Whether it was because of the burgeoning popularity of gaming or because of the growing number of gamers in this part of the world, gaming trends this year were at an all-time high. The industry itself had yet to find its feet, with many players and developers still finding their footing in a digital landscape that’s ever-changing and ever-evolving. 2018 was also the first full year that social media giants became a crucial part of gaming culture, with many game developers directly targeting their audiences in ways that they had never been targeted before. This all combined made for some excellent trends while others were not so great. From user-friendly interfaces to player anonymity and beyond, here are the best and worst gaming trends of this year.
Player Anonymity and Digital Disassociation
There has always been a lot of interest in player anonymity and disassociation in recent years, but even more so at the beginning of this one. During the early months of 2018, several high-profile controversies came to light regarding the use of player anonymity and the disassociation of digital personalities. In February, both Fortnite and Apex Legends let it slip that gamers could use their avatars to express negative sentiments. Apex Legends’ quazi-jokes were censored by the game’s developers, while a lot of other online personalities reacted negatively to Fortnite’s inclusion of sexual innuendos. These two were two examples of how new technologies and the changing nature of how we consume media can push boundaries on issues like censorship and digital disassociation.
User-friendly Interface and Gamepad
The popularity of user-friendly interfaces and gamepad usage never looked brighter, with many big-name publishers making these the focus of their marketing efforts. The trend was also a part of several indie games’ successes, with retro-inspired ContraptionStrip and arcade-style puzzle game Splatty Cat making a huge splash on mobile platforms. In addition, a handful of games made the leap from console to mobile for the very first time, most notably Super Smash Bros. Ultimate and Pokemon Let’s Go. The user-friendly interface was also a big part of the growth of social media in gaming. In the past, gamers have always been wary of social media platforms, fearing that they may steal their attention away from the games that they love. However, with the rise of platforms like Discord, which offers a voice-chat-based platform with a range of gaming-related features, developers and publishers were able to enhance the social media experience.
Voice Chat in Games
Voice chat was a huge trend throughout the year thanks to the integration of audio recording and editing tools in games. That said, its usage was not limited to just a handful of games this year. Voice chat was a part of many notable social media integrations in games, such as Fortnite letting players record and share their in-game voice-messages, Apex Legends letting players voice-chat with each other while exploring ruins of the game’s world or Minecraft letting players record and share their voice-chat. The trend was in itself a social media integration, as it helped gamers connect with each other in ways that could not have been done otherwise. Moreover, voice chat was easy to use, with most games providing a colorful interface that was easy to navigate.
eSports and Competitive Gaming
In recent years, we’ve seen a number of big-name publishers trying to tap into the growing eSports phenomenon. Some of them have even had a huge success in this regard. In 2018, we saw more companies trying to get into eSports, with many companies focusing on their traditional games to increase their player base. Most notable among these was Epic Games, which began focusing on Fortnite as a way to increase its player base. As for eSports, we saw more games and tournaments than ever before. It was a good year for eSports, with a lot of new games and competitions getting involved in the growing phenomenon. There are also other competitive gaming like Game Slot Online.
VR in Games and Beyond
VR headsets may have been too expensive for the mass market, but the technology itself did find its way into a number of games this year. The most popular VR game in India was probably the social RPG War of the Human Tanks, which was a huge hit on mobile platforms. In terms of VR games, one of the most popular VR games this year was probably Archangel. Although it has been around for a while, the way it was marketed and marketed in 2018 helped it become a huge success.
Conclusion
With the year coming to a close, there is a lot to look forward to in the gaming world, including the release of new games, the integration of new technologies and the continued expansion of the gaming industry. It will be interesting to see what 2019 has in store for gamers and what trends will be popular in the coming year.