Challenge Reality
VIRTUAL REALITY
How real can a virtual world get?
For years now, people have wondered what virtual reality will achieve as its technological advances. And indeed, despite virtual reality not being as widespread as other entertainment technology, it is throwing its roots deep down into video game culture. From third person games such as “Astro Bot” to first person shooters like “Resident Evil 7,” VR developers are creating many different types of games, trying to find their place in the new VR market. For now, VR has yet to meet the expectations of many gamers around the world. After all, the user wants what VR technology still cannot create (for instance, Haptic feedback, more realistic and immersive experiences, etc). Still, it is a matter of time before this technology and game developers reach those expectations. It is clear that in the near future, VR gamesets might become a “must-have” among serious gamers.
E-SPORTS
Esports are video game competitions generally in a multiplayer setting. These competitors tend to be professional gamers that, depending on the game, work in teams or individually in an attempt to win tournaments and defeat other players. Some of the most famous Esports titles are League of Legends, Overwatch and Call of Duty. Nowadays, professional players have been making a living by taking part of Esports and no longer require a job. Gaming has become not only their hobby, but their income. In fact, E-sports are becoming so popular that some tournaments receive the same if not more live views than football and soccer games. Millions upon millions of people watch E-sport live feeds, and these numbers are only expected to grow in future years. Esports is becoming a cultural trend and might become an affluent and essential part of entertainment.
GAME-STREAMING
Our Story
Can you imagine playing AAA games in your phone? Your tablet? Your 10 year old computer?
Well, that dream might not be too far off. Project xCloud was announced this year by Microsoft and promises to do just that. Instead of owning a powerful console such as an xbox to play equally powerful games, a player might be able to stream their games from massive servers in the Cloud. The device running the stream is only receiving the video of the gameplay (like Netflix) and sending the player’s input from the servers. It does not need to run the actual program and so needs relatively little processing power to stream top notched games. Furthermore, due to the game being in the cloud, a player will be capable of playing their saved game files across different devices.
There are, of course, some issues that still must be fixed before game streaming takes off. Firstly, if the streaming uses wifi or data, how good must the signal be for minimal lag to occur? As wireless internet stands now, a very small percentage of players will be able to exploit game streaming to its fullest.
“FEEL ENGINEERING” DESIGN
Our Story
From the moment video game developers began making games, there was no formula for creating a perfectly enticing game. There is nothing close to a scientific method for game development, and people use multiple techniques. At the end though, they do not necessarily understand why games either fail or became popular. There are games that experts claim will fail and turn out to be quite popular among gamers.
Now, a new trend is rising to the surface. Game designers are beginning to understand how essential knowing how users feel while playing games is. Some games are no longer being made off of “cool” mechanics or engaging stories. Designers are asking themselves:
“what do we want the player to feel?” and “ How do we make the player feel that way?” In this way, the game is built upon emotional experiences. Perhaps this will be the beginning of a secret formula that will eventually lead to a successful method of how to make a successful game.
