Trends and Developments in Online Gaming in 2021

The online gaming industry is rapidly growing in the past few years. It benefits big companies, including safe casinos, who take advantage of the many opportunities in this field, and game developers who are just starting out. 

Moreover, the growing industry is also beneficial for players because they also have more opportunities to satisfy their appetite for online games. Another contributing factor to the booming industry is smartphones. 

Let’s find out more about the trends and developments in online gaming in 2021.

The Current State of Online Gaming

New developments in non-console games are getting more and more attention, according to the research report by the State of Online Gaming in 2020. 

The report also indicates that the most popular video games played are single-player games, while the second most popular are first-person shooter games. They also found out that more than 38% of gamers want to be professionals. These findings show the rising interest and usage in online gaming, particularly with millennials. 

AI or artificial intelligence also continuously improves the experience in general. It drives a lot of improvements in the industry, such as in multi-player gaming. It can automatically determine the chemistry based on the player’s experience and their choices, making the experience better and more interactive.

How do they make this possible? When you lose a game against an opponent, and you hear a chant to motivate you, this is a reaction by AI. This results in many gamers giving more attention to details, including how interactive and immersive a game is compared to others. AI can make the entire experience way better because of real-time customization of gaming situations. 

Trends and Developments in Online Gaming Industry in 2021

That said, here are some of the prevalent online gaming trends in 2021:

Professional Gamers

Many people play video games to entertain themselves, but some consider it as a profession. Aside from being one of the fastest-growing industries, it has become a career option for many young people. There are many career opportunities in online gaming in 2021, such as game artists, game testers, and professional gamers. 

Increased Usage of Smartphones

One of the primary trends is the continuous mobile gaming expansion. The 2020 report of the State of Online Gaming mentions that smartphones will be the most popular gaming device after computers, consoles, and tablets. 

There was a wider gap between 2019 and 2020 in terms of choosing smartphones for said purpose. The rising use of smartphones is all thanks to the easy accessibility of the device. Thus, more game developers will focus on creating games that are compatible with smartphones in 2021.

Better and More Interactive Games

Regardless if there are non-playable characters or NPCs, or agents in a game, AI can generate behavior. These characters can identify the actions of the player and consequently change their behavior. Because of this, gamers have evolved and desire to have amazing graphics and a realistic playing experience. 

That is why you can expect to see developers working more on creating more interactive and visually appealing games in 2021. They have progressed in designing strong systems that can understand noise, sounds, and speech. Also, the game scenarios can be altered through the help of state-of-the-art methods such as reinforcement learning and pattern identification, where the characters can learn from their actions and develop through self-learning.

Promising Online Casinos

Not all people indeed play the same kind of games. Most people like video games, and some gamble on online casino games for fun and prizes. Before the trend of online casinos began, people played dice and card games and bet a particular amount of money. 

Online casinos have given the gaming industry a lot of boost because of their attention from gamblers across the globe. A reason for this is that they can conveniently play their favorite casino games in the comfort of their homes without going to a casino.

Since there are a lot of games that are easily available for players to enjoy their favorite casino games, there is an increase in interest in casino games because of the trends and developments. 

Although countries around the world are affected by the pandemic, records indicate that players adjusted well to the innovations in online casinos while staying indoors. There is no doubt that online gambling will develop more in the future, so it is a trend in the gaming industry that is worth watching out for in 2021.

Rising eSports

Trends and developments in online gaming show the demand of the public. Because of the increasing number of smartphone users, eSports will also continue rising. This will play a key role in how game developers will create content in 2021 and in the years to come. 

More and more sports enthusiasts are taking notice of eSports competitions. Those that have a lot of followers on social media earn a lot of money. Thus, you can expect to see more eSports tournaments being held, alongside various developments in 2021. 

More Focus on Responsible Gaming

Due to the rising number of cases of exploiting the advantages of real money gaming and addiction to winning, operators have begun taking measures to protect gamers’ rights and interests. They have created a special disclaimer indicating that a specific game can be risky financially. Also, they mention in their promotions that the game can cause addiction. 

Professionals have been monitoring the financial transactions through their team of business development experts. This is to ensure that players strictly follow responsible gaming. In 2021, you can expect this to be more critical and given more priority, 

Conclusion

Finally, the improvements in technologies never cease to amaze everyone. The way it is utilized in the online gaming industry is beyond great. That is why you can expect a lot more trends and developments going forward. 

Everyone is looking forward to these changes in 2021 and the near future. Many are interested in how developers and technology will unfold the online gaming industry and shape its future.