game purchases and advertising. Subscription services use along the lines of Netflix or Prime with membership fees opening up a wide range of rotating content.

AR And VR In Gaming

For an immersive first-person video game playing experience, Augmented and Virtual Reality gaming have almost no alternative. The introduction of Pokémon Go gave rise to AR gaming’s overnight fame.

According to Industry ARC reports, the AR and VR video game market will get to $11.0 billion by 2026. The growth come out of an 18.5% CAGR from 2021 to 2026.

The integration of AR and virtual reality solutions in mobile and wearable devices in addition to people’s craving for immersive gaming experiences – propel this growth. The price of VR headsets will drop in the next couple of years.

The VR gaming devices – such as VR headsets, hand controllers, etc. – allow the players to get an interactive gaming experience. As opposed to being completely immersed in a VR game, AR overlays digital objects and sounds onto the real environment of the gamer. It is what makes the format even more engaging and accessible. The growth of smartphone penetration has assisted game developers with tapping into AR as a storytelling medium.

Increased Diversity In The World Of Gaming

Although gaming attracts to women, the fandom remains a male-dominated space. The number of women in esports, PC as well as console gaming continues to creep up. Some reports state that an expected 45% of gamers are female, which means the split between the male and female gamers is steadily getting to 50-50.

Not only that, the industry is starting to pay close attention to gender representation in games. There have been a number of noteworthy female leads in games and that will likely become the norm in the future.