As new technology continues to grow and become mainstream, entertainment forms will follow along. The gaming industry, for example, has benefited from the evolution of technology in the past 20 years, developing new gameplay concepts, devices, and in-game features.
Crypto-powered Poker
Long before the Internet became mainstream, card games such as poker were mainly played with a group of friends at a round table. Bets are placed only through in-person payments, and cash is usually favored for its ease of use.
The growth of virtual and long-distance card games was made possible with rising Internet connectivity. However, payment methods still became an issue. Players want transactions to be fast so as to not interrupt the game flow, but long-distance payments need lots of verifications to ensure their security.
Finding ways to deal with this issue, some poker games have included cryptocurrency as a payment option, developing the market of online crypto poker options. The technology of cryptocurrency itself is relatively new, with the rise of transactions reaching its peak in 2021.
This new technology introduces a faster way to make payments online since transactions are directly between two parties without any intermediaries involved. The cryptographic technology used by cryptocurrencies also ensures that all transactions are secure and cannot be counterfeited or forged.
GTA V
An impossibly large city and countryside area to navigate through and an endless amount of activities to choose from in the game: Those two things are probably what a GTA fan will use to describe the series.
Unlike other games that limit exploration to small areas according to the story progression, the developers of GTA provide its players with an entire city area that is open to explore from the start of the game.
While it won’t be the last, Grand Theft Auto or GTA V is the latest release in the GTA game series. The game came out in 2013 and was re-released in 2021 on newer consoles, earning many positive reviews.
GTA V gives players a choice to switch between three different characters and two different gameplay modes (first-person and third-person). Compared to the previous games, this change shows a significant technological advancement in the gameplay concept and control.
Jam-packed with new features, this game is still beloved among long-time GTA fans for having familiar missions and features that were there in older titles.
Call of Duty: Mobile
The days of simple, minimum-graphics mobile games like Snake are long gone. The innovation in processor technology for phones has allowed game developers to make mobile games with cutting-edge graphics and more complex gameplay.
As a popular title in the first-person shooter (FPS) genre with a war setting, the Call of Duty series created a breakthrough in the industry when it released an installment of the game in 2019 exclusively available on mobile.
Players can download and play Call of Duty: Mobile without having to spend money. Some upgrades, items, and characters are obtainable by getting credits through gameplay. However, there are also exclusive ones available in the store that are locked behind a paywall.
Many of the positive reviews received by this game are mainly due to the familiar elements from previous installments that the developer has successfully incorporated into the game, in mobile form.
Half-Life: Alyx
From its release in 2016 until today, the VR game catalog is still relatively limited compared to other gaming platforms like PC or console. Most of the time, VR is put aside as a novelty, an optional game mode you can unlock after finishing the main story quest of a game.
Half-Life: Alyx is one of the most successful VR games that were ever released, earning multiple accolades from various game awards shortly after its publishing, including The Game Awards 2020, the British Academy Games Awards, the Annual D.I.C.E Awards, and the VR Awards.
Reviews of the game mainly praise it for its immersive environment and impeccable sound and landscape design. The release of the game drastically increased the sales of Valve’s Index VR, with an immediate shortage happening at stores in the United States and Canada.
Aside from its innovative concept, design, and environment, Valve also implemented new technology in VR within this game to make it more playable. Motion sickness is a common complaint with VR devices, so game developers came up with a different method to move around in-game to reduce its frequency.
Conclusion
There are various forms of technological advancements in the gaming industry. They used to be limited to devices or consoles, but that is no longer the case.
To new players, novelty may be attractive. However, retaining the loyal fanbase of the game is just as important.
Keeping old players coming back will require more than just constantly inventing new technology for your game. It also means looking at the current options you have and finding areas for you to improve.
