Gaming is once again in the mainstream media as parents around the world express concern over their teenagers’ ‘addiction’ to the newest gaming phenomenon, Fortnite who celebrated their 1-year anniversary yesterday. 

Touted as transformative for the gaming industry, Fortnite is certainly one of the biggest and most influential titles of 2018.

A free-to-play battle royale game, Fortnite has expanded from a PC game and is now played on just about every platform by celebrities and schoolchildren alike. Other established games are even adopting its battle royale format to compete in the market.

New experiences make gaming more accessible and immersive

Gaming continues to become more realistic and immersive.

Consider the latest updates to Assassin’s Creed where you can pursue a relationship with any character of any gender and behave in various ways to affect the action, making the cutscenes more engaging.

Some of the cutscenes coming out now are highly cinematic, playing a far more pivotal role in the gaming experience than ever before.

Therefore, playing the latest games on your three-year-old equipment is like trying to watch a Blu-ray DVD on a standard-definition TV. It’s doable but you miss out on so much that it’s hardly worth it.

Do you know the history of gaming?

Gaming systems have become incredibly powerful since the first Atari console was released in 1972.

Home computers, with their more powerful processors than consoles, took over gaming in the early 1980s, which coincided with the 1983 North American video games crash. The waning interest in console games saw producers bury truckloads of unpopular games in the desert.

In 1993 the internet arrived and, with it, online gaming.

The Digital Australia Report shows that in 2005, three in four Australian households had a device for gameplay, 70 per cent of players were male and the average age of players was 24.

Technology encourages innovation and creativity in society, but how is it affecting the everyday individual?

Since 2007, smartphones and apps have expanded gaming to mobile devices, which widened gaming demographics and created new markets for game developers.

In 2018, more than 90 per cent of households now have a device for gameplay.

Females make up just under half of all players and the average player age has risen to 34.

Gaming is no longer just for entertainment, either.

84 per cent of survey respondents say video games can improve thinking and 80 per cent say video games could fight dementia.

50 per cent of children have played games as part of their school curriculum and 71 per cent say gaming can be effective for teaching students.

While many non-gamers immediately think of consoles like PlayStation or Xbox for gaming, PCs remain the dominant gaming platform with 82 per cent of gamers playing on a PC.

Good gear makes a difference

An immersive gaming experience depends on the right equipment.

Of course, you can play games with standard office equipment but why would you when there are so many different ways to turn your gaming experience into something special?

From your PC and keyboard to your monitor and headphones, having the right gear can be the difference between fast, responsive gameplay and losing a game because your equipment wasn’t up to the job.

Your gear needs to be tough because gamers put a lot of wear and tear on even the best equipment. Regular upgrades are a must, especially if you’re looking to get every possible edge over your opponents.

So what’s next?

Virtual reality is likely to be the next big thing in gaming as equipment comes down in price and quality improves.

For example, powered by HTC, INNO3D and NVIDIA lets you experience real-life racing with all the thrills and none of the risk.

For information on gaming-specific PC builds, notebooks, monitors, gaming keyboards and mice, leave us a comment below.