Video gaming is one of the most underrated niches in the business world. Mainstream news and business portals talk very less about the video gaming industry and what is going on here. In reality, the gaming industry is huge to neglect.
During 2018 the total business value of game industry was equal to $135 billion. Every year it’s rising and in the future gaming industry will suppress some mainstream entertainment business.
Unfortunately, they seem to have a stigma about gaming. Like gaming spoils the kid’s life and it’s bad for us! ESPN and some other TV media have started to focus on video gaming as a sport. It’s on debate whereas to add video gaming as a sport in 2030s Olympic games.
Video Gaming is the Most Popular form of Entertainment
You believe it or not, video gaming has become the most popular form of entertainment during the last few years. According to Reuters, the gaming industry is producing more revenue than movies, TV, and music.
In recent years the decline of TV viewers also indicates people are more prone to other forms of entertainments like YouTube, Live gaming broadcast and multiplayer tournaments, etc.
Not only that, the gaming industry has made some developers and investors rich in a pretty short time.
The companies do not invest only in developing games, but also in the hardware business required for gaming like console, motherboard, graphics card RAM, etc.
So, everywhere you can see the triumph of the gaming industry as the future form of the world’s entertainment.
Lately, the gaming industry has influenced our cultures also. During the past 10 to 15 years, games were based on popular movies. But in recent years we have seen popular games like Angry Birds and Assassin’s Creed is turned into movies.
Games are now influencing Hollywood!
Game developing business is now one of the top choices as a profession for upcoming programs.
Many high schools have granted eSports as a form of sports and help to team up students to participate in the tournament. During the rise of the eSports, we see spectators as a game audience. Who could think that watching other people gamins as a spectator will be also a hugely popular thing?
See all those live streaming websites like twitch.tv, Facebook and YouTube live streaming is getting popular each day.
It is obvious that the era of TV and movies are depleting day by day. Gaming is the future of entertainment. This is happening because people have an active voice here. They can either play or communicate with the player directly during game-play.
What is the future in gaming?
There are very few people who didn’t play any computer games in their entire life. Especially for our generation, before the rise of the virtual reality and all those x-boxes and different consoles, We were all computer gamer.
I even remembered playing for 20+ hours continuously with short breaks. So much addiction, but the phase has gone away. We are now habituated with a different form of games mobile, PC, virtual reality, console, etc.
VR or Virtual Reality gaming is the latest tech in the industry. Although the concept of VR gaming started in the 1950s people are thinking this form of gaming is the future.
I personally do not think VR is the end of the line. We might not think of anything else right now and our tech is limited. As a result, our understanding of future gaming is also limited.
What we can see from our culture and movies, there are few predictions that can be done on future gaming. In future gaming will thrive more and more in the mainstream. Schools and colleges will have teams to participate in the tournaments and there will be marks for that.
Gaming will be used to train soldiers and pilots to real life combat situations. We already have simulation but neural mapping and connection for more realistic experience are on the way.
Old and physically disabled people will find gaming the best way to pass their time in future.
Have you seen the movie Avatar? A person is plugged into another body and can move it, experience the sense, fear, and beauty the avatar experiences! Gaming in the future will be able to implement that. You would be able to control your own avatar/robot.
But, we are far from that due to legal issues and technological barrier.
A game where you can actually feel that you are a participant and playing as an active user will bring much more light on to the gaming world. People can feel death, love, anger, and emotion in gaming.
Just think about this situation, when we no longer differ real life with gaming simulation. We could have another life in gaming. Our technological advances with the help of advance VR simulation and AI can help build a virtual world in our digital fortress.
Neural connection without any console, you can actually enter the gaming world. I know this seems like a bad science fiction movie, but who knows where we can take us in 30 years or more?
What is the future of VR gaming?
The VR is here to stay. The technology was taking shape in the ’90s and it is still in the developing phase. Every year company like Google, Microsoft, and Apple are more into gaming and they see a bright future in augmented reality based applications.
These companies and other giant techs are not directly getting involved, but they are investing in startups and ideas that can actually change the views of virtual reality we know currently.
Google reportedly invested $542 million on a secretive startup Magic Leap. This company works with VR technology.
The augmented reality, Magic Leap is working with is different from the regular ones. A wearing glass concept that doesn’t show images on glass. Rather it throws projection into the eyes directly.
This helps the wearer experience a much lively effect in any environment. You can see floating images and videos around you on a beach or in your balcony.
Other than gaming, Virtual reality can be used to teach students in school, scientists can discuss around the globe on any topics or live environmental issues.
Doctors can perform remote operations via robots through VR technology. Now technology can give you the feeling of walking on the moon from your living room. This is possible for the VR tech.
We can not describe what turns the VR tech will take in future, but it is sure that traveling is going to be much more fun in the future, You can travel beyond the limit of human possibility via VR tech.
While VR will be used for various purposes in the future, we can’t actually think what gaming would look like via VR in the future! The recent games are a very limited simulation of what can be done.
Now, the hardware like Oculus Rift, Nintendo Labo VR Kit, Lenovo VR headset, etc and some other companies are trying hard to grab the market share.
Game developers are also concentrating to develop more complex games with high graphics. You must have seen the VR console game EVE Valkyrie and Far Point.
Now it is all hardware dependent and you have to spend a handsome amount to get into VR gaming.
But, in the future, you can start a VR game with a simple glass and your mobile device.
Although we are not sure what is going to happen to mobile devices after 10 years. They should be long gone by then and it’s time for wearable tech.
Is PC gaming the future?
I ask myself which form of gaming I like most?
The answer is simple for me, I like PC gaming.
Console gaming has some good quality games with high graphics, but it’s pricier to get a console + Game and there is only a limited number of games available to console.
On the other hand, PC gaming is fun and you have unlimited opportunities with building PC, maintaining it, tuning ant every other thing a geek likes.
The console has only one advantage over PC, that is it’s easy to set up and play. Other than that if you want to feel the taste of Gaming go for PC gaming.
Google and Future of Gaming
Google has recently launched its Stedia gaming platform. Gamers are joyed over this. This can actually change the overall market scenario. You do not need to buy any expensive hardware to play games anymore.
All you need is a Stadia controller from Google and a working chrome browser. You can play without the controller too, but the controller has some special buttons only developed for Google Cloud Gaming users.
Near future, the PC gaming might come to an end and cloud gaming will completely take the place. Hardware manufacturers no longer will sell hardware to individual users, rather sell it to cloud game owners like Google.
On a user level, the cost of gaming will be reduced, but the profit of the gaming devs and companies will increase to a significant amount.
Look at the recent popularity of eSports. Tournaments are going on each day somewhere in the globe. Spectators are increasing day by day.
The above discussion is only from my point of view. I am not predicting this is the ultimate future, but things can happen!
What do you think the future of Gaming will look like? I am eager to discuss with you.
