Gaming technology has evolved exponentially fast in the last few decades

If you were born before the 1990s, then there’s a good chance that you’ll remember what life was like before gaming came along. You’ll also understand how quickly technology has evolved over the last few decades and how hugely influential the gaming industry has become. From those early era Commodore 64 games like 007: Licence to Kill to the 1990s Game Boy classics like Super Mario Bros, the world of gaming has certainly evolved faster than anyone could have anticipated. 

Whether you’re a regular gamer or you have more of a casual interest, the evolutionary process of gaming technology has been quite a wild ride so far. So, with so much advancement already under our belts, what’s in store for gaming in the near future?

Cloud Gaming

Back in the days of dial-up, the thought of high-speed internet connections and cloud-based systems was nothing but a distant dream. However, with the dawn of reliable super-fast broadband comes the era of cloud gaming – where all you need is a connection to the internet, and you have instant access to some of the best high-quality games without the hassle of waiting for updates.

Cloud gaming comes with plenty of benefits. There’s no need for expansive hardware or upgrades. You can play any game on any operating system or device. Games can be integrated into TVs and they are instantly accessible. There are a few downsides, such as latency, video compression, and the amount of bandwidth required to play games – but the technology can only improve over the next few years, making cloud gaming a huge player in the future. 

Virtual reality is finally becoming a household experience

Virtual and Augmented Reality 

There is nothing more captivating than a fully immersive gaming experience, and that experience is finally becoming a reality. Virtual reality has been on the scene for many years now, but it is only recently that it has become a viable possibility. The evolution of graphical quality in games is now matched by the hardware, meaning that a virtual reality experience is entirely within grasp.

In 2012, developers of a VR headset called Oculus Rift launched a Kickstarter campaign that raised $2.4million. The company was later bought out by Facebook for a whopping $2 billion, which suggests that the landscape of the gaming sector is set to change drastically over the coming years.

Augmented reality is also making huge waves in the industry, the most notable example being that of Pokémon Go, which is still one of the most downloaded games of all time. Essentially, augmented reality games overlay digital information on real-time video, providing an immersive experience for the player. The technology is still in the primitive stages of development, but the potential for future possibilities is endless. 

Artificial Intelligence 

Once reserved for the realms of science fiction, artificial intelligence has quickly become interwoven into the fabric of our everyday lives – from facial recognition software to self-driving cars. And now it is fast becoming a key player in the world of video games.

While the notion of AI has been in video games for a while, most notably in non-player characters like the bystanders in Grand Theft Auto, the characters are programmed with a “finite state machine”. This means that they follow a simple flow chart of reactions according to what’s happening in the game.

However, these days video games have much more sophisticated programming, which enables a far more complex set of reactions to the situations happening in the game. Enemies can now band together and attack, rather than bee-lining straight into the line of fire without thinking, which makes for a much more exciting experience. This lays the foundations for some very interesting character developments in video games in the near future. 

Although we’ll never be able to truly predict the course of technological development, it’s safe to say that these types of gaming are very likely to play a big role in the future of the industry. It’s a very exciting time to be a gamer!