The history of video gaming has been one of progress and innovation. This is especially visible when you stand back and look at how everything from the technology to the games themselves has advanced over just a few decades.

Who could have imagined even forty years ago that one day you would be able to play against an opponent on the other side of the world or try your hand at poker online?

At the moment, the two hot topics concerning the gaming industry are artificial intelligence and virtual reality, and the latter promises to be just as important as AI.

A brief history of VR

VR, as most of us know by now, is the creation of a three-dimensional virtual world that an individual can interact with in a physical way. For example, they can move around in this world and affect items within it.

It might seem like a new phenomenon, but the concept of VR has been around for a long time now.

But it is very much something that has been waiting for the technology to catch up with the theory, which it now most definitely has. The very first gaming headset, called the Virtual Boy, was launched by Nintendo in 1995. Unfortunately, it represented a technology that was trying to run before it could walk, so it failed to catch on in any significant way.

But now we’re in a place where affordable headsets and increasingly complex video games mean that VR is really taking off.

An immersive experience

For game developers, this has a number of very significant benefits. The main one of these is that it allows them to create truly engaging games for players. Rather than just looking at a game on a screen, with virtual reality they can enter the world for real and imagine that they are anywhere in the world or beyond it. So they feel the games they are playing more than ever before, and this makes achieving success for them an even more satisfying experience.

The rise of new genres, the enhancement of existing ones

For a long time, video games seem to have been stuck with a fairly limited number of genres, including first-person shooters, role-playing games, and sandbox games in which players have time to move around and explore.

The advent of VR means that the experience of all these can be enhanced for players. But it also means that new genres are being introduced. For example, now it’s possible to recreate real-world adventures like scaling mountain peaks, diving to the depths of the ocean and many more – experiences that previously only a very few people could enjoy.

Interactivity like never before

Alongside the growth and development of VR, the field of haptics is also advancing at a fast pace. Essentially, these are items that players can wear to transmit physical sensations that coincide with actions in a game. An example would be a vest fitted with sensors to vibrate when there’s an explosion in the virtual world. Another might be a glove that controls movement within the game, replacing the old-style controller.

Working in tandem with the visual information that the player’s brain is receiving, the physical sensations complete the very convincing illusion of reality.

More accessible too

A criticism of games in the past is that they’re not always very accessible for differently abled players. However, virtual reality games, especially when combined with haptic devices or clothing, open up many more possibilities and make them attractive to an even wider number of potential players than ever before.

Into the metaverse

There has been much talk in recent years about the metaverse – the virtual environment in which we will soon be able to enjoy an alternative existence. Obviously, virtual reality is going to be an essential element that will facilitate this.

The potential and opportunities are almost limitless, especially in the part where players can interact with game development. It offers the potential for games to include rewards like “tickets” to exclusive concerts that can be viewed in a virtual world. There’s also going to be the ability to include sponsored content from third parties – something that the shoemaker Timberland has already trialed with Epic Games, creators of Fortnite.

Where it is also certain to make a huge impact in multi-player gaming, with communities coming together in a virtual world or taking part in e-sports tournaments that participants don’t need to attend physically.

So, these are undoubtedly exciting times for the gaming industry and gamers alike. And, while there will always continue to be a strong demand for “traditional” games viewed on a screen, VR is certain to develop further and quickly. Exactly where it will take us, only time will tell.