Contributed by- Dmitry Belianin, CCO, Parimatch International
Do you remember sneaking out at odd hours and to god-forsaken places, all in your hunt for Pokemon? Well, that was Augmented Reality in its nascent stage in iGaming. The possibility of a Pokemon popping out from anywhere was more real than reality itself. This magical interplay of digital characters with a physical location made possible with AR is something that gamers loved and turned Pokemon Go into a multi-million-dollar phenomenon across the globe. Gaming today is evolving at a supersonic speed and the use of technology is only making it more futuristic and more realistic, at the same time.
A PwC report recently pegged the gaming industry to be worth $321 billion by 2026. With numbers as alluring as this, game makers are going all out to engage gamers with the latest innovations in iGaming technology.
New-age technologies like AR, VR, AI, Metaverse, and Blockchain are on full throttle to make the games engaging, real-life and immersive. Spread across genres like Gambling games, FPS games (first-person shooting games), Fantasy RPGs (role-play games), and lots more, these games give a realistic feel to the gamers who are then excited and thriving in their self-created world. The ball has been set rolling with very popular games like Call of Duty, Valorant, Legend of Zelda, Stardew Valley, and Genshin Impact to name a few, and the possibilities going forward are limitless, thanks to modern-day innovations in technology.
Blockchain: The Next Big Thing
Blockchain is revolutionizing gaming like never before. The USP of this technology piece in gaming is, it allows the players to earn while they play. According to a Forbes magazine article, this is quickly becoming an alternative career for many in developing countries.
The Philippines reportedly boasts a 20% population adoption of Blockchain games and accounts for 40% of the player base in Axie Infinity. The popularity of games like Bomb Crypto and CryptoKitties to name a few are proof that the use of Blockchain technology will only make iGaming more relevant to consumers.
This is a completely new experience for both businesses and players to use NFTs/cryptocurrencies to purchase in-game assets that can be exchanged for real money.
Metaverse: Immersive and across platforms
One of the fast movers in iGaming, Metaverse is here to take the whole gaming scenario a notch above. It is a persistent, 3 dimensional, digital universe concept that allows players to combine multiple different virtual spaces together.
Metaverse allows players to own virtual space and create their exclusive game experiences. What is also much loved here is the scope of navigating seamlessly across gaming applications and multiple immersive spaces. Metaverse also allows gamers to port their NFT (non-fungible tokens), data, and avatars without switching headsets.
Cloud Gaming: Up and above
The most significant transition that Cloud Gaming has brought is the immense possibility to play in the Cloud space.
No longer does the player have to upgrade his/her computer or buy new gaming consoles to play the latest versions of the games. This completely eliminates hardware upgrades which are simply amazing.
Game majors are offering their games via cloud providers and players can very easily subscribe to these cloud-based services. You can use Smart TVs to access these games or simply use lightweight streaming devices like Fire TV to play them.
All the above technology trends along with extensive use of Augmented Reality, Virtual Reality, and AI will change the face of iGaming in the next few years. And the ever-growing gaming market across the world is lapping up every new innovation that is coming their way, and asking for more.