The gaming industry has always ridden the waves of technological advancement. However, this can be a picnicked wave since as some trends grow, others die and there is no way to predict how long a trend will last. Regardless of the short lifespans of these trends, the gaming industry does an excellent job of making the most of them and giving them the platform, they deserve. Considering how important it is to keep innovating to stay ahead of the competition, it comes as no surprise that video games are often the first adopters of new technological trends. 2022 has also seen the emergence of significant trends in the gaming industry. Here are five of them.
Cloud gaming – Technological advancements come fast and so does the need for consoles and PCs that can keep up. But updating your platform is expensive. Thankfully, companies like Microsoft, Nvidia and Amazon have begun investing in cloud-based subscription services to make playing cheaper. Instead of buying a console, a streaming device and a subscription will allow them to play all their games with the processing taking place in the cloud and beamed to your TV.
VR and AR gaming – In 2022, gaming is expected to rely even more heavily on virtual and augmented reality to keep up innovation. Developers are expected to look for new ways to integrate the technology not only in PC and console games, but also in mobile gaming and wearable technology.
Blockchain and Cryptocurrency – Although many people were unsure about these two technologies, it’s clear that they aren’t going anywhere and they continue to gain wider acceptance. The gaming industry is also expected to embrace these technologies more as tipping, in-game purchases and P2E are expected to rely heavily on them. Blockchain technology is also expected to create safer environments for both gamers and developers and sites like joystickgaming.io are determined to spread the word about the trend.
Mobile gaming – Mobile gaming has come a long way since its early days and the offerings continue to become sleeker and more interactive. Almost everyone has a mobile phone and as such, mobile gaming is seen as having a high ceiling. Mobile gaming is expected to bring in almost 50% of all gaming revenue in the not-too distant future and game developers are putting more resources into developing games specifically for this platform.
The Metaverse – Facebook intends to spend billions of dollars developing the Metaverse in the coming years. This online world will allow users to share interactions while also shopping, enjoying entertainment and taking part in other activities that were previously reserved for the real world. Gaming is expected to make up a significant part of the Metaverse and new trends are bound to emerge.
Hemant Kumar Gupta
