Online and mobile gaming is so popular now that it’s practically impossible to go online and now find an ad about an online game. One of the reasons this is so is because of all the technological advancements that found their way into the gambling and gaming industries as well. On top of that, the gaming industry was one of the few that benefitted and grew exponentially during the COVID-19 pandemic. This only accelerated this trend. The industry had 3.2 billion gamers across the globe last year, and the industry is poised to generate approximately $196 billion at the end of 2022. So, as the new technology enters the market, these are some of the most popular innovations expected to happen or boost in 2022 in the gaming industry:
Microtransactions
One of the critical components of mobile gaming in 2022 will be microtransactions, as developers always discover new and imaginative ways to employ them. Microtransactions enable players to use their real money to buy items or exclusive features while playing a game. This means that it will be possible to play games by using real cash, a feature that has proven to be quite profitable for many developers of mobile games.
Cryptocurrency gaming and gambling
Using cryptocurrency for gambling has been present for a while now, but 2022 will only strengthen this game. In a very short amount of time, cryptocurrency sparked a lot of curiosity, and experience of gambling with Bitcoin and other examples has become a norm. All of this is possible thanks to blockchain technology, which is being developed even further as we speak. Apart from paying in crypto to play the game, crypto gaming allows participants to own a piece of the game. Users will also be able to transfer their in-game purchases and awards to other games and gamers.
Augmented reality
Augmented reality is one of the most popular trends in mobile gaming nowadays, as users can interact with digital things from the gaming environment. Pokemon GO is perhaps the first example of how augmented reality can attract plenty of players next to their mobile phones, and more and more games started to understand the benefits of this feature. This allows users to capture virtual animals and objects in their immediate real-world area. It is believed that augmented reality will continue to gain popularity and be even more dominant in mobile gaming. It provides players with a more engaging experience.
Virtual reality
Players became interested in VR long before it became fashionable among real estate agents, surgeons and the military. Only in the last five years, we have witnessed a growth in uptake of VR gaming, with a growing number of high-profile franchises such as Grand Theft Auto, Minecraft and Doom. It’s also important to mention that, thanks to the falling price of hardware, consumer VR headsets are becoming very affordable. Another benefit of this is that they can function as both standalone devices and by being connected to a gaming PC. In the latter, the gaming experience is even more immersive and graphically rich.
The Metaverse
You have probably heard of Metaverse in the last year, but many don’t understand what it is. Millions of gamers are already used to congregating in virtual universes – from chess and bridge to war games. This idea of combining in-game worlds will significantly impact the gaming industry as a whole. The biggest games and franchises will repurpose themselves as “platforms” and provide users with a more exciting and engaging experience.
Cloud gaming
Cloud gaming is another notion that is becoming more and more popular and gaining momentum in the gaming world. Instead of saving the game on a particular device, this technique will allow a player to retrieve their saved game from remote servers. Cloud gaming offers plenty of benefits, including playing high-level games on devices that would not otherwise be competent. It’s an excellent way for players to access a wide range of games and save their games on the cloud without having them downloaded on their devices. On top of that, customers can expect a smooth and enjoyable experience with no lagging or buffering, thanks to the enhancements in dependability and stability. XboxGame Pass and Mcirosoft’s cloud gaming program are great examples of this.
NFTs and blockchain
In 2022, we may see creators of games incorporating non-fungible tokens (NFTS) to let their players win, earn and trade unique in-game items. The controversy is that this idea is not that popular with all gamers, as they see these tokens as a wasteful use of energy. These require a large amount of processing power to carry out the blockchain algorithm to make them function. But game publishers state they see a powerful future for NFTs in gaming and a clear wish to spend a lot of money to make it a reality. Another essential factor to mention is the growing trend of “play-to-earn” games that reward gamers with cryptocurrencies for taking part in daily play.
Conclusion
It’s always necessary to stay ahead of trends, technological advancements and customer behavior. On top of that, technology is evolving by the day, which means that the gaming industry will be changing quickly in the years to come. These are the most important innovations that are expected to reach their peak in 2022, but we cannot know for sure how this will play out in the future and what other innovations we can expect in the years to come.