The gaming industry is always quick to pick up on the latest technological advances. After all, making an exciting new experience for customers is top of the list. There have been many huge advances in recent years, but blockchain technology is maybe the largest.
The potential of blockchain technology is so huge that casinos are offering a bitcoin welcome bonus for users who want to play with cryptocurrency, as well as games that offer users the chance to earn NFTs for playing them.
Of course, it’s not only blockchain technology that’s taken the gaming world by storm, but instant streaming has also transformed the way that we consume gaming content. In some cases, it has even changed the way that we play games.
Given that, these are some of the most fascinating ways that technology is changing the gaming world and some of the best games that are implementing them.
Blockchain Technology
One of the most exciting developments in not just the gaming world, but to technology in general is blockchain technology. This is the technology that makes cryptocurrencies possible. It involves pieces of encrypted data known as blocks, which are entered into a chain that they cannot be moved from.
Blockchain makes a permanent record of the data which cannot be copied but can be traded between parties, simply adding more information to the chain. The technology has made all kinds of processes smoother, more reliable, and most importantly, trackable.
Some gaming companies have chosen to use blockchain technology to allow payments in cryptocurrency. This can open up the playing field for people in countries with a volatile currency who would rather pay in crypto, as well as enabling people to skip the transaction fees associated with central banks.
It isn’t just cryptocurrency as a payment method that the industry has adopted though, instead, some game developers are building blockchain technology into the very foundations of their games.
NFT Games
NFT games are the types of games that are doing this. NFT stands for non-fungible token, and it relates to one of those blocks of data that we were talking about earlier.
As the data block can’t be copied and has a permanent record, it’s possible for people to own a data block. This block could take the form of a beautiful drawing, an animated pet, or any number of things.
The main pillar of the block is that it is unique, it can be traded, but it cannot be manipulated. The blocks are used by games as either an in-game currency or as an essential part of the game.
Some of the most popular NFT games use pets or animals as the blocks. Tamadoge is a play on the famous 90s toy the Tamagotchi and the Dogecoin. The game allows players to breed and train their Tamadoge pets and swap them with each other.
So far, Tamadoge has released 21,100 NFTs which are split into three categories of rarity, directly affecting their trading price.
Just like Tamadoge, one of the most popular NFT games is Axie Infinity. This game plays on the Pokemon universe, encouraging players to breed strong Axies and battle them to determine who has the superior Axie. These NFTs are tradeable within the game, with prices varying depending on strength and rarity.
This isn’t the only way of trading and earning though, it’s also possible to earn SLP tokens for winning battles too, a functional cryptocurrency that can be used outside of the world of Axie Infinity. This is a fascinating trend in gaming that certainly has a long way to develop, but we’ll be eagerly watching to see where it goes.
Virtual Reality
Virtual reality has been around for a while, remember wearing those red and blue cardboard glasses to watch a film at the cinema in 3D? That’s virtual reality at its simplest. Google cardboard created a similar idea with a cardboard headset that you could insert your phone into for a VR experience.
Of course, since then, things have progressed and now VR experiences can be more absorbing than ever. Whole VR rooms exist that are kitted out with huge screens, wearable tech, and devices that release scents and sounds when they’re triggered by the computers. It’s possible to exist in an entirely different world in one of these rooms and while the price is high, gamers are willing to pay out for the totally immersive experience.
There are plenty of brilliant VR games, but some of the more recent releases include Elite Dangerous, a game that puts you in charge of conducting a spaceship. It’s a tricky game to pick up, as the makers have spent a lot of time making the flight simulation element of this game as realistic as possible.
However, once you’ve got the hang of the tricky controls, soaring through endless space is a feeling quite unlike any other. Ghost Giant is another recent release that focuses on puzzle-solving skills to help you navigate your way through an adorable cartoon universe.
While Elite Dangerous uses hyper real graphics and complex controls to immerse you in a real-world experience, Ghost Giants uses cartoon charm and cute brain teasers to feel just as absorbing.