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Top 5 Game Development Trends This Year

In a world of endless confusion and uncertainties, people often deal with mental disturbances, anxiety, and perplexed thoughts. Games provide an opportunity to divert your focus to something exciting and complex.
We may have all seen people sitting in front of the screen for hours, and no matter what you say or do, they stay glued to the game until it’s over. The degree of cognitive engagement with the game strongly influences the capacity of game-playing to distract from thoughts.
And because playing games give a person a sense of control and competency, it further motivates them to indulge deeper in the game atmosphere. This is why, after Covid-19, a massive rise in the gaming industry was seen. This article will explore the latest game development trends that offer new and exciting features to both developers and gamers.
With a massive 3.2 billion gamers worldwide, the game industry is now expected to bring in an astounding $196 billion by this year. But how did this extraordinary rise occur?
There is no single answer since it is largely thanks to the variety and additional features that game developers have added over the years – the Metaverse being one of the biggest draws.
It powerfully demonstrates how game design keeps pace with technological advancements with its reliance on advanced tools and software. As new technology enters the market, there will be a few game development trends to keep an eye on throughout this year and beyond.

Top 5 Game Development Trends This Year and Beyond

1. Live Stream and eSports: Greater Accessibility and Competitive Game Play

What is the best way to engage with your favorite players while you watch them play your favorite games? Live streaming is the newest way to get involved in eSports while your favorite player plays games.
With game development trends leaning towards a level of accessibility and competition through technological advancements, the world of competitive gaming is on an unprecedented upswing. Live streaming and eSports have changed the game.
Now, viewers have an exciting new perspective on the game’s best players. Platforms like Twitch and YouTube Gaming provide an outlet to bridge the gap between competitors and fans. Fans can also support their favorite player with donations.
Moreover, popular social media channels such as Twitter and Instagram allow fans to build closer relationships with their favorite gamers.
Ultimately, this technology-driven surge in competitive gaming has created exceptional experiences for millions of viewers eager to spectate today’s titans in their most intense battles yet – pushing esports beyond the $1.1 billion market value.

2. Mobile Gaming: Fastest Gaming Experience

Mobile gaming has quickly become one of the most popular game development trends of the modern day. And it has no sign of slowing down.
Clever game developers are taking advantage of a wider install base of increasingly capable smartphones. Coupled with the increasing speeds offered by 5G infrastructure, the gameplay has never been smoother, faster, and more convenient. The mobile gaming industry has come a long way. It continues to hold its position as the biggest revenue generator amid a highly competitive market.
While mobile gaming is rising, Cross-platform game development is central to any game’s success. At the same time, compatibility across many devices incentivizes players to download their favorite games on the go.

3. Blockchain Gaming: Play-to-Earn or Pay-to-Earn

2021 brought game developers a game-changing trend: decentralized gaming economies, or GameFi. This merging of blockchain technology, cryptocurrency tokens, and gameplay has led to new gaming experiences with real-world value for players and developers.
Who knew playtime could pay? We’ve seen an influx of game development trends, such as
  • play-to-earn
  • Pay-to-earn
  • NFTs
These utilize blockchain gaming to create revenue streams. NFTs (non-fungible tokens) are all the rage, providing game collectors with a unique virtual marketplace for gaming items that no one else can copy or take away.
With over $4 billion in investments towards blockchain technology, this isn’t simply a flash-in-the-pan concept but rather here to stay.

4. AR and VR Game Development: Extended Reality for an Immersive Experience

There’s undeniably great potential for gamers worldwide, and game developers are looking forward to further revolutionizing gaming experiences. Game development trends in Extended Reality (XR) and AR/VR have allowed game developers to bring fans greater game experiences than ever before.
Despite playing a game on a flat surface, game developers can now create an immersive game atmosphere with augmented and virtual reality technologies. This idea, referred to as metaverse, was well received by Facebook when they decided to rebrand their company.
It’s clear that this is only the first step for gaming capabilities. The estimated $11B market valuation for XR, AR, and VR games project even greater heights for game development.

5. Cloud-Based Gaming (Gaming as a service): A game-changer in game development trends

Cloud gaming has quickly become the game development trend of the next century as more gamers enjoy the convenience of game streaming.
With cloud-based gaming or GaaS, game content is delivered directly to users over the internet – making game installation a breeze. But given how complex game streaming technology can be, infrastructure issues were once a major issue.
Thankfully, tech giants like Microsoft, Google, and Amazon have stepped in to provide game developers with faster deployment and wider reach than ever before.
So, if you’re looking for an immersive game experience without all the hassle of complicated downloads and updates – then take your gaming to the cloud.

Final Words

From living in the metaverse to playing on the cloud, the gaming revolution is not stopping as it continues to evolve and mesmerize players from all walks of life.
If you are also a part of this growing community of gamers, now is an exciting time! With platforms like eSports providing an accessible platform for competition and blockchain offering monetization opportunities, game developers have once again jumped ahead of the curve this year.
But with any game development trend worth following, staying up-to-date is key – so keep an eye out for these top game development trends and how the gaming world brings forth new adventures for gamers.
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