Remember the good ol’ days of arcade gaming with top titles like Pac-Man, Street Fighter, and Donkey Kong? If you’re an oldie, you’ve probably nodded with nostalgia, remembering how gaming seemed to be at its highest level. Fast forward to today, and even consoles and PC gaming are slowly losing their spot as the most exciting gaming ventures.

2024 has been a big year for the gaming industry as developers continue to create innovative and immersive games. Some trends and technologies might have started a couple of years ago, but developers are reaching new levels this year. Not only will these trends shape the nature of gaming now, but also in the future.

1. The Artificial Intelligence Revolution

Of course, first on the list of trends has to be artificial intelligence the latest technology making waves in all industries, including gaming. AI has played a key role in game design and development, enhancing gameplay and bringing a new level of engagement in games. Back in the day, non-playable characters (NPCs) felt more like programmed entities than real people. Now, NPCs have become more realistic and challenging, making games more interesting. 

They accurately react to a player’s actions, make strategic choices, and can even adapt to a player’s gaming skills. Have you ever played an EA Sports FC match and the game asked you whether you’d like to increase or decrease the difficulty? That’s the power of AI in gaming. It can detect if the opponent is too easy or difficult for you and adjust accordingly.

2. Extended Reality (AR/VR Gaming)

It’s easy to see why folks think the AR/VR game market will be worth $11 billion by 2026. Simply put, the gameplay of AR/VR games can’t be found anywhere else. Virtual Reality games take players to a virtual world where they can interact with the game in a 3D virtual space. For augmented reality, the game overlays objects, characters, and other game elements onto the real world. It’s impossible not to be immersed in the game.

However, you’ll need a smartphone, VR headset, special AR glasses, hand controllers, or some tech device to access the games. Pokemon Go made a big splash in the world of VR games when it came out in 2016. Millions of people downloaded it. Other popular AR/VR games you can play are Half-Life: Alyx, Beat Saber, and Minecraft.

3. Crypto-based Games

Want to play games and win real money rewards at the same time? That’s the concept of crypto-based games. As you have fun discovering fantasy and ancient worlds, you can collect rewards in the form of valuable cryptocurrencies. This makes crypto-based games lucrative and something developers will be keen on in 2024 and the coming years.

Besides their rewarding aspect, crypto games leverage blockchain platforms to offer a transparent and secure gaming experience. Something that online casinos have quickly adopted. Before, online casinos would provide a safe online gaming experience with games such as slots, roulette, and blackjack, and players would only cash out using fiat currency. Now, many casino sites are going the crypto way, some becoming fully crypto.

Such sites have provably fair games and top-notch security, and players get to transact using cryptocurrencies, giving them play-to-earn possibilities. 

4. Cloud-based Gaming

From software as a service (SaaS) to gaming as a service (Gaas), cloud computing has brought a new and exciting paradigm to gaming. If you’re a PC gamer, your setup probably costs hundreds or thousands of dollars, as getting the highest-spec equipment comes at a high cost. With cloud-based games, you can stream and play games from cloud servers without expensive hardware.

Players get direct access to games and developers save costs on maintenance and hardware upgrades. The technology also helps developers come up with games more efficiently and optimize graphics, sounds, animations, and the overall quality of games. 

5. Esports

Esports competitions attracted more interest during the COVID-19 epidemic, but their appeal has sharply increased in subsequent years. Currently, more than 380 million people watch esports competitions online or in person, and the number is expected to grow to 640 million by 2025. What started as a niche activity among introverts in the tech community now has a large audience and generates over $1 billion in revenue.

Esports is as dynamic as traditional sports, and top video game players can compete in popular titles like League of Legends, Dota 2, Fortnite, and Counter-Strike: Global Offensive (CS: GO). As they compete for the crown of the best esports player or team, millions of fans usually watch them in action. Esports has also become big on streaming platforms with top streamers like Ninja, xQc, and FaZe Clan building a large following. 

Immersive Gaming Waits Ahead

The gaming equation is quite simple advanced technology equals advanced gaming. With every technology that comes up, game developers always find a way to utilize it to offer an immersive and engaging gaming experience. While it may take a few years to see the full potential of the technologies mentioned, the future is certainly exciting. So, which gaming technology or trend are you a big fan of?

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