The latest trends in entertainment tend to overlap with the latest tech developments. After all, the vast majority of modern entertainment is digital. Whether playing mobile games, watching the latest TV show, or listening to an artist’s latest album release, the format is fully digitized.
In fact, some digital platforms are now even more engaging thanks to VR and AR advances. Video gamers, for example, can literally step into a brand-new world thanks to advanced graphics and gameplay mechanics in VR headsets. Meanwhile, AR is bridging the virtual with our physical world with new mobile technology and apps.
One of the latest trends in gaming covers live streaming—but what, exactly, does this mean? For gamers, live streaming has three major applications, including casino games, session streaming, and streaming subscriptions.
Live Casino Games: The Real Dealer Experience
Casino games were some of the very first online gaming platforms to pop up in the 1990s. Given the popularity and availability of these titles today, finding a site to play online casinos 2022 titles has never been easier. It’s also never been more advanced.
One of the latest new releases from brands like PokerStars and 888 include live dealer options for table games like blackjack and roulette. In these games, a real-life dealer is live streamed straight onto a gamer’s computer or mobile device. From there, the dealer handles the game just like at a brick-and-mortar casino. This adds a sense of realism to the game—and a new social angle.
Live Streaming Games: To Follow or Be Followed
Back in the early 2010s, the Twitch platform took off. It gave elite gamers the chance to build a following by live streaming their gaming sessions to their subscribers. Some, like Tyler Blevins, aka Ninja, have flipped early success in Twitch to highly lucrative careers thanks to major sponsorships.
Others, like Michael Grzesiek, aka Shroud, went the other route by flipping their Twitch success into a professional eSports career. Today, the platform is one of the most successful live streaming platforms. Not only did it revolutionize the global gaming industry, but it also helped launch the very first eSports events, leagues, and pros.
Video Game Streaming Subscriptions: A New Frontier
Not all game streaming has to do with live entertainment. In fact, one of the latest trends in gaming is being touted by analysts as the next frontier: cloud gaming. Cloud gaming, or game streaming, is a new way to access popular titles from consoles and PCs. Rather than download a game or insert a physical copy, gamers simply stream the game—just like they would a new series on Netflix.
However, cloud gaming faces a few hurdles before it becomes the norm. For example, even video streaming can be cumbersome and difficult if someone has a less-than-stellar internet connection. This applies tenfold for streaming games, which is quite a bit more demanding on a local Wi-Fi network.
At the moment, companies from Sony to Amazon are taking a stab at game streaming. With plenty of patents being filed, it’s unclear which company will perfect the new system first.