If there is one trend that has defined gaming and interactive entertainment over the past decade, it is the move towards unprecedented levels of customisation. For games of all genres, it seems clear that players want a truly unique experience in virtually every respect. No longer are people content to experience the exact same game as millions of other customers.
From console to online games, it’s clear that a major trend shaping the industry is customisation, in which players are offered the chance to tailor every aspect of their game towards their own preferences. Here are just a handful of the key ways that game developers and platforms are offering innovative levels of customisation in gaming.
Source: Pixabay
1. Custom Game Environments and Stories
Perhaps the most attention-grabbing efforts at totally tailormade gaming in recent years can be seen in those blockbuster console titles that allow players to tweak and tailor virtually every aspect of their in-game environment. There are games like Cyberpunk 2077, where players can choose from literally thousands of different character customisation features, including scars, tattoos and even blemishes, to make their character truly unique.
Then there are the likes of Skyrim and Watchdogs: Legion, where virtually every aspect of the virtual environment can be tweaked and changed to your advantage. In the realm of online games, you have big players like Fornite and LoL, which have so many mods, environment builder features, and DLC items that it would take thousands of pages to list it all.
In 2018, Rockstar released Red Dead Redemption 2, which applied customisation to its incredibly detailed story mode. The game allows players to make choices during missions which changes the way a mission can unfold. Also, certain moments in the story will give the player the option to accept or decline additional missions and lightly shape the plot around their choices.
2. Custom Online Platforms
When it comes to online gaming, it is now possible for entire platforms to be custom-built according to a user’s preferences. This is perhaps most obvious in the realm of online casino gaming, thanks to emerging services that allow anyone to build their very own iGaming platform, complete with the online slots, poker, blackjack, and live casino games that they want to see. As online gaming such as real money casino gaming becomes increasingly popular, we can expect to see the demand for customisation continue to shape this burgeoning industry.
Source: Pixabay
3. Custom Gaming Machines
A more old-school yet still-growing area of customisation in gaming concerns the hardware itself. The gaming PC market is now bigger than ever before, worth close to $4 billion worldwide. In addition, demand for custom gaming rigs and individual pieces of hardware has surged in the past year by 26%.
It seems that players are no longer content with cookie-cutter PCs that offer middle-of-the-road specs. Rather, people want to build their own rigs to the exact specifications that they want to see. They want a machine that can run the types of games they want to play, where more customised games often mean that more customised hardware is also needed.
In virtually every respect, gaming is now a fully tailor-made experience. Whether playing blockbuster console games or real money casino games, people want an experience that is truly their own, that no one else can replicate. Whether this trend will shape other forms of entertainment remains to be seen.