The future of Video Games: Multiplayer Virtual Reality Games
Hello, this is my first Medium Post. My name is Hilal and I’ve been working on game development for almost 3 years now. And I spent quality time of those years on VR Development and having multiplayer game experiences on VR. In this post, I would like to talk about why Multiplayer VR Games are a topic we should be focusing more on.
Our New Reality is Virtual
As I write this, we are in the middle of a global pandemic. We are being required to stay at home and isolate ourselves from other people. It’s been almost 2 years, and still, it’s not as apocalyptic as we thought. It is thanks to the technology we have today. It makes life way easier inside our houses. We now spend less time with house chores while we have more time and tools to entertain ourselves and keep distracted from the uncertainty of the world we live in.
When it comes to distraction in a world-changing pandemic, Video Games definitely got the spotlight. Almost every person that was forced to stay at home, had already chosen their favorite game whether it’s on mobile or PC, or VR. So the gaming industry had exceptional growth. Both Microsoft and Sony recently published record growth figures for their gaming revenue streams, and the console sector alone made over $45 billion in 2020.
The important role of the Multiplayer Games
As all humans, we have the word in our languages “socialize” which means “participate in social activities; mix socially with others”. While there is no specification for the activities, it is only required to involve other people to be identified as social. Meaning you can turn any activity into a social one by inviting people. Socialization was a thing we were all worried about staying at home while isolating ourselves. Also, it is not just a simple desire, it’s actually a need according to Maslow’s Hierarchy Of Needs.
After we can live without fearing big threats such as rain, thunderstorms, wild animals, and starvation, we are in search of other people. If you ever played The Sims, you must be familiar with the term “Social Need Bar” that can be filled with social interactions, and its decay can cause depression in your sims. It may not appear as solid as sims on actual human beings, but it’s no surprise we feel alone when we don’t get enough interactions with others.
Now, in the middle of an isolating pandemic, we luckily have social media and video games. Gaming has often been stereotyped as being isolating and unsociable. However, multiplayer games have shown this isn’t the truth. They took the responsibility of building a bridge between socialization and video games.
Why are AI Robots not enough for our Social Needs?
If you step up at the Maslow’s Hierarchy the next thing after we have our human contacts, we need to be respected for our self-confidence, feel powerful to have a status. To have them all we need to be recognized. Overall what is considered cool or powerful is also human-made labels we give each other.
So, to be recognized by another human being would let us have the status we have wanted for a long time. With humans, we will have competition and cooperation. As we all know, AI robots -generally appear as enemies or your best companies- in your offline games, they might let you have a better experience with the game and make you feel joyful. But they will never give you more than what they have programmed. Their moves or pre-coded attitudes might seem unexpected for the first time you ever play, but it won’t be sustainable.
To conclude, AI robots will never be your friend. Saying that might seem brutal, thinking we are still in an early process of AI technology. But the definition of a friend, by Oxford languages, is “a person with whom one has a bond of mutual affection, typically one exclusive of sexual or family relations.”. As humans we might be able to like the AI robots we are playing with. But it will never be a mutual connection as we need.
Best and Most improved way of game experience
Since we mentioned that the game industry is in its golden age, escaping from reality became more serious. This wasn’t a feeling that started in the pandemic but the pandemic surely made us realize how our flat screens aren’t enough for us to experience extraordinary. We felt the need to “feel more”. That’s when Virtual reality comes in handy. VR is a computer-driven simulation technology that places us inside a virtual world. The term “virtual reality” was first used in the 1970s so it surely isn’t a new technology. But in 2020 VR has seen the biggest peak in its history.
According to the latest forecasts from IDC Research (2020), Worldwide spending on augmented reality and virtual reality (AR/VR) is forecast to accelerate out of the pandemic, growing from just over $12.0 billion this year to $72.8 billion in 2024. The five-year compound annual growth rate (CAGR) for AR/VR spending will be 54.0%.
This graphic is not only about gaming but the many possibilities that can happen using AR and VR technology. It surely has a great potential that has already been interested by investors. But let’s talk about multiplayer gaming in VR.
VR consumers have spent their time in the pandemic with the most realistic game experience. Also for those who want to socialize while being in the most accurate simulation, have used Multiplayer VR games such as VR Chat, Rec Room, Echo VR, Pavlov VR, and Beat Saber. My personal favorite was Phasmophobia VR. I get to experience ghost hunting as a first-hand experience while making amazing friendships from all over the world.
Gamers were surely not the only people interested in VR games. Investors also realized the potential and stock value of many VR games have increased. Rec Room announced it has raised $100 million from Sequoia and Index, with participation from Madrona Venture Group.
Pavlov VR is also another Multiplayer VR game with a success story. It is a fast-paced first-person shooter (FPS) VR game that has been highly regarded as one of the best PC VR games for the last two and a half years. It has been shared as an early access game. It’s become one of the number one games in VR and nearly made the success of a Multiplayer PC game while still in the development stage. Developers are still working on improving the game with weapons, maps, and game modes.
So, Multiplayer VR games are a big thing now and many users have already entertained themselves using VR since the pandemic has started. For sure, there are many different game examples I can give. But words can never be enough to explain these non-traditional gaming experiences. So I invite you to see it for yourself and share your experiences. Also, we should give credit to the developers for these very creative, immersive worlds. It seems like they achieved the impossible.
Well, sure it has never been impossible. But as a VR developer myself, it is safe to say, development technology has also evolved for the better and became easier. I made my first game for VR exactly 3 years ago. The development was quite different from today and I remember thinking if I’m already late for such a big technology like this. But I was wrong. It’s a consistently growing sector and there is no limit to a variety of creative content.
Where to start to become a VR Developer?
So, if you are planning to become a game developer, you can still be a front-seater for the gaming’s next station; Multiplayer VR development. If you are not sure about where to start, the internet is the biggest and most efficient source you can reach easily. There are way more online tutorials to learn how to build a game now than 3 years ago. Here is the best course out there for Multiplayer VR Development and I advise you not to miss out on the chance.
It has a great rating, 4.7 out of 5 with over 9 hours of content. At the end of this course, you will have a simple Multiplayer VR project where you can integrate Multiplayer VR into your own VR project.
Here is the link for the course:
Also, here is my Twitter for the questions you might have. I am planning to keep writing about game development so if you have any topic in your mind please let me know. Hopefully, see you soon.
