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The global gaming industry has undergone quite a transformation since the start of the 21st century, and a substantial portion of that has to do with automation – as perhaps you already know. Wondering about how this affects gaming? You aren’t alone.
From next-generation consoles and PCs to the ubiquitous online gaming sectors, automation is reshaping how games are developed, played, and managed – but how? Let’s uncover the role that automation technologies are playing in the ongoing development of modern-day gaming!
Core Gaming Sectors
Before we dig into how automation is revolutionizing the gaming industry, let’s check out the core gaming sectors, and get a sense of who the players are!
Console Gaming
First up, we’re going to start with consoles. Much like the consoles of the 1980s and 1990s, consoles today are platform-specific gaming devices, meaning they can only access games that are compatible with the hardware. A PlayStation 4, for example, isn’t able to play the games designed for the newest edition, the PS5.
Consoles offer a rich array of often exclusive gaming experiences, which feature high-end graphics and premium-level content. This sector is typically characterized by blockbuster franchises and a robust ecosystem of downloadable content and online gaming solutions.
PC Gaming
So what about PCs? Another pivotal sector since day one of mainstream gaming, PC gaming is known for its cutting-edge performance and versatility. This is a sector that appeals to both casual gamers and hardcore gamers alike, due to the fact that gamers can customize PC hardware and software to tailor performance.
Even here in the digital age, where consoles and desktop machines alike can run games, PC gaming still supports the widest range of genres.
Mobile Gaming
Very much a 21st-century sector, mobile gaming has seen exponential growth over the past decade, thanks to the ubiquity of smartphones, tablets, and affordable data connections, even in developing markets. This sector actually appeals to the broadest demographic and has generated over 50% of the total gaming industry’s annual revenue (source: Newzoo).
The portability and convenience of mobile devices make gaming on the go a reality, and it has also informed the type of games available on the platform. Casual titles like Candy Crush and Clash of Clans are some of the longest-running mobile gaming apps. However, in recent years, there’s been an increased focus on developing premium-quality games, such as Genshin Impact and Resident Evil Village.
Online Casinos
Falling under the iGaming umbrella (remote casino, poker, sports betting, and other digital gambling activities), the online casino gaming genre is continuing to be a major player in the virtual gaming sphere, having been boosted by fairly recent expansion across North America. Since 2018, individual states like Pennsylvania and New Jersey have been launching online casino real money USA-specific platforms, which has brought a resurgence in gambling activities to American shores. A lot of people don’t collate this kind of gaming with the true gaming world – but in fact, it’s a big part of it and an important player that we mustn’t ignore when we consider this space.
Exploring Automation in Game Design and Development
Gaming may be a Big Tech industry, but it’s also part of the creative industries segment, as well as being an entertainment industry. All of these segments, with the exception of Big Tech, are at the opposite end of the spectrum to industrial technologies, so what can automation actually contribute to the game design process? Surprisingly, the answer is quite a lot.
Take, for example, one of the most controversial of new tech trends, Artificial Intelligence. AI has actually been used as an automation tool in gaming since the very early days of the industry, with machine learning tools being essential in developing and programming everything from game mechanics to digital content.
More recently, the use of AI has switched to procedural content generation, which enables developers to create expansive game worlds and dynamic content. Instead of having to manually design and code every element in the virtual world of a game like No Man’s Sky, developers can simply utilize automated processes to generate complex landscapes and program quests and interactions, etc.
The use of automation in the development and design process also extends to providing unique gaming experiences to players. Automated algorithms can adjust the difficulty of a game in real time in direct response to a player’s performance, ensuring that they continually receive an engaging experience. This adaptive difficulty system is particularly effective because it keeps players motivated and suitably challenged.
Moreover, automation allows for game content to be customized, with in-game offers based on player preferences and behavior analytics becoming more prevalent in sectors like online gambling. Believe us, the casinos are using this technique a lot to boost customer satisfaction! By analyzing data compiled by machine learning tools, such as spending habits, playtime, or game preferences, software programmers and iGaming operators can deliver personalized and highly engaging experiences.
Automation technologies also have a role to play once a game is ready for market and beyond. Automated testing tools are used to identify bugs and performance issues in games, uncovering potential problems that human testers might miss. The QA process is just as vital in the lifecycle of game development as it is in any industrial or manufacturing process.
And what else? Well, after a game has been released, pre-programmed automated systems can continue to monitor and manage server performance, detecting and addressing issues such as network failures or server overloads in real time.