The gaming industry has been defined by continual progress and technological advancement. The simple eight-colour sprites of yesteryear have given way to fully-realised, photorealistic worlds (though, for many developers, traditional techniques and pixel art still have their place). 

And new technologies continue to push things forward for gamers of every taste and preference. Let’s take a look at some key advancements helping to shape gaming in the modern age.

The Rise of Virtual Reality (VR) and Augmented Reality (AR)

Virtual and Augmented Reality is helping to not just improve existing games, but to develop entirely new kinds of experience. You might think of the headsets that make games like Half Life: Alyx possible, and the GPS system behind Pokémon GO. It’s likely that, as the hardware becomes more affordable, many new kinds of experience will be delivered to us.

Cloud Gaming: Accessibility Without Hardware Limits

For years, high-end gaming has been possible only with the help of sophisticated (and expensive) hardware. This hardware has always needed to reside directly beside the display on which the actual game is being rendered. However, advances in internet-related technologies like 5G have made it possible to enjoy a lag-free experience, even when the games themselves are being hosted on remote servers. The success of Xbox Cloud Gaming and Nvidia’s GeForce NOW suggests a new model for the industry, wherein gamers pay a subscription to enjoy the use of a remote server, rather than buying consoles or PCs themselves.

The Growth of Online Gaming Communities and Social Features

Gaming is increasingly a way to interact with other people over an internet connection. Streaming platforms like Twitch, and social features built into the games themselves, have made it possible for gamers to form connections that, in many cases, are brought into the real world. You might play a few rounds of online bingo with a given group of people, and then elect to meet them for an in-person game!

Artificial Intelligence (AI) in Gaming

The advent of AI in recent times has had a considerable impact on the way that games are developed. As large language models, voice synthesisers, and AI-generated textures and models become more reliable, we might expect to see the overall cost of game development go down. For example, if a game has hundreds of thousands of NPCs in it, the dialogue for each one might be performed not by a human being, but by a procedurally-generated composite of many different performances.