There are many ways people play games in 2021. The high-powered next generation of consoles became available to buy during the later stages of 2020 and, over the last few decades, we’ve witnessed games consoles see a huge upgrade.

From a technological standpoint, the Xbox Series X and the PS5 are the most powerful consoles in history. Then, there’s also the Nintendo Switch, which obviously offers a slightly different type of gameplay. This variety makes for an exciting market right now.

Every year, new platforms are being developed to take advantage of new technologies and increased processing capacities. It has even been argued by some experts that we are seeing the end of traditional games consoles and ‘cloud gaming’ is now the future.

Gameplay continues to evolve but fundamentals remain

Some people enjoy going to a casino to play card games such as poker or have a go at the latest slot machines and this is often done for social reasons, as much as it is for gaming reasons.  However, this is another form of entertainment that has moved online thanks to new and expanding technology. A quick look at BetMGM pa shows the sheer number of games available to play – over 120 slots alone.

Board games have also been hugely popular and are often played with friends and family. One of the most enduring board games of all time is obviously Monopoly. This game was first released in 1935 and has had numerous versions, including console adaptations, as well as localised boards. The video below compares some of the versions of the classic game that have been released in the UK.

And digital versions of board games aren’t rare anymore. Titles like Scrabble and Clue have since made the jump. It’s perhaps no surprise that game developers are looking to enduring classics for sure-fire hits.

Multiplayer gaming

Multiplayer online gaming has been extremely popular since the mid-2000s, when it first started to become accessible to the wider gaming population. As the internet became something everyone had, more and more games shifted online. Now, there are so many ways to play games against friends and strangers in 2021.

Before online gaming became accessible for most people, visiting an arcade or hosting a LAN Party were the main ways you could play video games against friends. Casinos and bingo halls were also popular at different points throughout history, acting as sorts of arcades.

Despite the obvious progress being made with online gaming, Nintendo placed huge importance on playing games with friends and family ‘in person’ with the Nintendo Wii when it was launched in 2006. From a business perspective, it was a huge success for Nintendo and the console sold over 100 million units across the world.

Gaming in the future

Now for a look towards the future. Who really knows what’s to come, but it is expected that the current generations of games consoles are expected to have a lifespan of 7 or 8 years.

Gaming trends in recent years have changed quickly. Nintendo’s success with the Wii forced Sony and Microsoft into trying to entice a different audience to buy their consoles. The PlayStation Move and Xbox Kinect were both released to try and tap into this new type of gamer, but both were deemed to have failed overall.

The Xbox Game Pass is something that has been praised and could well change the way we buy and download games. This service allows you to access hundreds of current and classic Xbox games for the price of a monthly subscription. With downloads of games increasing, at the expense of physical sales, this is a service that might have a huge impact on the way we buy and play games in the future.

As to whether we’ll see a seismic shift in gaming, we can only wait and see.