Real, committed gamers can tell you one thing: gaming is completely different these days. The ones that are old enough probably remember the days of arcade games, when you had to use joysticks to control your play. Then came home consoles, and gamers could use wired controllers to maneuver characters or objects on the screen.
Changes like these remained consistent over the years, especially with the emergence of personal computers and, subsequently, the invention of the Internet. The Internet was, quite literally, a game-changer. Once it entered the equation, the impossible became possible. People could now play games online, which led more people into the gaming world. Game creators rose to the occasion, inventing even more games—and more than that, more ways for even more people to play games.
So, in came online multiplayer gaming, game distribution platforms, cross-platform play, in-game purchases and microtransactions, online gaming forums, and many more innovations.
These days, voice recognition and gesture control are two of the latest developments in gaming. With these new technologies, gamers no longer need traditional gaming pads. Instead, you can control your gameplay with just your voice (voice control), or physical motions (gesture control). We’ll discuss these technologies below, looking at four ways they help make the gaming experience much better.
How Voice Recognition Tech Creates a More Intuitive Gaming Experience
Who would have thought that one day, gamers would be able to play games by talking to the games like old pals? But today, that is fast becoming the reality for many gamers, with 70% of gamers having used voice chat, a feature of games that use voice recognition tech, at least once.
Voice recognition tech makes it possible to communicate your moves to the game in an organic and conversational manner, just as though you were having a real-life conversation. Instead of fumbling with buttons, you can simply issue verbal instructions like ‘move left,’ or ‘cast spell,’ and the character or object on the screen will do just that. This, of course, makes the game more intuitive and fun.
Online casinos realize this, which is why they also incorporate voice recognition tech into their gameplay. Being able to place bets, spin slots, or call for new cards at a Bitcoin games casino offers gives players the feeling of being at actual, physical casinos. It makes the gaming experience livelier where, before, players tended to play in deep silence, simply pressing buttons on their devices.
Voice commands can also be particularly useful in multiplayer games because you need clear and efficient communication to coordinate and strategize your play. So, instead of relying on text-based chat to foster better teamwork, you can instead give very specific instructions in your own voice.
Voice Recognition and Accessibility
Thanks to voice recognition technology, many games can now boast of inclusivity. Where before, people with physical disabilities or mobility limitations could not fully enjoy many types of games because of the difficulty of using traditional gamepads, now, with voice recognition, they can live their gaming dreams.
Similarly, players with cognitive or learning disabilities can now find it easier to navigate menus and interfaces. But even if you have no disabilities, physical or cognitive, you might still struggle with complex button combinations that can hinder your play.
All those are things of the past with voice recognition. Gaming has become more accessible to all kinds of people.
Voice Recognition and Collaborative Gaming
Voice recognition has played a role in making gaming a more social and collaborative activity. With the voice chat feature, for example, you can chat with other players in a multiplayer game. This improves teamwork, of course, but more than that, it also fosters friendship between players, helping them strengthen their social bonds in ways texting cannot. Collaborators on games can go on to become lifelong friends outside the game world.
How Gesture Control Encourages Active Gameplay
Games that have gesture control features to use advanced motion-sensing technology like depth-sensing cameras to capture players’ physical movements and translate them into the game world.
This makes games more immersive than ever before because you’re not just sitting there pressing buttons. Instead, you need to actively interact with the game with your body movements. In fact, research has found that with gesture control games, the more difficult the game, the more excited players are to play.
This physical activity is also a great form of exercise for the body, which is why a bunch of gesture-based rehabilitation games have emerged, helping people suffering from movement and balance disorders to regain their motor skills.
It’s hard to deny that voice recognition and gesture control technologies are game-changers. By liberating gameplay from the use of pads and buttons, they make it possible for ever more people to play. Things are sure to get even better in the future as we improve upon these technologies.
