Video gaming has literally taken the world by storm. Almost every day, we are exposed to some form of gaming, from the incredibly popular World of Warcraft to intense first-person shooter games to social networking games. But the most fascinating gaming trends of the last few years have been the development of “social” and “immersive” video games. What is it about these games that are turning away users who are used to playing video games?
A recent example of this is the emergent multiplayer online game genre. In short, these are games where two or more players engage in a persistent virtual online experience (or match) with the goal being to “beat” each other. A typical multiplayer game is one in which two or more people sit down in a room and have a chance to trade attacks and reactions until one player is left standing and able to take his or her turn. The problem with this type of gaming is that while it’s very enjoyable, and a lot of fun, it can also be quite difficult. In fact, the most competitive players often spend hours playing this type of game trying to out-wit and out-maneuver each other. A fun fact about this type of gaming is that most successful players often refer to this genre as “aggressing”, because if done right, there’s a very real feeling of competition that can come from it.
Another exciting trend in recent years has been the rise of massively multiplayer online role-playing games or MMOs. In a nutshell, a MMORPG is an online game in which thousands of players use specialized game mechanics to interact with one another on a shared server. This is the kind of thing that could appeal to a wide variety of people. Players who like to play role-playing games will enjoy playing these multiplayer board games where they can use their imagination and personality to take on an important role in an alternate universe. For those who are looking for a truly interactive way to kill some time, they’ll find that a great MMORPG has much to offer.
As mentioned earlier, another popular trend in recent years has been what’s called “multiplayer online gaming.” In this type of scenario, a single computer system is designed to act as a “virtual community” in which multiple players can connect and interact with each other. This is especially popular with people who play first person shooters or similar types of games. In this type of environment, all gamers are required to have a consistent Internet connection in order to participate in the game. This has obvious benefits for those who want a chance to interact with other people, but it also provides for a unique opportunity to play games with friends and family members who may be a little behind the times, or simply don’t want to invest in an expensive online gaming platform.
Finally, there’s another type of trend in recent years that’s becoming popular among video game enthusiasts: time limits. In a lot of games, time limits can serve to make the game more challenging, as players are forced to think about their next move a fraction of a second longer than they would otherwise. Time limits are usually associated with adventure or simulation games, so it’s not a huge stretch to assume that they’d also apply to role-playing games. This can be an excellent way to get people to pay closer attention to your games, as well as helping to keep them motivated to play games for longer periods of time.
So what’s the verdict? Overall, it looks like adventure gaming is enjoying a bit of a renaissance. The fact that time restrictions are going away means that adventure gamers are going to have more opportunities to play with friends and family members who are across the country or even the world. The fact that more people are choosing to play games with voice options means that your game will have a better audio component than it would otherwise. And best of all, with the growing number of mature gamers out there, you can rest assured that there will be plenty of mature gamers out there playing games with you. So give adventure gaming a try, and enjoy some good, old-fashioned gaming!