Gaming has been a popular way to stay entertained for a while now. When video games first came onto the scene in the 1980s though, they were initially something of niche hobby. This is no longer the case as consoles, PCs and video gaming have become much more mainstream in recent years.
Gaming is a broad sector now. Millions love to play online casino games around the world, for example, while eSports is a niche within the industry that grabs lots of headlines. When you combine all this together, it is easy to see why playing games is something that has really taken off in the last few years.
Constant development is a hallmark of the whole sector. This can also be seen in just what awesome tech consoles, smartphones or the best laptops around pack in now to play games. Advances like this allow gaming to adapt to modern times, meet the changing needs of players, and attract more people to it. One new trend that is hot right now is social gaming.
Why and how has this become so popular in recent years?
Why has gaming become more social recently?
The old way of playing games seemed to work okay for most people. If you really wanted some company, you could always invite friends over to play with you. The problem was that this just wasn’t very convenient. It relied on having friends close by who could come over to your place for starters – or playing on your own if not.
For these reasons, social gaming did not really take off – until the internet was born. Since then, the gaming sector has taken digital tech on board and players have taken to social gaming. Why is this?
There are a few major reasons. Firstly, playing games with other people is just more fun and more exciting. It also offers a better experience than dealing with the clunky AI in some games! The other big reason is that it can help gamers fend off feelings of isolation and loneliness. If you live alone, for example, being able to engage with people online as you play can really help your mental health.
Just how has gaming become more social lately?
Live dealer casino gaming
As shown at the LiveDealerNJ.com site, there are lots of reliable, fun and safe casino sites to play at now that use human dealers in some games. From live dealer online baccarat to live dealer blackjack, there is a lot of choice online now in this regard. The development and accessibility of these live dealer games has really helped gaming get more social recently. Rather than playing purely online against the computer, you can play against a real human dealer. Even better, you get to chat to them and have a real conversation when playing.
Improvements in tech have helped
There is no doubt that the move towards a more social way of gaming has only been possible because of the tech that underpins it. As well as the internet itself, the rise of faster networks such as 5G and internet connectivity being built into next-gen consoles have allowed players to game more socially.
Rather than simply playing a physical copy of a game on your own as in the past, these tech advances allow you to enjoy the action over the internet with other gamers. This naturally makes it more social and allows players to meet up socially to game together.
Better choice of multiplayer online games
The video game sector has also helped facilitate this move to a more inclusive style of gaming by releasing more online multiplayer titles to enjoy. This can be via console networks such as Xbox Live or streaming sites such as Google Stadia.
The Forza Horizon series of games is a good example of this and allows people to meet up online to race around the game world. When you look at most games now, they all include some online element that allows people to engage.
Gaming is set to get even more social
Of course, when you look at the way that portable systems such as the Nintendo Switch make gaming together in real life easier and how mobile play is bringing people together, the situation gets even clearer. It seems pretty certain that now people have become used to playing games with others more often, they will not go back to simply playing alone again.