3 Things That Will Shape the Future of Video Games
Photo by Jippe Joosten on Unsplash
Being one of the fastest growing industries in the world, the gaming industry is primed for further success in the coming decade. There are several reasons for this, but continued growth and expansion is primarily being driven by increased adoption and innovation with the blockchain space, Virtual Reality (VR) and Augmented Reality (AR) innovation, as well as the expanding demographic of gamers and enthusiasts.
Let’s quickly look in to these three factors and explore why video games will likely be at the forefront of our digital future.
1. Blockchains
Blockchain technology is currently at the center of the movement back to a decentralized Internet. Decentralized networks are composed and made possible by individual computers. Because of its inherent structure, a blockchain is far more immune to malicious interventions than its centralized counterpart, and can offer “true ownership” to all things within its jurisdiction.
The implications of storing and securing information on a blockchain will be a major breakthrough for gamers and developers, as the technology improves data integrity with digital assets that may be tokenized, traded, and stored. Blockchain integrations will allow for unmediated, secured, cheap, fluid, and fast transactions for in-game exchange and enable players to transfer and securely store in-game value they have created on to the blockchain.
Blockchains may be the future of distribution as well. With that said, while blockchains allow us to solve many problems by introducing a trustless intermediary, they are certainly not the solution to everything.
2. XR (Virtual Reality, Augmented Reality, Mixed Reality)
If the first picture that comes to mind when you read the term Virtual Reality, is a space helmet with fancy visors projecting fantastic images to its wearer, it’s because the idea was accurate… 20 years ago. Today, VR technology actually targets not just an isolated sensory input, rather, it pushes for the incorporation of touch, hearing, and even smell within its execution.
While the obvious uses of VR may seem limited to entertainment, nothing could be further from the truth. At present, it has already ingrained itself in the fields of military, medicine, education, social studies, and others. VR allows us to train, study, experiment, test, and execute otherwise fatal or simply impossible tasks.
In gaming, specifically, it introduces “asynchronous gameplay”, wherein information and/or skills spread out to several individuals are explicitly needed in order to complete a task or a puzzle. Coupled with its psychological capacity for immersion and its social prerequisite of sorts, in using it, VR may well prove to become the dominant mode of gaming in the coming decade.
3. Sociocultural Factors
No industry can survive without consistently delivering value and innovation to their customers. As such, the expansion of the demographic and the shifting of its perceived cultural value and utility will prove to be the fuel that can carry the gaming industry forward.
In contrast to earlier years when video games were primarily seen as the domain of men, shifting gender norms throughout the world have enabled women to eschew cultural programming and restrictions, and to pursue a wide array of interests, including gaming: in fact, within the United States today, half of the gaming population is made up of women.
This shift in both demographics and social perception has expanded the market for video games significantly, and with the development of blockchains and virtual reality, which could further its advancement, there is little room to doubt the future of the industry.
Why is this important?
Considering the growing demand for blockchain technology and all of its derivatives, we’re currently developing BlockHub, an online platform to facilitate the development, marketing, and use of blockchain technology, decentralized applications, video games, and more.
For developers:
BlockHub simplifies the difficult task of implementing blockchain technology in traditional, centralized software. As a platform, BlockHub will not only feature applications and games within the marketplace, but will also provide developers with a suite of specialized tools for:
a. Crowdsourcing funding as well as application development
b. Building support in terms of marketing and community
c. Monetizing their apps and games
For consumers:
BlockHub offers a window of opportunity for users to discover projects that they enjoy contributing to, or just find the perfect service that is most relevant to their needs. For the consumer, BlockHub will provide:
a. An easy way to access decentralized applications
b. A secure way store data and monetize it
c. Marketplaces and communities to participate in, and vote for and support developers and their campaigns
You can learn more by reading the whitepaper.
With BlockHub, we hope to foster a growing community of individuals who are inspired by and want to contribute to the development of blockchain technology. After all, it is collaboration and community that will foster the future of decentralization and help us to enter the new era of Internet, where access, contribution, and opportunity is provided to all.