The mass appeal of video games is derived from the notion of people freely venturing across unknown worlds. Having the ability to explore, traverse and be entertained within a foreign setting offers a unique experience. Today, video game designers are on the lookout for the next best way to offer players the most interactive experience of all.
Virtual reality headsets are now on the cusp of new gaming scenarios, allowing players to have an almost real-life experience within the gaming environment. This begs the question: is VR the future of gaming? Perhaps! Below, we discuss this popular topic, having a deeper look into this innovative technology and what it might offer the gamers of today and tomorrow.
What is it?
Virtual reality (VR) is a technology that has the capability of replicating an environment, allowing people to interact with that environment in a unique way. VR can also replicate deep sensory experiences, from sight to touch, to smell and hearing. The first traces of “virtual realities” came to be before the 1950s in science fiction literature, specifically in the writings of Stanley G. Weinbaum. By the 1980s, the term “virtual reality,” was popularized and soon, tech companies began developing technologies of their own.
Currently, VR can be displayed via headsets or through computer screens. Whether an individual is playing poker at interactive online casinos like, newcasinosonline.co, or trying to battle armies in World of Warcraft, headsets are the most popular form of VR for gaming experiences worldwide. They allow the user to have more physical freedom, as they won’t have to operate gaming equipment by hand, providing them with a realistic, true-to-life, gameplay.
What Does VR Technology Hold for the Future of Gaming?
The most important facet of the discussion lies in the financial weight of developing such a technology, with the costs in creating VR technology that is usable being high. Some technologies allow users to interact with objects and people in enclosed spaces for indefinite amounts of time, and such an immersive experience is incredibly costly to develop. Like all forms of technology, the lower the costs, the more the experience itself lessens in quality and such is the same with VR. Thus, in order for quality VR technology to be available to the avid gamer, the affordability itself must play a huge role in its development.
The passion to develop such a technology is high and real, speaking to a real market for VR currently available and eager to adopt it. This highlights a future of gamers who will want to improve their interactive experiences as best as possible, regardless of price, to a certain degree, and regardless of the inevitable glitches that come with innovative technologies, along the way. Primarily, gamers enjoy the storytelling aspect of gaming, being able to transport themselves into worlds they are fascinated with and would otherwise never experience firsthand. As such, being able to experience that in a realistic way offers great benefits to the overall gaming experience, which 2D gaming is highly lacking in.
Although the passion and market are there, the immediate future speaks to a longer development stage. The VR technology of today is still being developed, with engineers seeking for better ways of building newer hardware and software that is both reliable and works. The research and development time put into this process is great, and fanatics of the technology have to wait before a truly refined version of it is available on the market for general gaming use.
Additionally, people will have to get used to this very different gaming experience. For general populations to be open to the idea of VR gaming, the technology will have to be accessible to as many people as possible, which doesn’t seem to be a reality at the moment. Gamers will have to try it, get used to it, be willing to pay for it, and open to putting their consoles aside for a very different experience altogether. It’s no doubt that the future of gaming lies in this unique technology, but at this stage, we are only seeing the beginnings of what could be available to us in the next decade or so.
This concludes my article on the question of if VR is the future of gaming? What are your own personal thoughts on VR? Please feel free to let me know in the comments section below.
