Gaming in its various forms is now an accepted part of popular culture. It is estimated that around 40% of the world’s population plays video games of some form on a regular basis, making it one of the most popular pastimes on earth. In addition, gaming in the form of playing at online casinos has experienced an explosive surge in popularity since the 90s, thanks to the mass adoption of home internet connections during this period. Recent statistics indicate that there are now over 2,000 dedicated online casinos worldwide, and the number continues to grow year on year. In the UK alone, around 17% of the population gambles online on a regular basis; in other countries,s such as Australia, this figure is significantly higher. In this article, the topic of game development will be discussed for both video games and online casino games. Key developments will be highlighted to illustrate how the complexity and immersive aspects of gaming have advanced since the 1990s.
For Online Casino Games
In the 1990s, only a small minority of people used online casinos, and the games that were enjoyed were far less sophisticated than those that are available today. Bandwidth and processing limitations meant that the graphics of online slot machines (such as video poker) were far less detailed and were displayed in low resolutions. Many people who had internet access used dial-up connections, and download speeds were as low as 0.0024 MBPS, which meant that games had to be developed that required lower amounts of information to be downloaded. As internet speeds and computer processing power improved, far more sophisticated and realistic games could be developed. Slot machine games started to be produced with higher levels of graphics resolution and with improved sound effects and more complex features.
Today, in professionally run online casinos such as jackpotcitycasino.com, sophisticated progressive slot machines are now commonplace, which offer huge jackpots that are increased with every deposit. In addition, some slot machines can be linked together online so that gamers can play other players in real time and compete to see who can win the most money in a set period. Put simply, online casino games are now developed to be virtually indistinguishable from their real-world counterparts, with photorealistic graphics and far more advanced features and connectivity.
The Rise of VR Gaming
One of the biggest advances in video gaming development is the rise of virtual reality gaming. It is a surprising fact that VR technology was invented in the 1950s. However, its applications were not adopted into video games until 1974 with the release of “Maze War,” which was created by computer science students at the University of North Carolina. VR gaming only became hugely popular in 2016 with the development of the Oculus Rift headset.
Since this point, many top-tier game developers are now focusing on VR games on a variety of different gaming platforms. As technology becomes more powerful and sophisticated, the level of immersion that is produced continues to increase. At present, dedicated gaming PCs can outperform standalone VR headsets in terms of graphics performance; however, it is expected that VR will become the most popular form of video gaming within the next five to ten years as the technology progresses.
