The Time to Think Big in Gaming Is Now —?and Always

“The Long Game.”?

That was the tag line for last month’s D.I.C.E. convention, one of the industry’s pre-eminent annual gatherings. On the surface, the word choice makes sense, but look a little closer, and you’ll see its true intent.??

Gaming saw noticeable revenue dips in 2022 , a decrease that might cause some to hit the panic button. But growth is on the horizon with revenues expected to hit near $366 billion this year. The modern gaming community is just that — an industry that prioritizes creating unique, close-knit gaming experiences for players.??

The more developers lean into that, the less daunting projected revenue dips will be. Remember these concepts:?

Experience is still the x-factor.

Neal Stephenson, the author of “Snow Crash,” relayed an apt metaphor to explain this. He asked listeners to imagine two library bookcases : one had the books color-coordinated to look like a rainbow, while the other had them disheveled and strewn all over the place. The lesson? The more polished first example wasn’t as accurate a portrayal of the actual library experience as the second one. That’s something that should never be forgotten. People play games for experiences in space, far-away worlds, and on the playing field — and now they get to do all that with a global community of peers and enthusiasts. ?

?Unique and enjoyable gaming experiences are ultimately what sets the best apart from the rest. Continuing to prioritize the end-to-end player journey is a must — the more that’s invested into it, the greater potential financial reward there is down the line. ?

Automation is everywhere.

AI touches everything. That’s certainly given in gameplay, but what’s its role in the development stage???

In short, it can be a time- and a money-saver. Automation can help pick up that slack, playing a hand in everything from creating a game’s artwork and writing its prompts to streamlining how tools work together to bring the final product to life. It can take on tedious or daunting tasks and free your team up to pursue more creative endeavors. ?

Automation can even be key in bringing players downloadable content and integrating it into the extensive gaming universe people are already participating in. At the drop of a hat, AI and automated technology can step in, save time and money, and be a boost to both the game-playing and development experience. ?

While it’s mainly used to keep production moving along briskly, it’s a valuable creative asset, too. Our team has worked extensively on ways to integrate automation into the asset creation and illustration process to look for ways to streamline the entire development cycle, from the back-end to the final on-screen product. Those who find ways to deploy automation in an out-of-box manner will have an edge on the competition.???

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The gaming industry is in an exciting, potential-filled position right now thanks to the connected, out-of-box experiences it can provide. And it’s here for the long haul. Endava is a partner willing, able, and excited to jump into every point along the development journey and help bring those possibilities to life. Leave a comment below or visit us online and we can help you learn more.??