Introduction
Most industries go through their own share of dramatic changes over time. Some of these changes can be particularly gradual, taking decades to fall into place, while others are more spectacularly instantaneous. With the entire virtual reality or VR experience coming into marvellous effect from this year onwards, the gaming industry has come a long long way from the Nintendo and PlayStation console play that dominated the last decades. The release of the masterpiece, Half-Life 3 was the ruling moment of our gaming experience, and it never really got released, did it? Serious gamers still think about it till now, bombarding the developer, Valve with questions, right?
But, apart from all the nostalgia, the changes have been significant. With gaming going online and eSports coming up with more users than ever before, gaming seems to continually be on the rise now. Check out the casino online Philippines to get the list of the best online games ever!
What are the ways in which the gaming industry has changed in the last ten years?
We will go the reverse way with this, so that you can get a build up till we reach the greatest change to take place.
What happened to the split screens?
The blockbuster gaming series, Halo, has had the split screen feature removed from Halo 5: Guardians and isn’t that just a pity? The split screen has been in place with Halo since the very beginning and removing it just brings to notice the kind of changes taking place in the gaming industry. Split screens have never been the ideal way to play a game, with a lot of less space for individual tricks to work. But multi-gamers, that is, individuals who play together on a particular game used to bond over the split screen, not something that can be completely transferred over to the Discord servers or through a headset and a good internet connection, right?
How free are the Free to Play games?
With the advent of several gaming software providers and more and more amazing games flooding the gaming industry, people are really choosy about which game or games they would like to invest in. Also, frankly, the games with superior graphics and gameplay modes do cost a lot more than the average ones, so for collectors, the choice is pretty much made easily. But, now, gaming software providers have made Free to Play games that are not really completely free. How? Well, take Candy Crush or Choices: Stories to Play, for example. You play a level or make a choice, but to get to the top or reveal all the best gameplay modes, you would need to pay up. So much for the demo mode right?
Better Storytelling
Yes, you heard that right. Games have really evolved from the one track motor stunts or races to actually seeming just like a blockbuster super hit movie. With higher budgets, creative teams and the always expanding graphics availability, now, games have turned into an artwork. From games like Bio Shock to Life is Strange or maybe even The Last of Us, the game play is not only about the simulated action or the simulacra, but also about the storyline or the plot and the amazing characters involved. Games nowadays play more like a movie where you are an involved character than just a random action tale.
Popularity of MOBAs and eSports
Ten years ago, nobody had heard of MOBAs or Multiplayer Online Battle Arenas or about spectator gaming for that matter. If you spouted this out to someone a decade back, they would look at you like you just sprouted out horns or something. This is the extent of change that the gaming industry has been able to reach. MOBAs are currently one of the biggest buck earners in the gaming industry with huge popularity in the medium of spectator gaming. MOBA Games such as League of Legends, DoTA 2 and so on are also putting emphasis and helping eSports favorites gain record following, much like watching NFL games at home, huh? The present day eSport tournament pools can reach up to a whopping $18 million, so they must be doing something amazing, right?
Indie and Mobile Gaming Boost
With lots of support pouring in to turning gaming into an art form, indie gaming studios have started getting more and more funds to make that happen. And with the advent of mobile gaming from 2015 onwards, the indie industry has been able to get the accessibility boost it so requires, giving us beautifully crafted games like Limbo, Gone Home and so on.
So, buckle up and get your gaming gloves on because the industry has changed so much and likely, so have you.
Last decade’s been kind of rough for MMORPGs. With competitive gaming being mainstream in the 2010s, MOBA has been dominating the video game genre, and now you’ve got Battle Royale. Wonder if new MMOs like New World even have a chance to change the dynamic.