Virtual Reality and the Gaming Industry
Virtual reality is a technological invention that entails creating an artificial environment using software that appeals to individual’s senses making them experience the environment as if they were really there (Berg & Vance 2017, p. 3). In today's world, this technology has become cheap leading to its widespread and it is expected that there will be more innovative uses of it in the future. One of the businesses that have adopted this technology is the gaming industry.
Impact of VR on the Gaming Business Outcomes
VR games have been developed for play stations and PC gaming. Due to the technological advancements using VR, gaming experiences are getting longer with more in-depth and better controls (Kong et al. 2016, p. 333). Consequently, more players are willing to join the experience and play their favorite superheroes games such as Arkham VR, Batman or Arizona Sunshine. As a result, the gaming industry is growing immensely as more game developers jump on the VR bandwagon to develop games that appeal to the gamers.
Another impact of VR on the gaming industry is that it has improved social behavior by creating collaborative gaming situations. In this regard, a person using a VR headset is the only one who can observe the visualized elements. However, these games involve puzzles where a gamer can see the visualized elements and communicate with the team on what they are observing (Merchant et al. 2014, p. 29). From this interaction, the team can decipher the information and take the appropriate action in a process known as asynchronous gameplay (Merchant et al., 2014, p. 30). Overall, this has improved solo entertainment experiences and gamers can spend a lot of time playing games without getting bored. This has led to the development of the industry due to the satisfaction among consumers.
VR has already increased revenue among mobile game developers. Due to the increased demand for VR headsets from companies such as HTC, Samsung, Google, and Oculus VR, a lot of revenue is being generated in this industry (Serino et al. 2016, p. 673). Going forward, the revenue earned is bound to increase as mobile gaming gains more popularity. According to a research done by Technavio researchers, 66% of all mobile users played a game on their devices at least once every month in 2016 (Serino et al. 2016, 675). Besides, 7% of the games were VR gamers and experts say that the technology is growing very fast. As a matter of fact, Technavio analysts predict that by 2021, the number of mobile gamers will rise to 77% with 15% of them being VR gamers (Serino et al. 2016, p. 677).
Advantages of VR on the Gaming Industry
One of the advantages of VR on the gaming industry is that it helps in saving time and resources. In this regard, mobile game developers can be able to test their products without using actual raw materials but at the same time ensuring that they achieve their end goal (Le et al. 2015, p. 487). For instance, using VR, the developers can fix parts and predict the final outcome before production. By doing so, these companies may only require one prototype version which they can make changes to without creating a new one. Therefore, the companies can save on resources while reducing the time used in trials. In addition, the game developers will be able to detect and address problems at an early stage before they are too late or too costly to fix.
VR also enables mobile game developers to test and practice important procedures. For instance, it can be used to address impersonal communication issues that arise because of physical distance by using telepresence systems (Le et al. 2015, p. 487). As a result, these companies can conduct productive meetings with other stakeholders in different locations. The result is that they will be able to create games that appeal to a large number of users which improves the gaming industry.
Disadvantages of VR on the Gaming Industry
Many VR developers are small-scale companies that are unable to sustain themselves on the long-term since a lot of time and capital is needed to create a durable realistic VR system (Morel et al. 2015, p. 315). In most cases, the small companies do not have the resources to invest in VR projects. Additionally, most developers use input devices that were initially meant for other systems instead of developing new ones that are suitable for VR (Morel et al. 2015, p. 317). Without the application of proper hardware, it is difficult to develop interactivity and immersion features that are required for an effective VR system.
Another disadvantage of VR on the gaming industry is the psychological effects that it causes on the users. In this regard, VR games may lead to a desensitization of users to aggressive actions. Most games incorporate violent scenes without showing real-world consequences and this may lead to their users becoming naturally violent in real life (Morel et al. 2015, p. 317). In addition, children who are exposed to VR games may not develop feelings of compassion or kindness to people who are suffering in real life since they have been conditioned to behave like machines.
Contribution and Profitability of VR
All in all, VR has led to the development of the gaming industry by improving gaming experiences among users. This means that more people are playing games as the number of developers increase to create content for users. This has led to the overall growth of the gaming industry and increased profitability among mobile game developers.
Conclusion
In a nutshell, VR technology has impacted the gaming industry in various ways. As discussed, this technological advancement has impacted business operation by leading to the creation of more games for play stations and PC gaming, improving social behavior by creating collaborative gaming and increasing revenue among mobile game developers. Some of the advantages of this technology are saving time and resources for developers, and helping them to test and practice important procedures. However, it has some disadvantages, as small companies are unable to sustain themselves due to the large amount of resources required to sustain a VR system while it causes psychological effects on the users. All in all, it has led to the growth of the gaming industry leading to increased profits among developers.
References
Berg, L.P. and Vance, J.M., 2017. Industry use of virtual reality in product design and manufacturing: a survey. Virtual Reality, 21(1), pp.1-17.
Kong, K.H., Loh, Y.J., Thia, E., Chai, A., Ng, C.Y., Soh, Y.M., Toh, S. and Tjan, S.Y., 2016. Efficacy of a virtual reality commercial gaming device in upper limb recovery after stroke: a randomized, controlled study. Topics in stroke rehabilitation, 23(5), pp.333-340.
Le, Q.T., Pedro, A. and Park, C.S., 2015. A social virtual reality based construction safety education system for experiential learning. Journal of Intelligent " Robotic Systems, 79(3-4), pp.487-506.
Merchant, Z., Goetz, E.T., Cifuentes, L., Keeney-Kennicutt, W. and Davis, T.J., 2014. Effectiveness of virtual reality-based instruction on students' learning outcomes in K-12 and higher education: A meta-analysis. Computers " Education, 70, pp.29-40.
Morel, M., Bideau, B., Lardy, J. and Kulpa, R., 2015. Advantages and limitations of virtual reality for balance assessment and rehabilitation. Neurophysiologie Clinique/Clinical Neurophysiology, 45(4-5), pp.315-326.
Serino, M., Cordrey, K., McLaughlin, L. and Milanaik, R.L., 2016. Pokémon Go and augmented virtual reality games: a cautionary commentary for parents and pediatricians. Current opinion in pediatrics, 28(5), pp.673-677.
