Gaming has gone through a number of different eras since it first rose to public prominence in the 1980s. However, it is arguably at its greatest ever level right now. The reason behind this is more than just the fantastic technology that’s available to players. Obviously, the internet has a big part to play with this, but there are also other factors at play. We’ve taken a look at why this is the case.
Online casino improvements
This is something that a lot of people ignore when it comes to gaming. It’s actually quite unfair to do so though. The fact is that many of the new online casinos on the market provide players with some of the best games ever made. By adopting some of the tactics that video game creators use, online casinos have been able to provide players with better games than ever.
On top of this, because high-speed internet makes it easy to get access to online casinos without having to download a big portion of the site, accessing an online casino is easier than ever before. It might be seen as a small part of the gaming world, but in terms of revenue and number of players, online casinos are able to compete with pretty much any other aspect of gaming.
Xbox Series X and the Switch
We know that the PS5 might have some amazing exclusives available, but in terms of the best choice to make for overall gaming experience, the combo of the Switch and the Xbox Series X is the best choice you can make. With these two consoles, you will have access to every kind of gaming choice you could want. Let’s start with what the Switch offers.
To put it really simply, the Switch offers Nintendo games. The Mario games, Metroid, Pokémon and Zelda are worth the price of the Switch. They make it a great console to have. Add the Switch online package, and you have one of the best rosters of Nintendo classics, new and old, that you could ever wish for. The fact that the Switch can also be used as a handheld console just takes things to a completely new level.
The Xbox Series X is certainly the most impressive gaming console on the market today. It has Game Pass for a start. This is one of the best ways to get access to a great selection of games for a very low price. Game Pass is without a doubt what makes the Xbox stand out from everything else.
However, there’s more. The Xbox also allows players to use emulation. This means that classic games all the way up to the GameCube can be emulated to a high level on the Xbox. So, if you want to enjoy some games that aren’t available on the Switch, you can get them on your Xbox. This, combined with Game Pass, means that the Xbox is the best way to play a huge range of different titles without having to spend a huge amount of money.
Just look at Forza Horizon 5 being released as part of Game Pass. It’s a day one release to the platform, and it really provides players with one of the top racing games of the moment. For value for money without there being a limited gaming experience, the Switch and Xbox is the best combo in gaming at the moment.
Indie developers
While indie developers were very common when gaming first popped up – the Atari, C64 and Amiga era saw lots of independently developed games on the market – they started dropping off as more modern consoles took over. There were very few indie-developed games for the Genesis and SNES, for example. A lot of this was down to cost. Indie studios couldn’t afford the money it cost to develop a game for these consoles due to the cartridge requirements. This continued on the Saturn and PlayStation as the systems required specific development environments.
It meant that indie developers were limited to creating PC games, as this didn’t require a specific development environment, and on top of that, it didn’t have standardized packaging requirements. This all changed as the modern era of gaming started to embrace the internet.
There are two main areas where the internet helped indie developers create games for modern consoles. The first is that it meant that developers could put their games onto online stores. There was no longer a need for packaging to be created, which was a large initial outlay that a lot of developers couldn’t afford. It provided so many developers with the opportunity to put their games out for the public on the biggest consoles on the market. This is something that Nintendo, Sony and Microsoft have embraced in the modern world. All three companies understand that having a wider selection of games for players to enjoy means that more people will try out the system.
The second area where the internet has helped indie developers is through development environments becoming more accessible. Unity and Unreal Engine can be used to create games for the modern systems, which means that indie developers don’t have to purchase a single development environment for each individual system anymore. They can create a game that can be seamlessly transferred across different systems. This means that when creating a title, it can be ported to all consoles and give the developer access to far more players. This means that costs can be lowered while also maximizing the potential number of customers. It has allowed indie games to thrive and created a much wider range of gaming choices for players. This has had a big impact on making the current generation of gaming the best one ever.
