4 Ways Technology Affects the Growth of Online Gaming

New technology has made an impact on our day-to-day lives, including the way we interact with one another through online gaming. The global gaming industry, which raked in more than $125 billion in 2018, continues to influence the way technology is formed and developed. Online gaming, which became popular in the 1990s, looks different now than it did then, but the idea stays primarily the same – we’re using technology to play with other people around the world. 

While some online gaming only requires an internet connection to play, like World of Warcraft, some mass-multiplayer games require more than just an ethernet and a modem. Let’s take a look at the most crucial technology affecting the growth of online gaming today.

Mobile

With the widespread adoption of smartphones, developers started making games across a wide variety of genres. From a technical stance, mobile gaming was impressive. It allowed anyone to access gaming, no matter the age or demographic. Specifically, casino websites became a large market on these systems due to their easy-to-port gameplay and minimalist graphics. Browser-based poker games could be played on smartphones, with sites like Casumo.com allowing online play with live dealers across multiple countries.

Modern smartphones supported iOS or automaton supply a large number of games to their users, from Tetris to puzzles, and even games that we never thought could be ported – like Call of Duty. In recent years, mobile gaming doesn’t look that different from their console counterparts with their stunning graphics and framerates. With smartphones, you can take online gaming on to go. This wholly reworked how online play was seen from a casual audience.

Augmented Reality/Virtual Reality

Augmented and virtual reality is still in its infancy, but multiple games are innovating the way we play. Virtual reality can sometimes make us feel cut off and isolated because it makes us put a large set of glasses on our heads – but the experience can be incredibly immersive. Star Trek: Bridge Crew is a four-player cooperative game set in the Original Star Trek universe – and you absolutely have to interact with your crew or risk crashing your ship.

DiRT Rally is a realistic driving sim that lets you drive the car of your choice, with realistic controls. Here, you can compete against leader boards and your friends’ times. Finally, there’s Onward, a 5v5 Mii-Sim tactical shooter that sets you against bots or real people as you shoot your way to success. In the future, we may have more interactive experiences through RPGs and fighting games.

eSports

One of the most recent trends in online gaming is eSports – the incredibly popular sporting event that involves playing video games competitively. There is a range of technology responsible for the popularity of eSports, including streaming platforms like Twitch, which allows anyone to watch the event from their computer. Mixer, another streaming platform, is also helping gamers find competitive sporting competitions from another source.

Broadcasting eSports around the world has led to the rise of multiple careers in the online gaming spectrum, and many tournaments invented. In the future, online gaming and real-life will likely blur as it becomes more accessible to book tickets to these significant eSport events for an affordable price. It’s also likely that more games will be televised in all genres. 

Private Computers

The arrival of private computers saw the advent of online gaming; they practically went hand-in-hand. In 1977, Apple created the Apple II, which was the companies initial serial laptop. This device was widely used in workplaces and built some of the first graphic, industrial games. Although most gamers don’t play on the macOS now, it helped to popularize the concept of online gaming and gaming in general. 

The adoption of the PC in the 1990s and the 2000s saw the surge of online gaming thanks to the rapid availability of the internet. Notable titles like Quakeworld, Nexus: The Kingdom of the Winds, Lineage, Ultima Online, Counter-Strike and EverQuest became hugely popular, most of them are still played today and have a large following. Now in the late 2010s, the battle royal game format remains popular with releases such as PUBG, Fortnite, and Apex Legends having a following unheard of in the early 1990s.