Gaming as an industry has come a long way since the days of playing Mario Kart, in your best friend’s living room.
Virtual reality augmented reality, newly redeveloped graphics, and a dedication to storytelling have made the games of today more enveloping and engaging than ever before. One of the latest developments to take the gaming industry to the next level has been the Internet of things (IoT).
Why did gaming machines move to IoT?
Another bonus of mobile gaming gaining popularity is that it makes gaming more accessible to all types of people. Gaming consoles can be expensive and are often classified as luxury items for many households. However, smartphones come in a variety of price points, and regardless of income are considered a necessity.
One of the benefits of gaming mechanics being moved to IoT technologies is that areas of a person’s life that hadn’t been gamified before can now benefit from that process. For example, health and fitness apps have been experimenting with ways in which to make exercise feel like fun.
The popular Zombies, Run! The app pairs with a user’s fitness tracker and Smartphone to make the user feel like they’re outrunning zombies and battling the apocalypse during their morning run.
Mobile gaming has also helped to gamify some aspects of education. Popular language-learning app Duolingo uses gamification to get users to learn and practice a new language.
Users earn coins and pass levels by doing daily practice and exercises. They can then buy special lesson packages or outfits for the mascot owl with the coins they earn, giving them a payoff aside from their newly acquired skills.
Now as we know, nothing interesting is ever completely one-sided. While IoT creates a deeper connection with the media, it also may make it easier for users to forget about basic online safety protocols.
For example, Pokemon Go, the mobile app had a vulnerability in its verification of players using Google accounts to log in. Essentially, by signing in with a Google account, users were granted the game unrestricted access to all documents, emails, photos, and information contained therein.
At the end of the day, if used smartly and correctly, the Internet of Things can make the gaming industry a place for all different types of people to connect over a shared love of story and activity.
People all over the globe can easily connect to play together from anywhere they may be at the moment — all with the push of a button. However, just like with any technology, use should be mixed with research and caution — but, with security in mind, the possibilities for storytelling and user engagement through the Internet of Things on the horizon are endless.
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