3 Video Game Genres That Will Propel Virtual Reality – IoT For All (blog)

Weve learned a lot in the last year about how far virtual reality can reach beyond gaming. While video games get the most attention, there are almost too many other applications to count.

VR is going to impact retail shopping and travel planning, helpwith medical training and different kinds of therapy, anddisrupt the television industry. These are all significant areas in which VR may prove to be a legitimate game changer.

But its still the gaming industry that generates the most headlines.

This is because thats where the averageperson will be able to enjoy VR. Its where well choose to buy headsets, download games, and sit down to enjoy new experiences for the first time.

This is why its interesting to keep an eye on video game trends and watch out for the genres that are positioning themselves to dominate the industry. Despite being more than a year into the so-called era of VR, it still feels very much like developers and hardware manufacturers are still figuring out what works best.

Thats not to say there arent a lot of good games out there already. There are plenty. But weve yet to see what type of experience really captures players imaginations. Here are a few to keep tabs on.

For better or worse, the shooter genre will likely end up largely defining VR. This is the most popular genre in console gaming, and there are already several renowned shooters that have been specifically designed for virtual reality.

There are a lot of problems with the genre, as player movement can be disorienting and on-rails shooters have their disadvantages. But developers are already showing some encouraging creativity in getting around these issues to create new and innovative experiences.

The real challenge will be for major franchises in this category like Call Of Duty, Battlefield, and others to adapt accordingly.

This is a genre that has yet to really burst out of its shell in VR despite one mainstream attempt. A simple look at the evolution of poker and casino gaming online shows the potential of a fully immersive medium. With better graphics and more interactive features, online poker has done an unbelievable job of combining the perks of real-life, brick-and-mortar poker offerings with the advantages of online gaming.

In other words, theyve taken a more convenient experience and made it feel like the real thing. VR can and will take that a step further to give players the sensation that theyre playing in real poker rooms. There are more than enough online poker players in the world for this to be a very big deal.

This could be called its own genre these days, in large part thanks to the mobile branch of the industry. A couple years back an article was circulating about five games so pretty youll forget theyre being played on mobile devices, and those games arent isolated incidents at all.

If anything, theyre part of a larger trend. With limited means for control and scope, many mobile developers have focused primarily on the looks and sounds of their games, creating gorgeous worlds that wed all love to see more of.

Whether or not any of these are directly adapted to VR remains to be seen, but the focus on atmospheric exploration came about just in time for the VR revolution. Atmosphere is in some ways the entire point of VR, and the fact that people have gotten used to games like these should make for easy emergence of this type of experience.

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3 Video Game Genres That Will Propel Virtual Reality - IoT For All (blog)