PaigeFTW: The Future of Gaming
Just under 10 years ago, the Wii was busy revolutionizing gaming. Remember that? How motion controls were supposed to change everything? PlayStation Move and Kinect came … and went.
Or remember when 3D was the next big thing? People were supposed to actually adjust the 3D slider on their Nintendo 3DS (instead of immediately turning it off). Sony even made 3D TVs.
And now, here we are today, where virtual reality is the Next Big Thing That Will Change Everything About How We Play Games. The names are big: Oculus Rift, HTC Vive and PlayStation VR. The hype is high. The games are forthcoming.
Or is Pokemon Go signaling that the future of gaming is in mobility, AR and geocaching — in leaving the sacred spot in front of the TV or computer screen and getting out into the wide world?
Which will be the trend that stays?
My instinct tells me that, in all likelihood, none of these will really take off.
I’m not being a cynic or nostalgic. I’m just being practical.
The big shifts in video games have come through simple things: Arcade machines largely gave way to home consoles, and local multiplayer became online multiplayer. Little, yet paradigm-changing moves: play where you’re comfortable; play with whoever you want to play with.
How many of these new developments are able to address and answer those kinds of fundamental needs?
Therein lies the difference between gimmicks and game-changers. All these new tools come up, great gam es are produced — but the momentum for lasting change never quite sustains a console generation. It was fun, for a little while … but nothing can quite beat that old joy of controller (or keyboard) and screen.
Then again, who can say what the future holds — the one gimmick that’s inexplicably surpassed the test of time is the vibrating controller.
