For those of a particular generation, the advent of arcade games was an incredible change to the way that people interacted with computers. Classic originals such as Pong and Space Invaders were everywhere, filling malls with their strange sounds and glaring graphics.
The technology of gaming then moved on to the personal computer and, later, to smartphones and tablets, and you can now access games on the move as well as wherever you happen to be. Online gaming is a multibillion dollar industry, and innovations keep on advancing the technology so that virtual worlds and realities become more and more lifelike.
Then add into the mix the rise of online games such as casinos, sporting event streaming, and the opportunity to bet from the comfort of your home and there are a huge number of options that revolutionary technology has opened up for you.
Video games
There’s still a lot of fun to be had with arcade games as they are on a different scale to what you can access online. Enjoyable as they are, there are tech advances in artificial intelligence (AI) that make online experiences especially vivid and realistic. AI has been around since the beginning of the gaming industry, but the technology has developed in leaps and bounds so that it’s starting to mimic human beings much more than previously.
Even if you’re not playing a human, your game’s AI can control the player against you to pull moves that you might normally expect from an actual human player. It’s a massive advance in technology and is the focus of many intellectual and ethical discussions in the wider tech world about the use of AI in robotics.
Online gaming has also seen a huge increase in massively multiplayer online role-playing games (MMORPGs). It doesn’t matter what your geographic location is, you can play and engage with fellow gamers anywhere. Millions of people subscribe to a whole range of these games, and you can connect with an online society where you can make friends and also accept challenges through the role-playing scenarios.
Gaming for money
One of the major advances in gaming technology is enabling you to play an enormous range of games that previously would have meant that you had to physically go to a casino or maybe a bingo hall to be able to play and bet.
There are so many popular games now online that the choice, though not really infinite, sometimes feels as if it is. Betting responsibly is a choice for many gamers, and because you can access casino-type sites from anywhere, you are not confined to your home area. The advance in technology also means that you can stream sports events in real time and have opportunities to bet on a whole range of possibilities through Stakers.com, depending on your favorite way of working through the various odds.
Not only can you bet on sports, but you can also try out all sorts of different slots games, and technology has advanced so far that you can play classic card games such as poker and blackjack against people at multiple tables. Again, it’s an opportunity to get to know more about a variety of types of gaming, gain experience in your betting and, you would hope, also make some money.
The 3D experience
It’s not that long ago that movies were only made in two dimensions, but the increased sophistication of movie technology has meant that many of the top movies can now be seen in 3D. Of course, you have to wear special glasses in the cinema for that experience, but you don’t for gaming in 3D.
Thanks to the development of graphic software, you’ll find that most games are now three dimensional, with complex textures, sprites, and shaders, and thanks to the number of platforms that games can be played on, designers have had to be highly creative in rendering their virtual worlds. Advances in design technology coupled with the increasing power of computers has led to cutting-edge games, with the boundaries of possibilities always being pushed by those creating them.
Where to next?
Gaming is such a popular leisure activity that it will continue to dominate what people do with their spare time. Whether it’s playing solo games for a bit of relaxation, getting involved with many others in fantasy and sim worlds, or enjoying the opportunity to place a bet in real time, gaming will march on. And the development of virtual reality is a new stage in tech development for the gaming world. Watch this space!
