New Technology Changing the Face of Gaming in 2021

4 Ways Technology Has Changed the Gaming Industry
4 Ways Technology Has Changed the Gaming Industry

New technology is one of the major driving forces behind the incredible growth of the gaming industry. With each new technological breakthrough comes a new gaming format for players to explore.

The movers and shakers within the gaming industry are always ahead of the game when it comes to utilising new tech, and gamers are not wallflowers when it comes to jumping on the bandwagon. Hardcore gamers are willing to spend a fortune on new hardware that allows them to utilise new software. And with the pandemic still in full swing, money spent on gaming is through the roof.

More and more people are turning to gaming for light relief. We expect to see a whole slew of new games hitting the market soon that will reward veteran players for their loyalty and new players for their curiosity. Let’s take a look at the new tech to look out for as gaming really hits its stride.

Virtual Reality

Virtual reality (VR), for example, is only just finding its way to mainstream gamers, but it has been around for quite some time. Up till now, the hardware was just too expensive for most gamers to justify making the purchase, especially when there simply weren’t enough decent VR games to play.

But hardcore players and forward-thinking software developers knew it would only be a matter of time before VR took its rightful place within the gaming world. VR headsets are slowly but surely coming down in price to a point where the average gamer is willing and able to get onboard. And software companies are finally putting real effort into creating VR games that do the hardware justice.

The best place to look out for VR games right now is within the online casino industry. There are already VR games that allow players to walk into a virtual casino and play virtual slots. Live casino games have already proven that players want to interact with other players. If you look at any of the fast payout casinos found here, you’ll see that the live casino section is where the real magic lies. It’s only a matter of time before the live casino concept evolves into a fully virtual experience, where real players can play against each other in a virtual setting.

Facial Recognition

Talk of facial recognition technology tends to turn divisive in the blink of an eye. Most people are either decidedly for it or decidedly against it, and arguments regarding its usage can turn surprisingly ugly. The main cause of arguments surrounding facial recognition tech revolve around its usage in public spaces.

Many believe that to use facial recognition to monitor and locate members of the public as they go about their business is a breach of basic human rights. Law enforcement officials counter this argument with the fact that by using facial recognition tech, it is possible to locate or identify a missing person, for example, in a matter of hours instead of weeks or months.

One area where this tech also courts controversy is gaming. Most gamers are excited about facial recognition software, and the gaming industry is making fast moves to integrate this tech into new games. What does this mean for the gamer? Well, first, it means that the tech will be able to scan your face and then place your likeness onto a character within the game that you’re playing. But that’s basic stuff.

The tech is also used to allow the game to read your facial expressions. If, for example, you start to look unhappy or stressed, the game could instantly dial down the level of difficulty, or vice versa. Using the tech in this way is seen as harmless, and players can choose whether they wish to take advantage of the option.

The situation gets a little sticky when the tech is used as a security measure. Many countries are using facial recognition tech to scan for underage gamblers or banned players. Many within the online casino industry feel uncomfortable about using the tech in this way, and many see it as a step closer to total government surveillance.

Artificial Intelligence

AI has become so deeply ingrained in our way of life that we no longer consider this tech new or amazing. We’ve all got so used to talking to our devices that we forget that we (as in, humanity) were once terrified that robots would rise up and take over the world. As accustomed to this tech as we are, we are still very much in the early stages of AI development. Once again, we look to the gaming industry for inspiration as to how this tech can be used to improve our lives.

The gaming industry has been using AI within video games since the 50’s. Without AI, we wouldn’t be able to play any form of ‘one player’ game. In the early days of gaming, video game AI was considered a separate field of AI. It was not considered true AI because the purpose of using the tech within the game was not to help the computer learn. Games consist of programmed responses that change with each level of difficulty.

The use of AI within certain video games actually helped to advance the field of AI to the point where we now have self-driving cars and natural language processing. However, despite gaming being somewhat ahead of the game with early AI, it is still behind the times. You may be wondering, ‘where else can AI go?’ and it’s a fair question.

Software developers have developed games where AI is used to create formidable opponents within the game. If you’re a gamer, you already know that the AI within games like DOTA, for example, is super advanced. Or if you’ve tried to beat an AI chess game recently, you’ll already know that it’s practically impossible beyond a certain level of difficulty. But AI gaming could be so much more sophisticated than it is now.

We are finally getting to the point where a gaming computer has the power to run a fully AI, deep learning game. But a game that truly pits the player against an AI opponent doesn’t yet exist in the mainstream gaming world because software providers fear it would be too unpredictable for most players to enjoy. But make no mistake, the ultimate AI game is on the way (and we predict sooner rather than later), and when it arrives on the scene the fear of robots taking over the world may well come back right along with it.

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John Smith
An engineer by degree and blogger by choice. Interested in writing the latest updates happening around the world. Loves to binge watch tv-series and movies.

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