Video gaming was once the preserve of the specialists with only the most computer savvy having access to the earliest games in university computer labs. While those in the know spent their free time working out how to control blocky figures across a screen, the rest of the world had no idea that they were on the brink of a massive change in the way that video gaming would be viewed.
Over the course of the subsequent couple of decades, home computers became a reality and the early adopters who bought them were keen to explore their potential for a variety of functions, including entertainment. Early games were played on consoles with controllers that had limited functionality, but the formats evolved as the games did and technology began to creep into all aspects of our lives.
Now that the internet is becoming more and more accessible and we all have mobile phones in our pockets, we have access to more entertainment options than ever before. And gaming has become a hugely popular entertainment choice that has hit the mainstream all over the world.
This has created a huge market for more games, from digital versions of traditional games to massively multiplayer online role-playing games that allow people to escape into a completely different universe. Home computers, specialist consoles, and mobile apps have all made gaming more accessible and allowed the industry to thrive, and technological advances have completely changed the face of gaming as we know it.
Gaming in a different dimension
One of the reasons for the ongoing appeal of online gaming is the developers’ willingness to embrace new technology as soon as it becomes available. This has seen some huge changes in the way people game over the last few years as designers have incorporated some of the most cutting-edge breakthroughs into their games.
For example, in the casino industry, online casinos have embraced new technologies and created live casino games for players to interact with real life dealers in live games such as blackjack and roulette. By creating live casino games, established casino providers and new online casino providers have attracted players to their site and helped the popularity of online casinos grow. Live casinos have helped online casinos replicate a similar atmosphere and environment to a land-based casino.
New technologies such as virtual reality were always going to be a boon for gamers because what could make a gaming experience more authentic than the feeling that you are actually ‘in’ the game? The days of chasing blocks across a screen with another block are over – now gamers can enjoy hyper-realistic graphics, studio-quality sound, and the ability to inhabit their characters while they are playing.
Those that are interested in mastering the latest technology can inhabit a choice of completely different realities through their games system, interacting with other players and in-game characters as they play. The metaverse has gone from being a theoretical space referenced in science fiction stories to a place where gamers can enjoy being anyone from an animal to an alien and everything in between.
Gaming in the metaverse
As technology becomes more popular and the demand for gaming equipment skyrockets, the price of the virtual reality accessories that are available for home gaming has come down. Whereas once the idea of creating a selection of alternate universes in your living room was only for the super-rich, virtual reality gaming has become more and more affordable, allowing more people to access the metaverse than ever before.
The rise of cryptocurrencies has also had a huge impact on the availability of games in the metaverse as NFTs (non-fungible tokens) and blockchain have allowed players to conduct transactions online in a completely new way. Players that want to can now pay for things online from accounts that allow them to transfer money quickly, easily, and cheaply, with the added benefits of remaining anonymous and the potential to speculate on in-game items to earn real-world profits.
Gamers in the metaverse can trade items with fellow players, interact with the virtual world to complete tasks and challenges and win items that have a value both in and out of the game. The lifelike nature of their gaming experience makes it all the more appealing to those that want to immerse themselves in their gaming persona, allowing them to enjoy a wide variety of experiences that might otherwise not be available to them.
Living your best life
While there are those that want to see what life is like as a ninja, zombie slayer, or space explorer, there are also those that want to enjoy a better version of their real life. There is now no need to leave the house in order to enjoy pastimes that might otherwise be unattainable such as playing in a casino, interacting with a virtual dealer, and playing with and against a cast of expertly rendered characters.
Players can enjoy all the excitement inherent in games of chance in the environment of their choosing, whether that is an opulent casino with tables as far as the eye can see or a more relaxed gaming floor where they can choose all the games that you would expect in a casino from classic roulette to a choice of hundreds of different slots games,
With such universal appeal, it’s no surprise that the virtual reality market has started to generate a significant amount of money, with experts estimating its value to be in excess of a billion dollars in 2020.
Gamers today have more choice than ever before when it comes to the variety of games on offer, and they have high standards when it comes to the quality of their gameplay. Virtual reality is just one of the things that are making gaming more interesting and exciting and new technology is being used in a wide choice of games all the time.