Emerging Technologies are Fueling Game Development to Provide Immersive Experiences

Emerging and transformative technologies have taken the gaming development industry to the next level with advanced platforms and next-generation gaming engines. Also, game developers are using high-quality visual graphics and best-in-class tools to create digital sound effects. Another crucial element is creating an engaging story for the game that can attract and captivate the target audiences. Innovative technologies like Augmented Reality, Virtual Reality, Artificial Intelligence, Machine Learning, The Internet of Things, Blockchain, etc., have allowed gaming developers to provide improved immersive experiences and develop more fun-filled and exciting games. 

GoodFirms Roundtable is a series of podcast discussions where top industry leaders and professionals holding prominent positions in the company share their experiences and views on different topics, usually related to IT services and current industry trends. This discussion becomes valuable advice for all young individuals planning to start a new venture. 

In this current podcast discussion, GoodFirms got an opportunity to interact with Michael Atkinson, the Associate Vice President of Aspired.

Aspired is a popular and leading IT services firm and game development company based in the  US, Pakistan, and Dubai.  The company helps IT firms and businesses to build their remote team efficiently and seamlessly. Companies can hire a vastly experienced and talented pool of remote developers to carry out their project tasks and create innovative software products and game development. It also provides remote developers for DevOps, blockchain, game development, QA testing, etc.

The podcast discussion highlights the following points

• Critical steps to design and develop the first game application
• How to create impactful gaming stories that improve audience connection?
• How game design and user interface have changed today?
• How to design games for different platforms, and what challenges are faced while adapting the multi-game platform? 
• How is blockchain-based game development different from developing other types of games?

The podcast discussion also emphasizes on few other aspects of game development

1. Role of AR/ VR and AI technologies in creating an immersive gameplay experience and its challenges 
2. New trends in game design and development and its future 
3. Role of community management and engagement in game development,  and how to foster a strong game community?
4. How has GoodFirms helped Aspired in gaining an edge over its competitors?

Game Development has taken a 360-degree turn, and the games that we played before can’t be compared to the ones that we play now. Those who are thinking of developing their very first game must know there are a bunch of prerequisites that lead to a smoother process of designing and developing games. What are those steps?

Here are some of the critical elements that you can consider while creating engaging storylines for games. 

1. Know your audience: Understand the demographics and preferences of your target gaming audience to tailor your story accordingly.
2. Develop relatable characters: Characters that connect with audiences emotionally provide more memorable and engaging experiences. 
3. Balance narrative with gameplay: Ensure that the story fits seamlessly with the gameplay mechanics and does not hinder the players’ gaming skills and ability to progress. 
4. Create a compelling world: A rich, immersive world with its lore and backstory can add depth and intrigue to your game's story.
5. Keep it simple: While deploying a complex and layered storyline isn’t a bad idea, it’s essential to avoid overwhelming players with too many details or convoluted plot twists.

Do you remember games like Farmville or Pacman? Now, the user interface of these games is entirely different from the games that are preferred by players today. Can you please let our audience know the changing demands have changed the way games are designed today?

The changing demands have changed the way the games are designed today. These changing demands include;

1. Players now expect more immersive experiences with detailed environments, characters, and storylines.
2. They want games to offer something in return as their time has become much more valuable. 
3. Today, games are not merely a source of entertainment but are used for such as education, training, and therapeutic purposes. 
4. With mobile gaming dominating the market, developers are much more focused on building simple and intuitive user interfaces that work on multiple devices and platforms. 
5. Games are now much more community-driven, with platforms like Discord that emphasize the community onboarding process. Also, modern-day games have a lot of social and community-building features. 
6. AR/VR has also helped push the boundaries of what is possible in game design and opened up new opportunities for immersive experiences.

The introduction of emerging technologies like Blockchain has given rise to many Play-to-earn (P2E) games in today’s times. Along with me, our audience would like to know how the development of other types of games is different from these blockchain-based games.

One of the key differences in game development between traditional and blockchain-based games is the integration of web3 elements, which include decentralized technology and smart contracts. These elements allow for concepts like player-based game economies, asset ownership, the exchange of tokens, and assets earned for fiat currency.

However, with blockchain games, there is an added responsibility to think about how to fuel the game economy and provide players with a sense of ownership over their assets. This involves considering in-game asset creation, asset customization, and gameplay mechanics that allow users to earn, trade and set their assets. All of this is packaged up through smart contracts that power the blockchain side of the game, providing players with a level of transparency and trust that traditional games cannot match.

Having touched upon Blockchain in our previous question, our audience would like to know what is the role of disruptive technologies like Artificial Intelligence or AR/VR in game development. How do they create a more immersive gameplay experience? And what are some of the challenges these technologies bring?

Disruptive technologies like AR/VR and AI create immersive environments for gamers in different ways. 

• AI has enabled game developers to create smarter and more adaptive non-playable characters (NPCs). We can cite the example of realistic and intelligent enemies in “The Last of Us Part II,” which truly makes the gameplay experience for players more challenging and immersive. 
• AR/VR development has opened up new possibilities for players to interact with game environments and characters in a more realistic way.

For example, when you think of AR-powered games, the first thing that comes to mind is Pokemon Go which took the world by storm with the trend it created. For those who are not familiar with Pokemon Go, the AR-based game created a real-world experience for gamers to catch Pokemon and battle other players in real-life locations.

As for VR, you may have come across videos of a popular game called ‘Beat Saber,’ where players use a saber to slice through oncoming targets while enjoying popular music. This game creates a fully immersive 3D environment for players to experience.

A few challenges while working on AR/VR and AI technologies include

1. These technologies run on powerful hardware and software tools, which can make them inaccessible to some players. 
2. Another challenge is to balance these advanced technologies with traditional gameplay elements to create a cohesive and enjoyable gaming experience.
3. When these technologies are overused or relied on too heavily, it may lead to a loss of the human touch and creativity in game development.

Different devices demand games to be adaptable to different screen sizes, configurations, etc. How do you approach designing a game for different platforms (e.g., mobile, console, PC), and what challenges do you face when adapting a game for multiple platforms?

A few major challenges that developers must address while adapting multiple gaming platforms include

1. Learning about the desired game performance - You must conduct a proper analysis of the gaming platform and evaluate critical factors concerning FPS, game thread, CPU, and GPU load. 
2. Outline the possible bottlenecks - You must evaluate essential elements like fulfilling performance vs. visual quality balance. It helps you to satisfy players on each of the platforms and avoid loading unnecessary content that consumes the CPU and GPU space to improve game performance.
3. You also need to have a responsive UI/UX design plan.
4. Cross-platform compatible game engines and/or programming languages
5. Employ device-specific features.
6. Testing and optimization: Prioritize the order of optimization tasks.

Almost five years back, we never knew such would be the potential of game development, let alone think of monetizing it or using a fancy device to feel we are in the game, but we are here. Just like this, as a leading game development company, what is the future of games? What new things can be seen as far as design and development are concerned?

The future is streaming when it comes to gaming. Everyone wants to play their favorite PC or console game with their friends while on the go, especially while commuting. The only thing holding this back is the infrastructure which, with the growing global adoption of solutions like 5G; we can see that happening by 2025 or perhaps sooner.

Another growing trend is the shift to cloud-based development. Also, there is an increase in the creative roles in the team structure.

Nowadays, the success of a particular game highly depends on how much it can keep its community engaged. Can you discuss the role of community management and engagement in game development and how you foster a strong community around your game?

Building a strong community around your game is crucial for its success. To achieve this, we believe in involving our clients in each step of the game development process, from ideation to design and development. This allows our clients to share storyboards, mood boards, concept art, character design, level designs, environment artwork, and much more with their communities. It helps to fuel their interest and engagement. In addition to this, we also create collectibles for contests and activities for the community during the design phase to further engage them.

To foster a strong community, we also believe in community management that involves continuous engagement and communication with the community. This includes responding to their feedback, addressing their concerns, and keeping them informed about the game's progress. We also encourage community building by creating dedicated forums, social media channels, and other platforms where players can interact with each other and with the game's developers.

Just like the gaming market is getting a lot cluttered with new games launching every day, so is the number of game development companies in the market. In such scenarios, how has GoodFirms helped you have the edge over your competitors?

Goodfirms has been instrumental in helping us clarify our offerings, unique selling propositions, corporate culture, and success stories. The leading IT Review and Rating agency has given our potential prospects a viable platform to connect with us quickly and easily. We greatly value their efforts to enhance our client engagement, align our services with market needs, and crystallize the value we deliver to our customers for the world to see.

If you are interested in listening to this podcast discussion, click here.

What’s Next

There is no denying that the game development industry will continue to evolve, further boosting the immersive experiences of gaming enthusiasts. Certainly, implementing augmented reality, virtual reality, metaverse, and artificial intelligence into games will become a common standard practice by developers. Also, play-to-earn games, live-streaming games, and technologies connecting the real and virtual worlds will get more players on their boards. 

Are you interested in sharing your views or experience on any IT-related topic? Please feel free to email us at [email protected].