There are gamers who idle away an hour or two out of their day on mobile games and then there are GAMERS - those who live, eat, sleep and breathe for their favourite pastime. Let’s look at the trends and tech evolutions that are influencing the gaming world.
What are the latest trends and influences?
Remake, remaster and reboot
Nostalgic value still packs a punch, even in gaming, but this time it’s all about a new take on the old classics. More than ever, people are taking a trip down memory lane and returning to their old faithful games, but with a twist. Cult classic games are being revisited and relaunched with their die-hard audiences (some might say ‘older’, but we won’t!) in mind.
So, what’s the difference?
Remake – The storyline and characters you’ve come to know and love are still around, but the game itself is redesigned. The Final Fantasy franchise has undergone a remake, made improvements to characters and had an HD upgrade.
Remaster – The visual quality usually gets an upgrade while all other visual elements still maintain that familiar look and feel. The Tomb Raider game has been remastered with the game first being remade in 2007, and remastered in 2014, and due for another update in 2024.
Reboot – The story or premise of the game is reimagined with a few aspects of the original game remaining. The post-apocalyptic game franchise Fallout enjoyed a complete reboot with both the setting and map size changing over the years.
eSports and competitive gaming: It’s a community experience
What’s better than your favourite game? The gaming experience amplified! eSports is an entire ecosystem, where players come together at tournaments to play virtually. It’s a thrilling spectator sport with avid gamers from around the world coming together online for the love of their favourite game. Online gaming platforms have experienced significant growth with players being able to join tournaments for familiar titles such as PubG, League of Legends and Fortnite.
Fitness or virtual reality gaming: The emergence of active video gaming
Fitness, augmented reality and virtual reality intersect with the niche world of active video gaming (AVG). Escape to another realm while still pushing out your cardio on a treadmill. Games such as Ring Fit Adventure can take you to a fantasy world on a quest to defeat a bodybuilding dragon using add-ons/devices/smart tech such as leg straps and ring-cons. For the more casual fit-gamer, fitness tracking apps (such as Garmin, Strava and, Runkeeper) gamify your activities, rewarding and incentivising users for tracking fitness milestones. Getting a double dose of dopamine from your exercise and beating your goals? Yes, please!
Hyper-casual games: Keeping things short and sweet
This type of game is mostly a mobile trend designed to be short, sweet and easy to navigate on the go. The gamers who get into hyper-casual gaming deliberately look for games that are easy to master and have a high degree of replayability. These games are often free to play and useful gap fillers for when players are commuting or passing time in waiting rooms. Familiar names on the hyper-casual game scene are the Candy Crush Saga and Bridge Race which have millions of players worldwide.
Cloud gaming: Cloudy with a chance of good gaming!
Cloud gaming draws on the power of centralisation. And you won’t even need a game console. A TV, controller and Internet connection is all you need to get started. This online gaming trend looks set to stay, with big cloud gaming service platforms like Xbox Cloud Gaming, Amazon Luna and Netflix Gaming up and running. Platforms like these allow you to save your game mid-progress. No installation is required, but your device will read data from a remote server.
If you spend a lot of time gaming, you’ll need a data plan that supports you. Telkom Infinite Max Plus offers unlimited data with perks that are smartphone-specific. You’ll get the network coverage you need to enjoy high-speed, uninterrupted gaming.
New game releases to get excited about
With new releases almost every month, you’ll never miss a beat. Whether you’re a solo gamer or prefer an opponent, there are some big names on the horizon in 2024:
- Dungeons of Hinterberg – available on Xbox Series X|S and PC.
- Dragon Ball: Sparking! Zero– available on PS5, Xbox Series X|S and PC.
- Tales of the Shire: A The Lord of the Rings Game – available on PS5, PS4, Xbox Series X|S, Xbox One, PC, Nintendo Switch).
Find out more about upcoming game releases in 2024.