In the roaring 20’s of the new millennium, video game development is flourishing at a level that has never been seen before. New technologies are pushing the limits as to what gaming means. Before it meant pushing buttons to control a character on a screen- now, people can have all of their senses bombarded by the inputs from a virtual world to feel as if they are actually living in it. The future of gaming has never been so exciting and many companies are determined to try to push the limits of what their users can experience within their games.
Virtual reality (VR) and augmented reality (AR) are serving as the cornerstone for some of the main developments in the gaming industry. This technology is changing the industry standard for how immersive a game can truly be. With haptics technology and graphics being overlaid over the actual vision of the gamer, soon the most advanced video games might become indistinguishable from reality for some users. It is predicted that there will be more than 100 million consumers worldwide of these immersive experiences. Games such as War Thunder, Phasmophobia, and VRChat are some of the most popular options currently in the AR/VR space, but there will surely be more choices in the near future.
Exergaming, often known as fitness gaming, is experiencing a resurgence among gamers who want an active and more health conscious gaming experience. In this gaming format, players must actually move around to play the game. Movement-based technology can track what is going on in the physical world and translate it into the digital format of the game. Some examples include WiiFit and Just Dance, which both rely on the player actually moving the gaming controls in the motion of their avatar on the screen. Players love how interactive fitness games are, so it comes as very little surprise that the VR fitness market is expected to grow by 40% in the next six years.
There is a lot to look forward to in the future for the gaming world, but there are also a lot of present trends happening globally as well. There are a massive amount of gaming options for users, across both genres and gaming titles, that create a wide variety of tastes around the world. Even in the United States, each state in the Union has a game that they love most. For example, California loves Undisputed, which is a boxing game geared towards fighting fans. Colorado appreciates the heroic thrill of Marvel’s Spider-Man. Connecticut gravitates towards the world building capabilities found in Minecraft. Delaware finds the post-zombie apocalypse story in The Last of Us both thrilling and engaging.
Entire countries also reflect the tastes of their regions in their choice of games. The United States’ most popular game as a whole is Madden. The popularity of this football based video game makes sense when considering that football is the country’s most played and watched sport. This trend is not replicated globally, where the most purchased game of all time is FIFA, with over 325 million copies sold. Again, this trend is justified due to the fact that soccer is the world’s favorite sport, excluding America.
In conclusion, the world’s gaming market is booming and is providing players with a vast range of options, on both an individual and regional level. Looking ahead, there is sure to be some exciting technological advancements that will change the world of gaming to be even more immersive, especially in the AR/VR department. As gaming companies continue to churn out new game concepts, players from all walks of life will find a video game to fit both their interests and needs.
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