The game industry is beginning to evolve as it puts more focus on the mobile sector. The mobile games market has been heavily saturated for some time, but large publishers and development studios that had initially been averse to the concept of mobile gaming are beginning to enter into the market with their own products. As mobile gaming continues to grow in popularity, the practices that have become common in the mobile gaming business are also becoming common in the overall game industry.
The game industry has been focusing more heavily on the mobile sector for good reason. Mobile games represent one of the most lucrative aspects of gaming today, with some 247 separate game companies earning more than $1 million in mobile revenue in the U.S. alone. Google, which provides access to a wide range of mobile gaming applications, has seen more than 300 million downloads for the mobile games it supports, with the developers of these games bringing in a collective $600 million. These may be astonishing numbers, but Google is widely considered within the game industry to be the least lucrative market for mobile gaming applications.
Many people enjoy mobile games because they are simple in nature and can be played anywhere and at any time. They offer on-demand entertainment that people have come to expect thanks to their growing reliance on mobile technology. Moreover, people have shown that they are willing to spend money on these games, whether it is the price for purchasing the game or buying in-game items, digital currencies, and bonuses that make gameplay more enjoyable.
Microtransactions, a term that represents in-game purchases, have become somewhat infamous among consumers. Some people claim that mobile games are nothing more than cash grabs, using microtransactions to take advantage of people that are willing to spend their money. These microtransactions are becoming a more integral part of traditional gaming, with developers and publishers introducing in-game purchases in order to cater to a more mobile-centric audience. As mobile games continue to gain prominence, they may end up determining the course of the game industry’s future, which may cause a serious division between consumers and game developers that have an interest in microtransactions.
Acclaimed game developer Valve has held a strong presence in the gaming industry for several years. The company is well known for its innovative products and creative approach to gaming. Recently, Valve began looking to bolster its ranks with fresh hardware developers that were to work on a new project. This project has been shrouded in secrecy for some time, but a profile of Valve from the New York Times has shed some light on the project.
Developer interested in changing the way people experience games
Valve has been working to develop a new augmented reality headset. While this may come as a surprise to some, Valve has long believed that augmented reality, as well as other interactive technologies, could be the future of gaming. The company has taken a page from Google and has created a pair of augmented reality glasses that will be used in its “wearable computing” project. The developer’s interest in augmented reality seems to be born of frustration concerning the rate of progress being seen in computer technology and how games are limited to this technology.
Augmented reality continues to gain favor throughout the gaming industry
Augmented reality gaming is becoming more popular as more people become exposed to it. The vast majority of games that make use of augmented reality can be found on mobile platforms, such as smart phones and tablets. This has made the games accessible to a large portion of consumers, as mobile technology is exceedingly popular. Valve believes that people’s exposure to augmented reality has prepared them for a new generation of technology that makes use of the software.
Valve project may unlock new possibilities in gaming
Valve is keeping the details of its augmented reality project secret for the time being. The developer has not released an estimated time in which its project will be available to consumers. When it does see commercial launch, however, Valve’s augmented reality project may help usher in a new generation of gaming and help revolutionize the game industry as a whole.
