How the Evolution of Technology Has Impacted Online Gaming

Video gaming has always been one of the first industries to embrace new technological developments. It is a highly responsive industry that has almost always benefited from being able to adapt quickly as new technologies became available. While nostalgia for retro games has been at an all-time high in recent years, that doesn’t mean that many players would actually want to go back to the days of blowing in cartridges, stressful LAN parties, and the Red Ring of Death. 

While console and PC gaming have traditionally dominated the video gaming industry, online gaming has steadily been rising in popularity over the years. Online gaming is also one area where the evolution of technology has had the most obvious impact.

Let’s look at some of the major ways that the evolution of technology has impacted online gaming and what that means for gamers and the industry. 

Types of online gaming

Technological advances have led to the developments of multiple new types of online gaming — and the death of one. Some online gaming is cloud gaming, playing games stored on the cloud. These are sometimes offered through a console system. Mobile gaming was the online gaming sensation that no one would have predicted. It seemed like mobile games would always be a tiny sector of the market but instead they’ve become a major player. Online casino gaming has also become hugely popular.

Tech moving forward can’t be a positive for everyone. The announcement by Adobe that they were ending Flash sent a shockwave through the online gaming community. Flash games had been some of the earliest types of online games and while they were generally simple and not very attractive, most gamers had a soft spot for at least one or two Flash games from their youth. 

HTML5 has replaced Flash and allowed for small creators to keep producing Flash-style games. Plus, there are plug-ins that allow sites to play old Flash games. It might have been the end of an era when Adobe stopped supporting Flash, but the future will be filled with just as many strange, unique, and silly little games.  

Shaping the future of small studios and online casinos

It wasn’t too long ago that the gaming world was completely dominated by the big AAA studios. The way the system had been developed since the 1980s left little room for small studios to compete, especially when the expenses associated with making video games kept rising. This stifled the industry to an extent, as only certain voices and visions were heard. 

Today, indie studios are hugely popular and successful, and the online gaming world has opened in a big way. The main tech reason behind this is the continued evolution of Unreal Engine and their business model. Using Unreal Engine, now in its 5th generation, allows small developers to create games that look just as good as their AAA competitors. The royalty model that Epic Games offers for indie studios also makes it financially possible.

The profitability of online casinos has contributed to this as well. Online casinos, according to this expert list, continue to serve as lucrative platforms for small game studios, driving innovation and offering players an ever-expanding array of immersive gaming experiences. As casinos continue to thrive, the symbiotic relationship between these platforms and small game studios is poised to drive further growth and innovation in the industry. Online casinos also play a pivotal role in fostering a safe and responsible gambling environment, offering players access to various tools and resources for managing their gaming habits effectively. While not every game developer may want to design slot games forever, these studios provide a great training ground and starting point for young developers.

Community and communication

Playing video games used to be an isolated hobby. Unless you were playing a multiplayer game on the same console, had a LAN setup, or were chatting on the phone while playing, there weren’t many ways to play with friends. MMORPGs were the first big games to change that, and their success shows how much people wanted to build a gaming community.

While many of the fantasy MMORPGs that were hugely popular have faded away, online gaming is still largely about playing with other people. Thanks to improvements in stable, high-speed internet connections and the rise of affordable high-quality headsets and games that support a chat feature, it’s never been easier for online gamers to communicate and build friendships.

Cloud gaming

Above, we mentioned that cloud gaming is one of the types of online gaming that has appeared in recent years. Expanding on that, cloud gaming has made gaming more accessible since players no longer have to buy or download every game they want to play. Massive hard drives are no longer required, and gaming systems can be more pared down.

There is one downside to cloud gaming however, and some critics are already raising concerns. That is the rise of Games as a Service (GaaS). Like with every other form of entertainment today, the subscription model is taking over gaming. While a subscription to a games service might be a good value for some players or provide access to a huge number of games, for many players it’s an added expense that gives them access to games they aren’t interested in. Hopefully we reach a balance where games can still be purchased and played without a subscription and the subscription can exist for the players who want it.