The gaming industry has gone through some pretty extraordinary changes in the past five years. And it’s all thanks to technological innovations.
Artificial intelligence-powered storytelling, 4K visuals, and virtual reality devices are just some of the improvements that make games more immersive than ever.
Plus, advanced gaming technology is actively changing our culture and the way we communicate with each other. These wonderful technologies pave the way to a truly spectacular future. So it’s well worth taking a closer look at them.
Here are the eight best gaming technology innovations that have emerged in the past five years. Let’s dive in.
5 Years of Gaming Technology: 8 Biggest Innovations
1. Mobile Gaming Technology Keeps Improving
Smartphones have changed the face of the gaming industry forever. People can now continue their games conveniently, even on the commute with the wearable gaming technology they have on their phones. And the games themselves are also changing.
Plenty of new games get introduced to people with a few spare minutes waiting for a bus or a taxi. These games are easy to play and don’t take up much time.
Whether it’s a Google pay casino game or an “endless runner” type of game like Surf Attack, the gaming apps on your smartphone bring entertainment to you everywhere.
2. Open-World Game Design – Here to Stay
With the massive success of games like Assassin’s Creed and Grand Theft Auto IV, open-world games have become more popular than ever. These games have developed the simple linear level design further with cool experimental spaces.
That has encouraged players to approach playing with a more creative and curious mindset. The adventures players can have in an open world are entirely up to them.
Plus, thanks to the super-fast internet connection, playing video games has become an increasingly social experience. The explorative nature of open-world games makes them perfect for online collaborations.
3. AR and VR Technologies Improve Every Year
Gaming technology companies incorporate augmented reality (AR) and virtual reality (VR) devices to create increasingly immersive play-worlds.
Although full dive VR gaming technology is still too expensive for the average consumer, cheaper headsets have enabled people to take first steps into the AR and VR worlds.
We’ve also seen the rise of 5G services that allow handling all the data transmission needed for an optimal VR experience at a relatively low cost. That has contributed to the growth of cloud-based service delivery networks that power AR and VR streaming apps.
4. Many Ways to Pay
Thanks to novel technology, online players have plenty of options to pay for in-game purchases securely and comfortably. The transactions are lightning-fast, and thanks to service providers like PayPal and Neteller, players don’t have to share their credit card details to make the payment.
They don’t even need to reveal their identity for the transaction. How is it possible? Thanks to Blockchain technology. Using cryptocurrencies and crypto wallets doesn’t require disclosing any player details.
It’s a safe way to make payments, and we’ll probably see more blockchain implementation in gaming in the future.
5. Social Experience Is on the Forefront
As we’ve mentioned before, the quick 5G connection has opened up doors for new possibilities. Multiplayer gaming is taking over with endless matchmaking opportunities in first-person shooters and asynchronous competitions in racing games.
We’ve seen mass online meetups where everyone gets together on digital sports arenas and battlefields to compete. And people often use the shared social space of a game mainly for chatting with online friends.
6. Moving to the Cloud
What does cloud-based gaming technology change in the gaming world? A lot! Firstly, players don’t need gaming consoles or extra computers to enjoy their favorite online games. The computational power of the cloud enables everyone to enter a game from their regular home computer.
The gameplay streams through wifi, and the amount of memory on a hard drive plays no role in the quality of images. That means that video games are now accessible to a much wider audience. There’s hardly a household these days that wouldn’t have someone gaming regularly.
7. Artificial Intelligence (AI) Solutions
The history of gaming technology was connected to innovations in artificial intelligence since the beginning of video games. Believe it or not, AI was already present in 1951 in the computerized mathematical strategy game Nim.
Flash forward to 2021, and AI helps game designers to make the playing experience more adaptive and responsive to players’ moves. Non-player characters (NPCs) powered by AI are becoming more creative and intelligent with each new game.
They can form themselves in groups and use various tactical maneuvers to combat against the human player. Coupling these independently-thinking AI NPCs with the emerging holographic gaming technology can pave the way to new methods in education in the future. People can learn things in virtual environments that resemble real-life very closely.
8. Newest Games Call for Player Creativity and Participation as Viewers
Anyone who tried years ago to make their Doom levels knows that it required lots of technical knowledge and dedication. But ever since games like Minecraft or Sims, user creativity has become the central focus of many new games.
Sharing and building content around these games has created large online communities that are like large creative workshops. And talking about communities, let’s not forget about YouTube and Twitch.
These innovative platforms allow people to share their gameplays attracting new gaming fans and building an audience for the increasingly popular eSports scenes. Who knows, maybe one day eSports will be featured in the Olympics.
Conclusion
So these were our latest gaming and technology news. Video games and modern technology are shaping our lives and ways of seeing the world.
Innovations like 5G internet, cloud gaming, and powerful smartphones have opened the world of video games to a new vibrant audience.
They are building communities around increasingly immersive games and turning playing into a fun social experience. What better time to become a video game player?
Where do you see the future of gaming technology heading? Share your projections for the next five years in the comments.
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Author’s Bio: Jeffrey is a tech activist and avid blogger. He has a great knowledge of the latest technologies. He also likes writing blogs and sharing informative content with others. His major concern is to educate people who are interested in technology. He is passionate about helping people in all aspects of digital marketing, technology, and other related topics that make tomorrow’s world better.
