Just a decade ago, one of the reasons online gaming was not as powerful or compelling as PC or platform gaming was because of internet lag.
Just a decade ago, one of the reasons online gaming was not as powerful or compelling as PC or platform gaming was because of internet lag.
For online gaming, a steady connection is required, and although someone might have so-called high-speed internet, the upload and download speed of a service provider can cause disruption in play quality.
Additionally, wireless gameplay would suffer compared to a PC connected to an Ethernet cable. Consequently, online gaming was usually very low poly, stylistic, and based on Flash. Fast forward just a few years, and near-realistic games such as Player Unknown's Battleground (PUBG) dominate online gaming while delivering spectacular graphics, speed, and action.
In the same way, much has changed over the course of the last 10 years, much more will change over the next three to four years as internet speeds increase and hardware technology catches up to the imaginations of game developers.
In terms of lag, people might not understand the potential 5G offers to online gaming. 4G was amazing because it could deliver a steady stream of approximately 400 megabytes per second. 5G, however, can handle up to 4 gigabytes per second. As service providers upgrade their connections, lag will decrease to the point many people will wonder why it was ever such a problem.
Moreover, 5G connection speeds will allow such services as Stadia to better flourish. Stadia is Microsoft's foray into the world of cloud gaming, and cloud gaming is important in that the games are housed and operated on remote servers. To play them, players need to simply login and start shooting, exploring, and leveling up. Because the load exists remotely--on the company's server--players no longer need expensive gaming computers to run them. Although cloud-gaming services such as Stadia have been somewhat battered by gamers and critics, the service is here to stay, and 5G will simply make the experience even better.
Although YouTube hosts a lot of 360-degree videos, virtual reality in the real world has not really taken off for consumers. Online virtual reality suffers even more. However, as 5G becomes more prevalent, virtual reality as well as augmented reality are expected to become solid favorites for dedicated VR enthusiasts as well as casual gamers looking for unique and immersive experiences.
VR is also projected to get a bump from cloud gaming because current headsets require either a powerful computer or a built-in system capable of handling VR graphics. Most people do not have the money to spend on expensive computer systems designed to run niche software, and built-in systems offered by Oculus are not much more powerful than the hardware used to run a phone. Consequently, the promise of VR is either stifled by economics or by inadequate technology. Cloud gaming will continue to change this dynamic by either eliminating the need to buy dedicated computer systems or by shouldering the computing-power burden on remote services. Consequently, current multi-player VR games, which are low-resolution, cartoon-style events will become more realistic and enjoyable. In terms of social events, avatars will also become higher resolution, helping to remove the barrier that decreases the sense of presence.
One of the most important technical trends in online gaming is the utilization of procedural processes to create in-game environments. Currently, game engines rely on static pre-made meshes. Procedural processes, however, use algorithms to create gaming elements on the fly, and Unreal Engine is set to release its procedural engine, UE 5.0, sometime in 2021.
By way of comparison, the current engine utilizes a gamer's computer or some other platform to power mesh-based games. Meshes are built from digital polygons or triangles, and the number of polygons and triangles the engine or a player's computer can handle differ wildly. Such an engine, itself, can handle hundreds of thousands of polygons on a high-performance rig. However, a game built with the current version of Unreal Engine installed on a high-performance computer might not run on a player's less-capable computer. Moreover, games built using Unreal or Unity engines must be pared down, graphically speaking, if those games are to run on a phone or tablet.
Unreal Engine 5.0 will change all that because it will create landscapes, props, and other objects within the game world procedurally. In other words, software understands what is required to build something digitally such that it will look like terrain or a building, and it will do this on the fly without using static meshes with hundreds of thousands of polygons. Because the computer draw for procedural graphics is an order magnitude less than the draw required for mesh-based games, procedural engines will be able to deliver graphics equivalent to mesh-based games with hundreds of billions of polygons, something that would cause any current computer system to grind to an immediate halt.
The end result for this long explanation is that games will become photo-realistic. Currently, they are said to be near-photo-realistic. However, as the push for procedural-based software increases, there will be very little difference between visual special effects and reality.
Regardless how much technology changes, some things do not change, and the hunger for online gambling is projected to continue its steady increase. That said, online gambling is set to enjoy better graphics, more immersion, and a greater degree of social interaction. In fact, online poker parties in VR tournaments have already been hosted to the delight of online gamblers. As cloud computing and VR-related technology progress, these parties are going to be able to house many more players in a much more intriguing environment.
Indie games are becoming a popular alternative to high-priced triple-A games not because they are so much cheaper but because they are gradually becoming comparable to games made by larger companies. Games such as Braid, The Binding of Isaac, and Rogue Legacy have achieved such acclaim and success that gamers are increasingly becoming developers. Of course, these games are available on a variety of indie marketplaces. However, companies such as Sony are making it easier for indie developers to distribute their games on PlayStation, and Microsoft does the same with its online subscription games of Xbox. As cloud computing grows and is able to compete with PC and platform games, games made by indie developers are projected to make up a large part of the online market. The result will be a more diverse, more imaginative selection than ever before.
Online gaming is not worth much if it is not social, and online gaming has come into its own via multi-player games like World of Warcraft, Diablo, and The Elder Scrolls. In fact, these types of games have been hosting hordes of players for years.
However, platforms like Fortnite, run by the same people behind Unreal Engine, have helped the nature of social gaming evolve into social-gaming mega-events. For instance, games such as PUBG and Fortnite receive hundreds of millions of players per month, and these games allow all players to team up, chat, and enjoy hanging out with friends and foes alike. However, something special is happening with Fortnite. For instance, just six months ago, Fortnite was just a traditional battle-royale game, but it has now become a social platform for live concerts and massive-multi-viewer movie nights. Over the past year, such events as the concert put on by Travis Scott drew millions of viewers--in the middle of a game. In one moment, people were battling it out to be the last person standing. In the next moment, the skies unfolded, and the game transformed into a mega-concert that blurred the lines between player and concert-goer. Similarly, Fortnite also hosted a Batman movie night, which also attracted millions of viewers. These social-gaming events are just the tip of the proverbial iceberg as many other party royales are scheduled, and music-industry executives are vying for opportunities to partner with Epic.
This trend of mixing movie and music with online gaming platform holds so much potential in terms of reaching audience members that a new type of internet is predicted, with Fortnite being the current front runner. This new type of internet will gamify online interaction, making it more social, more entertaining, and very much more difficult to unplug.
In spite of all the progress forward, popular games of the past are enjoying a second wind in people who grew up at the dawn of the gaming industry are now dedicated online gamers, and nostalgia is proving to be big business. Such comeback titles include one of the most popular games ever: Final Fantasy VII. This game intermingled photo-realistic cut scenes with stylistic gameplay that obliterated every gamer's mind, and it and others are set to make comebacks as online gaming capabilities reach new heights.
Mobile screens are most popular with relatively simple casual games, such as Bejeweled or Angry Birds. However, as phone screens expand, some even folding open to the size of a small tablet, more types of adventure and RPG games will reach the largely untapped mobile market. Additionally, these games will achieve much higher resolution as cloud computing and 5G become more widely adopted. That said, social games, such as Pokemon GO, are driving an industry trend toward social gaming that involves real-time social competitions, such as treasure hunts and world mapping.
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