IN THE present day gaming climate, the internet is king and online gaming reigns supreme with regards to consoles, PCS and anything in between. In a sector as fast paced and volatile as online gaming, predicting the "next big thing" is an unenviable task but with new developments on the horizon, just what is next in the world of online gaming and casino?

Livestreaming will bridge the gap between IRL and online
As captivating as online gaming is, the internet can be a very lonely place once your buddies have logged off and you're playing with a group of strangers. In the online casino industry, livestreaming has allowed players to come face to face with human opponents and dealers, bringing the experience of being on a casino floor to the users front room.

Platforms such as Genesis live casino makes use of high definition webcams and microphones in order to replicate the tension felt when trying to work out whether your last remaining opponent is bluffing or not. In addition to this, livestreaming on platforms such as Twitch has helped watchers of online gaming become a bigger part of the gaming experience by allowing them to watch their favorite gamers do their thing up close and personally.

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Cryptocurrency hitting all the right notes

With recent investment from companies such as Mangrove Capital Partners, cryptocurrency is seen as a vital cog in the ever growing eSports gaming machine. In addition to this, the use of smart contracts for players salaries, sponsorship money and tournament winnings will create the kind of fraud proof environment eSports will thrive on to sustain its own growth. In the online casino sector, cryptocurrency is now accepted by a number of platforms as a legitimate payment system and goes that extra step in securing the transaction of funds.

Make or break for alternative realities

For the best part of a decade, both virtual reality and augmented reality have been promising a lot within the gaming sphere. Developments within online casino regarding virtual reality are rather positive on the whole and with new VR titles in the pipeline, the sector is taking the lead within the gaming arena. In terms of console and PC gaming, the headsets involved are certainly improving but both AR and VR have so far failed to deliver as the self proclaimed next frontiers of gaming.

However, new developments such as Oculus signing a licensing deal with Imagine Dragons for their flagship game Beat Saber proves that all hope isn't lost yet.

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In the blink of an eye…

Since the early days of Pacman, Pong and the thumb bendingly addictive Space Invaders, the gaming industry has come a long way. Regrettably, the idea of offline gaming is (although still very plausible) romanticized and mentioned in the same breath as LAN parties and gaming joysticks. However, internet gaming has a habit of pulling rabbits out of the hat and so who knows? In the blink of an eye, we could be looking at the next big thing which will transform online gaming forever.

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