Despite the fact that someone might lose in gameplay, you keep seeing millions of players still engaging in various games. Probably because, psychologically, games fulfill several intrinsic human desires.
For example, gaming provides a sense of achievement and reward. The excitement of making a competitive move – either winning a race or completing a level – against a contest is part of why many players stay hooked to different types of games.
Also, life tends to be boring when you always do the same thing over and over – it becomes more enjoyable when there’s variety. The more than five million games available ensure you have limitless opportunities to explore new gaming experiences.
A game category like online slots is one of the most diversified game types that gives players multiple options to engage. That way, players can participate more consistently as there are varying formats, themes and storylines to make your gameplay more engaging.
On the one hand, Multiplayer Online RPGs (Role Playing Games) like World of Warcraft allow you to experience variety with each new territory. And on the other hand, Multiplayer Online Battle Arena titles like League of Legends offer novelty with every character you play.
Other Reasons Why People Love Playing Games Include:
• Games, especially video games, offer a sense of mastery and control over something.
• Titles like World of Warcraft allow players to do almost anything (roam) internally or externally in a virtual setup.
• You can also take risks, including social, competitive and quest risks while playing.
Changing Consumer Interests
Part of what fuels these industrial developments is the rapidly changing consumer tastes and preferences. As the modern-day player has become more discerning, game developers are now integrating high-tech advancements to stand out in this competitive space.
That explains why advancements like virtual reality take shape in the gaming industry. Imagine the possibility of exploring the Roman Colosseum as it was over 1500 years ago. This would obviously increase the level of the game engagement.
We’re, therefore, likely to see a future that makes gaming more inclusive and accessible, bridging gaps between players who would have otherwise never met. Such advancements are part of why we’ve seen the gaming industry becoming more popular than movies and music combined.
Just recently, in 2022, the gaming industry reached over $184 billion globally compared to the movie and music industries, which generated about $52 billion. Surprisingly, these statistics were not just combined for the young generation – players within the 18 to 24 age bracket accounted for 38%, while 16% were older than 55.
More Upcoming Trends To Expect
Augmented Reality
Since AR hit the gaming scene significantly in 2016, games that could superimpose digital images onto the physical world became common. Pokemon Go is a prime example of AR’s biggest success stories, as it has sold over $1 billion yearly since its release.
Some top players have also remarked that Pokemon had become successful since it didn’t remove reality but allowed players to interact with it. This gaming preference will no doubt cause other game developers to craft such games that blend virtuality and realism.
Actually, some renowned figures like Rogelio Cardona-Rivera, a professor at the University of Utah’s School of Computing, have forecasted that AR will benefit game designers more than VR. While we’ve already seen dynamic AR tech for mobile devices, tech giants like Meta are now coming up with AR glasses.
Rumoredly, these Meta AR glasses will combine Meta’s XR (extensive reality) hardware with Meta AI to offer players engaging experiences.
Artificial Intelligence
AI is not new in the gaming scene, especially in NPCs (non–player characters). You’ve probably interacted with NPCs that have behavior trees that enable them to make complex decisions.
Although these characters can only execute predefined commands, however intelligent they may seem. Looking ahead into the future, we will likely see more commercial games integrating AI.
It’s worth noting that this revolution will impact not only the gameplay experience but also the development process. Of course, different developers are already turning to AI to generate game assets through processes like procedural content generation.
Plus, with procedural content generation, designers can create game levels randomly, ensuring players have new and fresh experiences. As we’ve already witnessed the power of AI in customizing game levels and generating assets, the technology might continue to transform other sectors like the graphics industry.
How Do Players Stand To Benefit
Take cloud gaming, for instance. You can now play in real time without downloading the game. And, of course, gaming becomes more fun the more connected it gets.
This means that players are now moving away from the burden of having to buy expensive hardware to renting digital content. Gaming companies are already responding to this by offering their own cloud gaming services. In just 2022, Microsoft reported that the usage of its Xbox cloud gaming services had increased to 20 million users.
We will continue to see the rise of games with ultra-realistic graphics. In response, companies like Nvidia are developing high-speed graphic cards that allow such games to load seamlessly.
As technology offers a lucrative way to engage players, designers will continue to add fascinating features to make their games stand out. So, we are likely to see dynamic AI revolutions, VR & AR advancements and other developments that will make gaming more fun in the near future.
