How IoT is changing the gaming sector in New Zealand

How IoT is changing the gaming sector in New Zealand

How the New Zealand Gaming Sector Can Benefit from IoT

If you are over 50, you remember the days when it was a big deal that Pong was available for you to play at home. Millions of kids and young adults were playing video games at arcades or pizza parlors but were suddenly able to play this simple yet technologically innovative game in the privacy of their own home.

It is amazing how far technology has advanced. Now such things as artificial intelligence, virtual reality, and high definition graphics have turned games into fantasy worlds, where the detail and story behind the game is so detailed that you feel like you are in another world.

Technology Advancing into All Sectors of Society

We have come a long way since Pong. Just consider that the chip inside your phone that processes all the apps, messages, and calls you receive would have needed an entire warehouse of computers 50 years ago to do the same job. It is extraordinary.

Technology has advanced to the point that a new term has been created, the Internet of things. This term really is nothing more than a reference to the way in which the Internet connects devices using the computer chip inside of the device. For example, it is how your smartphone connects to other phones or how your home computer can connect to your appliances or even your car.

This technology is seen across a wide spectrum of industries, even into the gaming industry. Many online casinos are connected using the Internet of things (IoT) where there are servers storing the games, people are using their handheld devices to connect to those casinos, and there is a network that enables people to reach the games. It is truly extraordinary how sophisticated and yet simple this is.

The Gaming Sector Thriving Because of IoT

The gaming sector is thriving because of IoT. In fact, a whole new term has been generated because of how this sector is growing – iGaming.

This is growing at such a rapid rate, that the iGaming sector is incorporating other innovations to help improve the overall experience for customers. This includes the adding of virtual reality (VR), which is becoming mainstream on many iGaming platforms. As gambling increases across the United States, many platforms are incorporating virtual reality as part of the iGaming experience.

It is not just virtual reality that is changing the experience for customers. IoT is having a dramatic effect on the way in which consumers can use and interact with gaming websites. Where once a PC was needed to be able to play games, now users can download an app to their smartphone or other handheld device to be able to play these games. There are even some e-watches available that allow users to play games on their watch.

Keeping People Playing on the Go

This is the focus of the iGaming industry – giving users a complete experience no matter where they are at. By enabling the customer to be able to play their favorite casino style game while at the grocery store, at the library, or waiting in line, the industry is creating the potential for growth that simply cannot be stopped.

This has been one of the big benefits for those in New Zealand. Because there is a stable Wi-Fi connection in virtually all areas of the country and the fact that this connection is generally free in public spaces, it is enabling people to have direct gaming sites to be able to play anytime. Plus, with New Zealand having several casinos licensed to provide online games to users, there are very few situations where a person is unable to play.

Making Gaming Familiar

One of the areas where New Zealanders are being swept into these games is by how they are being marketed and designed. It is not surprising to find slot machines and other games that are themed using familiar games, movies, or other genres. For example, users can play Pokémon themed games. For those who love online games such as Zombies, Run! now they can play games that are themed around this particular action game.

This is a brilliant strategy which is helping the industry to flourish and has been made possible because of the IoT. Because these games incorporate a high level of sophistication, including action sequences, high definition graphics, maybe even virtual reality, the creation of these games would have been unheard of even a decade ago. Now they are becoming commonplace.

The best part about them is that they require very little in the way of education. If a user is familiar with the style of the game, such as a slot machine, and they know the characters or sequences in a game, then they are easily able to figure out how to play the casino game. In this way, the online casino draws the user to its game with very little needed in the way of a learning curve.

And We Have Not Even Gotten to Artificial Intelligence

What is exciting about IoT innovations in the gaming sector is that they have barely scratched the surface of artificial intelligence (AI). Many gaming manufacturers and designers are looking to try to create games that integrate video game scenarios into gambling. To be able to do so, they need to develop a high degree of flow coupled with ways to reach customers which create an engagement where the customers will enjoy playing.

This is a very sophisticated level of development and is being made possible through AI. This technology is helping manufacturers and gaming operators to engage how customers are enjoying their experience with virtual casinos. They are not only able to track when, where, and how users are logging on, but are able to determine what kinds of situations or factors may lead a customer to play a game for a longer period of time or what may inhibit them from playing.

These systems are learning on the fly. However, right now, the amount of information they have is fairly limited. AI is still in the early stages of development and the amount of data that is available is limited as well. This will not be the case forever. Within the next five years, at the current rate at which this industry is growing, iGaming could become so sophisticated that games could even be modeled to cater to specific users, making the experience unique for each individual user.

Protecting Users

While all of this sounds great, the government of New Zealand has become ever concerned with the influence of the gaming sector on the health of its citizens. There is a serious concern that people are becoming addicted to these games because of how easy it is to play them, and many are finding themselves in a troubling financial situation because of excessive losses.

This has led the government of New Zealand to impose several regulations and restrictions to help protect citizens from the trappings of online gaming. It is expected that IoT will play a major factor in helping to decrease these concerns.

This will occur on many levels. First off, technology could be used to monitor the spending habits of players and could provide warnings to the user or to a person designated by the user to stop them from playing when a certain level or amount spent is reached. A person could also be barred from playing for a certain duration of time, either by choice or through parameters set to protect them.

There is also the concern that many are playing these games in isolation which can lead to a number of anti-social habits. Users become accustomed to playing at home alone, which is not beneficial long term. Many studies have found that people need human interaction, but that has been denied in the online world.

Advancements in IoT will likely change that. Users will be able to interact with other players, maybe even feel the entire casino experience through the use of virtual reality. While you may not physically be at the casino, you could still feel like you are through the use of this technology. This should enable people to have the type of human interaction that is needed.

It Boggles the Mind

If you asked somebody 10 years ago if they could envision online gaming as it is today, most would not even come close to the innovations available. This is why it boggles the mind to consider what this industry may look like in New Zealand a decade from now. The user experience will be so extraordinary and the level of technology so sophisticated that users will have an unimaginable experience. At least unimaginable to us today.

For those who want to have a night of gambling, the experience should be extraordinary. It will be very exciting for New Zealanders in the upcoming years, as they will have the time of their lives thanks to IoT.

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