The Gaming Genres Ready & Waiting For VR
Virtual reality has been a long time coming. It’s never really taken off on a global scale in the same way as other gadgets, gizmos and consoles, but the upward trajectory of the industry is suggesting that it’s only a matter of time. That will come as the tech itself becomes more readily available, and, importantly, more accessible to the mass market on a price level.
A number of games and gaming genres have already made the most of virtual reality, with the likes of Beat Saber, Star Trek: Bridge Crew and Half-Life: Alyx among the most popular titles, but there are also a wealth of different games that are perfect for the technology. We explore some of the gaming genres that would transition seamlessly into this next level of gaming…
FIFA Franchise
It’s every child’s dream to become a professional footballer, and while 99.9% of people never get that opportunity, a large percentage of us now live our footballing careers through FIFA. The franchise is a phenomenon and millions of players are eagerly anticipating the arrival of it in virtual reality.
It didn’t appear in FIFA 21, but EA Sports are working on it, with them keen to make a breakthrough on the input lag which is currently preventing it from working seamlessly through a headset. Get that right and the game is a perfect fit, whether it be immersing players in the stadium with the standard FIFA angle, or by placing players in the very heart of the action from a POV perspective. The latter would certainly give every player the chance to live their dream and play for the likes of Manchester United, Barcelona or Real Madrid.
Bingo
Many games like bingo and other casino games are also perfect for virtual reality, and face far fewer barriers than the likes of FIFA. Online bingo is growing at an incredibly fast rate currently, with much of that down to the innovation behind new games and variants. Popular brands are seeing games such as slingo bingo and Swedish bingo welcome a younger generation of players, and the one thing with millennials is that they are always demanding the next big thing.
That ultimately means VR over the next few years, and it would transition well, allowing players to be transported to bingo halls and giving them the full bingo experience. What it’s also expected to do is increase concentration levels within bingo gaming, and ultimately provide players with a more realistic experience and potentially a better chance of winning too.
Simulator Games
We’re already welcoming a number of simulators into the world of virtual reality. Microsoft Flight Simulator VR was recently launched and there are a number of others making the transition too. But what about the likes of The Sims and other simulator games? There’s been plenty of excitement about The Sims VR, and at present you can play The Sims 4 in VR. However, there are plenty of improvements to be made with it and over the next few releases we can expect this offering to really take VR simulation games to the next level.
The Sims forums are bustling with chatter that The Sims 5 will include VR and given that there’s no news of a release date, it suggests that there’s some significant development going on. Could that be VR? We shall see but if there’s one game that would suit VR, it’s a game that aims to replicate real life.
