Anybody who’s played a video game in the past year will know how technology has changed the activity in a way that’s shown breathtaking progress since the days of Mario and Sonic the Hedgehog.
With everything from innovative world-building titles to advanced mobile casino games enjoying phenomenal popularity on a global scale, it shows how technology is helping gaming move into uncharted territory.
What’s most evident about the video gaming revolution is the fact that it’s happening on a global basis. From an office worker in Sweden pioneering the Minecraft world-building craze to Kenya’s nascent gaming industry, it’s clear that video game creation is increasingly a democratic affair.
Part of this global trend is due to the proliferation of smartphones which means that everyone now has a portable gaming platform in their pocket. So whether you’re joining the Candy Crush Saga puzzling craze, or checking out the latest mobile casino offerings when you get chance to visit the Lucky Nugget Casino site, it’s shows that modern day gaming has limitless potential.
As smartphone technology has meant that more people have become gamers, it’s also given rise to a real trend for multiplayer online gaming.
This can be anything as simple as a mobile multiplayer tournament via the 8 Ball Pool online game, to the rapidly growing competitive gaming realm that has seen the likes of the African Gaming League and the travelling DreamHack tournament bring professionalised gaming to new audiences.
However, 2016 marked a watershed moment for video games as it was the year when augmented reality and virtual reality transformed the standard gaming experience.
From over 500 million people chasing Pokémons around their towns thanks to Pokémon Go to people playing video roulette against real-life dealers in their living rooms, it shows that the way games interact with real environments could indicate gaming’s fascinating future.
And finally, this year has also marked the moment where virtual reality finally become a popular gaming activity thanks to the rise of headsets like Oculus Rift, HTC Vive and the PlayStation VR.
Whilst previous attempts had been hampered by a troubling latency and lack of graphical depth, the latest generation of VR headsets has meant that whether we’re playing a first-person shooter, or are back at the casino gaming tables, our games are going to be a lot more immersive and realistic in the coming years.
