We don’t know what the future of video games holds for us, but one thing is certain: gaming is no longer an exclusive for young people, but an all too serious matter, with a turnover of 100 billion a year!
The video game industry has certainly lived an incredible boom in the last forty yearshelped above all by technological improvements and a demographic increasingly accustomed to playing with consoles and electronic devices from an early age.
But what are the most sought-after features in video games of 2023? Are there new fashions compared to the past?
The effect of mobile phones on gaming
The increasingly widespread introduction of smartphones into the world’s population has certainly changed what we consider “games”, but also the ways in which we use video games.
One of the most classic examples we have is the introduction to gaming of many categories previously “excluded” from the industry, such as the elderly and those who find it a “waste of time” to sit in front of a computer to play. Social networks have created a sort of “gateway” for games with social components where it is possible to ask for help from friends, challenge them and in general replicate on a 1:1 scale everything that has been gaming so far over the decades.
Some criticisms, however, have been leveled in particular at monetization schemes: addiction to video games in which it is possible to spend money has the possibility of falling into gambling addiction, ending up creating rather complex problems to solve.
When it comes to the most sought-after features in video games, in fact, no one mentions “security”, or the possibility of interrupting the game at any time, giving priority to other points.
The most popular features in video games in 2023, according to statistical research in recent years, are very different from each other.
- High quality graphics. The development of technologies has made it possible to drastically improve the graphic rendering of any video game. In addition to the increasingly detailed and realistic 3D models, a part that can convince or discourage players are the captivating interfaces, as well as particular graphic styles.
- Engaging storytelling and storytelling. Even in the simplest games like puzzles or slot machines, players want to follow along a kind of story, see the development of something that makes them feel within a specific “mood”. In more complex video games the story becomes a kind of book to play.
- Simplicity. Players want to have fun and avoid “studying” the game too much. THE simple gameplays are preferred in many cases, except for some specific genres, where oversimplification is seen as banality. On the same level there is the “performance” issue: one of the things most hated by players is encountering performance problems such as slowdowns and crashes, or the famous “bugs”, system errors.
- Possibility of interaction with others. The “multiplayer” with friends or strangers is, at the moment, one of the most sought-after features by young people. This is also accompanied by the customization of your characteror the profile used to play.
However, it is worth mentioning that almost a third of respondents reported that they prefer video games where there is also the possibility of playing offline, especially when it is not physically possible to be connected to the internet.
- Constant updates. Adding experiences, challenges and elements cyclically is a fundamental element for the appreciation of the video game by the users. If we look at the reality of multiplayer video games that have existed for many years, the “updates” have added many elements, some capable of completely changing the gameplay.
Beyond the classic video game
However, the video game industry has been able, thanks to the technological improvements introduced in recent decades, to go beyond the concept of the classic “video game”.
The most recent example we certainly have with the attempt to create gods virtual worlds to be used with “VR” technologies, Virtual Reality, in order to give a physical dimension to a historically digital pastime.
Yet also multiplayer games and the web introduction of the online casino they are part of a series of “revolutions” in the gaming industry. Betting and casino sites in particular now attract thousands of people every day and represent an often preferred alternative even to physical realities, which are difficult to reach or with much less choice of sites where it is possible to play.
Obviously, online casinos with quick withdrawals and with a wide choice of “live” games are preferred, i.e. versions of the great classics such as poker and roulette where a gaming operator, from inside a casino on the national territory, broadcasts live Banker games that streaming players can bet on in real time.
The possibility of bet money and spending time between games of cards, dice and slot machines has not been new without problems: the gambling addiction, mentioned above, has led many governments to adopt measures to combat these phenomena.
In conclusion, we don’t know what the future of video games will hold for us, but one thing is certain: gaming is no longer an exclusive for young people, but an all too serious matter, with a turnover of 100 billion a year!