The Covid-19 pandemic shook the world and clearly demonstrated just how fragile human society is when facing forces of nature. The climate change caused by our utter disregard for the environment came back with a vengeance and ground almost every aspect of our lives to a halt. As millions faced lockdowns and other strict measures put in place to halt the spread of the disease, people’s need for entertainment skyrocketed.
Many of the traditional methods became unavailable overnight and we turned to those few outlets that remained feasible. For many, that choice was gaming. An industry that was already showing robust growth suddenly got a shot of adrenaline straight to the heart. This explosive expansion left many wondering just how sustainable it will be once the pandemic was over. Fortunately, there are plenty of technological innovations that will keep it growing even after we become immune to Covid-19.
The Rise of Indie Games
Indie games are nothing new in gaming. In fact, it could be argued that the entire industry was developed from early independent studios and individual creators. If that is true, then the latest developments in indie games are nothing more than a return to the roots. The main advantage these new indie developers enjoy over their older counterparts is a multitude of platforms that allow them to easily distribute their games. The success of Stardew Valley would be impossible without Steam making it easy for players to obtain indie games. Lacking distribution networks big studios have at their disposal, indie developers profited greatly from it and other platforms. Roblox is another example of a successful indie title. With 150 million active users, it is in the top ten most played games on the planet. Read more about Slots (สล็อต)
New PC Gaming Platforms
Steam’s dominance in the field of pc gaming platforms is well-established. Valve enjoyed a first-mover advantage for years, securing a leading position and almost no competition. Unfortunately for them, that is beginning to change. New platforms, like GOG.com, are starting to chip away Steam’s lead. One of the reasons is that they are offering better terms to the developers and allowing new types of content. One of the most successful moves is making it possible for various casino software to be downloaded from their servers and letting their players use it. While it may take some time to dethrone Steam, the process is well underway. Unless Valve takes some drastic measures, it is only a matter of time before they are overtaken.
Virtual Reality (VR)
Virtual reality is one of those technologies that we keep hearing about as the next big thing, but somehow it never happens. The main obstacle so far was the price of the equipment needed to play VR games in home settings. This has limited the market size dramatically, reducing the number of titles available. Developers were unwilling to spend time and money creating a game that could only be played by a small number of gamers. The lack of titles further decreased the popularity of VR, creating a vicious downward spiral. Fortunately, the trend has started to reverse in the last couple of years and 2021 may very well be the year we see the VR expansion we are promised. The price of VR kits has finally dropped to an acceptable level and many players are buying them, creating an incentive for developers to start making VR games. While many titles are created for both VR and traditional monitors, we will also witness a flood of games created exclusively for VR.
Cloud Gaming
For gamers, the main advantage of the new 5G network is that it allows them to play cloud games everywhere. As long as you have got coverage, you can easily use your mobile device to log in and play a round or two of your favourite game. Considering that cloud gaming was limited to locations with fast Internet, this newly found freedom will shake the gaming market and allow developers to create even better and more demanding games. The bandwidth of 5G will make it possible for even graphics-heavy titles to be played on the go.
Mobile Gaming
Global adoption of the 5G network is just one side of the equation. The other, also critical part is the device itself. To be able to support these new demanding titles, devices will also have to be brought up to speed. The Covid-19 pandemic has set a solid foundation for mobile gaming, but it is up to manufacturers to exploit them to their full potential. On one hand, their devices have to be able to support the latest games. On the other, the price must be kept accessible, so that even gamers with thinner wallets can afford them. We are already witnessing this trend with the latest generation of cheap gaming smartphones. Over time, the price will continue to drop and more and more people will be able to afford them. There will some compromises over the quality of the gameplay, but that is a trade-off many gamers are happy to accept. For example, Twitch users are very much satisfied with service they got. Also Twitch is great platform to live stream content to viewers, so users are very much curious to buy Twitch viewers to get massive engagement.
Next-Gen Consoles
The end of 2020 saw the launch of both PlayStation 5 and X Box Series X, two of the next-generation consoles that promised to revolutionize console gaming and even threaten PC domination. While we are still far away from judging the exact impact these new devices had on gaming, early results look promising. The hardware looks impressive enough and both consoles come with several trademarked features that will vastly improve their performances. At this point, it is hard to predict who will win the current round of console wars, especially as other competitors are preparing to jump into the fray. One thing that can make or break any platform is the ability for manufacturers to secure enough of quality titles, especially exclusive ones.
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