New game development trends emerge every day. Most of them are caused by rapid technological progress and changing gamer preferences. Some of these trends come and go, while others last for a few years.
Whether you are a game developer, game development student, or game development hobbyist, you should be aware of the current and future trends. It will allow you to design the most advanced games that fit the ever-changing market
perfectly.
Here are the top six trends to watch in 2022.
Augmented Reality (AR)
Augmented reality is one of those trends that influence the game development industry the most. This trend is applicable to all kinds of games: from simple mobile games for 7-year-old kids to advanced video games for adult gamers.
AR technologies allow developers to create an immersive environment and take the gaming experience to the next level. AR gaming expands the playing field and makes the game more interesting - it lets gamers explore the real-world environment, not just the sceneries created by graphic designers.
AR technologies are widely represented on social media - it's not a new thing for modern users. Therefore, many gaming companies leverage AR not to show how innovative they are, but to keep up with the new-era standards.
This trend will keep growing in 2022. So it will be wise of you to learn more about augmented reality gaming and think of how you can use it in your practice.
Virtual Reality (VR)
Virtual reality gaming has surged under the Covid-19 pandemic. Due to lockdowns, quarantine, and self-isolation, people got disconnected from the real world. Many users tapped into virtual gaming to compensate for the feeling of disconnection.
VR technology has a unique ability to convey a sense of just "being there". It allows gamers to enjoy whatever the virtual world (game) can offer.
VR gaming is developing pretty fast, and it's hard to predict where it takes us in the coming years. Today's most popular VR games are Trover Saves the Universe, Star Wars: Squadrons, Half-Life: Alyx, No Man's Sky, Superhot VR. Play these games and try to understand why fellow gamers choose them over other games. If you want to build an outstanding career in the gaming industry, think of how you can leverage VR to engage new-generation gamers in the next few years.
Video game writing
High-quality textual content is another distinctive feature of popular video games of 2021 and 2022. Yep, graphics are not the only thing that matters.
Modern gamers don't just want to play a game, they want to get immersed into the imaginary world. They want their video game characters to have unique stories they can relate to.
If you want to develop a successful game, you should collaborate with storytellers and video game writers. You need to create a narrative that will resonate with your target audience. It will make your game stand out from the pack, so you can boost your marketing efforts and attract more gamers.
Immersive experience
All three previous trends can be combined into one trend - immersive experience. Basically, people don't want to be just "players". They want to be a part of the game. They want to "live in" the game. AR and VR technologies and high-quality textual content are just the tools that can be used to immerse the user into gaming.
If you want to make your project a success, ask yourself the following questions:
- What can I do to turn my game into a truly immersive experience?
- What does my target audience expect from the game I'm developing?
- What immersive tools/technologies should I use?
What makes a video game immersive?
- Video immersion. The game doesn't need to have photorealistic graphics to be immersive, but it must be visual-bugs-free.
- Storytelling. You need to put the story of your game in the way it will make the gamer want to know "what's next" and keep playing.
- Audio immersion. Sounds and music are as important as graphic design and storytelling. If you add irritating sounds, no one will want to play your video game.
- Immersive acting. Voice actors need to speak their lines believably and confidently. If they do it the wrong way, that may ruin the whole game experience.
Speech technology
Speech technology is a new trend in the gaming industry. The most innovative companies launch voice-controlled games: games where players can command a character and interact with others through speech.
The main benefit of such games is that they not only offer an immersive experience, but also make gaming more accessible for visually impaired and disabled people. The experts expect that this trend will create a new niche in the gaming field in 2022.
The development of the voice-controlled game is a rather tedious and time-consuming process. It requires the developers to process the hundreds of hours of speech data to build the voice-recognition engines that will run smoothly.
Esports
The number of esports competitions has been growing for a couple of years. The global pandemic has also contributed to the trend. Since lots of people became passionate gamers in 2020, more participants joined esports competitions in 2021.
The list of top esports game developers startups includes Riot Games, Epic Games, Activision Blizzard, Critical Force, and Pixonic. The competition in this niche is not that intense, so new startups have a high chance to enter the market in the
coming year.
As of today, esports competitors are mostly young, male, and affluent individuals. However, demographics will likely change in the near future - it's expected that females and young adults will join competitions.
Wrapping up
Now you know the top game development trends for 2022. We hope this information will inspire you to create a remarkable game that will go viral in the coming year.
Keep watching market trends and get familiar with new technologies - it's the only right way to achieve long-term success in an ever-changing industry.
GUEST WRITER BIO: Donald Fomby is an editor and expert in video game writing. He creates compelling scripts and narratives that engage gamers and enhance the gaming experience. Currently, he works for TrustMyPaper, an academic writing company.
