9 Pandas founder Sergey Karshkov has a wealth of experience and in-depth insights into the gaming industry. This article will explore the many different ways that technological innovations have transformed the sector, expanding its target audience and making gaming more inclusive. For surprising statistics about new demographics gaming is appealing to today, view the embedded infographic.
Gaming has become one of the largest global industries, dwarfing both music and film. This is largely attributable to technological advancements that have transformed the gaming industry from simple entertainment to an immersive, holistic experience, often likened to a lifestyle. The embedded PDF looks at the evolution of gaming.
The Evolution of Gaming
Technology has made the gaming industry more stimulating, creative and accessible. It has also moulded gaming into a community, culminating in an ecosystem that attracts participants for a variety of different purposes, not least enabling them to establish social connections and relationships.
Live streaming is at the forefront of this trend, enabling players to broadcast and record their gaming experiences and share them with viewers via platforms such as YouTube and Twitch. Although streaming platforms have been around for more than a decade – or longer in some cases – it is only relatively recently that their popularity has skyrocketed.
Revolutionary advancements in gaming technology include:
- Facial recognition, enabling systems to recreate a physical likeness of players in the gaming world by creating avatars and transferring expressions
- Cutting-edge graphics for an enhanced and more realistic gaming experience, paving the way for improved playability
- Voice recognition, utilising speech-recognition technology to provide an additional layer of integration, culminating in a more immersive gaming experience
- Gesture control and recognition, a popular choice for tech games developers that relies on Intel 3D cameras to track hand movements, enabling users to connect with games by using natural gestures
- NFT game development, leveraging blockchain technology to enable NFT in gaming, leading to limitless opportunities for gamers and investors
- Virtual reality and augmented reality, paving the way for popular games like Pokémon Go and Harry Potter: Wizards Unite, integrating 3D effects and imaging while ensuring real-time interaction with digital information for enhanced engagement levels
Recent reports reveal that mobile gaming has risen to the top of consumer preferences in terms of on-the-go and dynamic entertainment, becoming the most popular app category. In short, smartphones and other mobile devices have increased the reach of gaming, making it more appealing to whole new swathes of the population. The embedded video looks at how millions more older adults ventured onto the internet during the COVID-19 pandemic, starting a trend that is unlikely to abate anytime soon.
