The global $198 billion a year gaming market is heating up at an accelerating pace. Bidding wars are breaking out over rights to new games, aggressive acquisition efforts are taking place among the top platforms and developers, and people are spending more than ever on their gaming hobbies.
This white-hot competition has fuelled a serious innovation drive, with developers and platforms striving to produce games that are as immersive as possible. It’s clear that customers want games that feel like real-life, and these are some of the ways that the gaming industry has been delivering in 2022.
Responsive Wearables
Perhaps one of the strangest trends in gaming technology we have seen is the advent of wearable tech that allows users to experience their in-game environment. Some of the leading companies in this space, such as OWO and Haptic, even offer vibrating t-shirts that emulate the physical sensations that your character may experience in the game. These wearables are also designed to enhance the experience of horror gameplay, for example, by replicating a surprise tap on the shoulder. This one is definitely not for the faint-hearted.
Metaverse Gaming
We keep hearing hype about how the metaverse is going to be the future of work, play, shopping, and living. While these claims should most definitely be taken with a massive grain of salt, we have seen some promising developments in the gaming space. Several major developers are currently racing to be the first to offer next-gen VR gaming experiences inside the metaverse, with Minecraft and SecondLife. among others all announcing their own forays into the metaverse in the past year. If the immersive environment of the metaverse is all that it has been cracked up to be, this could be a total game-changer for how we experience games.
Livestream Games
Another major stride into the realm of immersive gameplay comes from the online casino industry, which has been a pioneer in so-called “livestream games”. These are real money casino games where a player can connect to a real-life dealer via a live video uplink and try a real Las Vegas experience without ever leaving their home. This guide to live blackjack casinos explains how users can go head-to-head with a professional blackjack dealer, communicating via an on-screen interface to make their wagers and choose to hit or stick. Whether other entertainment sectors will follow this approach remains to be seen, but it has certainly proven a hit with online casino fans.
Seamless Cross-Play
One of the primary methods game developers are using to enhance the immersive quality of gameplay is implementing seamless cross-play across devices. With leading market players such as Sony’s Cross-Play, you can continue a single game session across mobile, console, desktop and tablet with no interruption. This cross-platform compatibility makes for true gaming without disruption, allowing for a more immersive experience than ever before.
These are how various game platforms are striving to make gaming feel realistic and immersive. Soon, gaming might just feel exactly like real life.