Gaming has changed a lot over 10 years. If you play games from back in the day, then you will find that the graphics are terrible and the gameplay is very rough. Video games nowadays have smooth graphics, and the gameplay is quite complex, which is actually enjoyable. In addition, we have seen a drastic change in the way we enjoy games in the recent few years thanks to AR and VR technology. Come with us as we walk through these changes in gaming technology in the past decade below.
Gaming PC and HD Games
Earlier, the reason why most of us could not play high-definition games was because we did not have access to Xbox or PlayStations. These gaming devices were too costly for a middle-class family, but everything changed when gaming PCs came into existence.
With a gaming PC, you can enjoy the same or better graphics as those game-dedicated devices but at a much cheaper rate. Thus, more and more people started buying video games to play. This gave a new stream of revenue for the gaming industry. Now the developers had a lot of funds that they could invest in research and development of better quality games. This started the evolution of games in the past few years.
Introduction of AR
Augmented reality, better known as AR, is the future of gaming, which incorporates games and reality. That means if you ever thought about saving your school from a terrorist attack, then it is quite possible to make such a game now using AR. With your school in the background and the game superimposed on it, you can enjoy such games in this century.
To better understand what AR is, you need to think back to 2016 when Pokemon Go was released. Do you remember how we used to use the phone’s camera through the game app to catch different Pokemon? This is a great example of AR technology, which uses your phone camera and simulates the game environment using a real-world background.
Here Comes the VR
VR or virtual reality is the hottest topic in the discussion of modern games. Imagine playing Call of Duty, and you can feel each bullet grazing your skin, and you are pushing hard on the enemy. Sounds exhilarating, right? That is what VR gaming is! You need to wear your VR headset and your body suit to feel the game’s action like a real-life thing.
In the last decade, VR games have emerged, and they are taking over the digital gaming industry rapidly. However, building a virtual reality game is quite difficult and time-consuming because you have to build a whole new environment.
The graphics team has to build 3D models of each and every character playable by the user and the NPCs. This is the reason why there are only a handful of VR games on the market. However, with the emergence of AI, we expect that the number of games will soon increase.
Fun Fact: The first VR machine was Sensorama, which was invented by Cinematographer Morton Heilig in 1962. It was used to watch movies in 3D, feel vibration, and smell the scents!
Microtransactions in Gaming
Fintech and gaming are two different sectors which have grown closer in the past decade. If we look at the games that were developed 10 years ago, you will notice that they were either free to play or that players had to spend money to buy them. However, in recent years, the games have changed their strategy by introducing microtransactions.
There were a few games by EA and other developers that had microtransactions, but those were a bit different. This is because, nowadays, the purchase made does not affect your gameplay much, which means if you do not buy it, you can still continue to play the game for free. But earlier, you needed to buy to continue playing the game. This new concept used in games is quite successful.
