In this guide, we’re going back over the last 10 years and looking at some of the defining events in the world of gaming. We’ve seen some real changes in this time, and no matter what kind of games you’re into, or how you play your games, a lot of the moments discussed here will likely resonate.
Gaming is an industry that moves incredibly quickly. Ten years can feel like a lifetime – you can look at the gambling industry for an example of this. If you use an online casino promotion, you will likely see that there are lots of new games released virtually every week, and many casinos have their own exclusive offerings.
Let’s push on with some of the defining moments of the decade.
Minecraft bought by Microsoft
Minecraft became absolutely massive upon its release. This is even more impressive because of the fact that it was started as just a small, independent game. Developer Notch became a household name for many gamers, and even today there are lots of different versions of the game you can play using an APK or downloading on a console.
The sale price of US$2.5bn was truly astonishing. It makes sense, though – Minecraft is the second most popular video game of all time, so we have to assume that Microsoft had big plans for the franchise. They have released more games since and Minecraft continues to be a roaring success.
Fortnite changes the world of cross-platform gaming
There was a time when people used to wonder if we would ever be able to play online games across two different platforms, for example, that an Xbox user could play the same game against a PC user.
Fortnite changed all of that. The game is commonly played online by different users who are accessing it from different platforms and types of devices, and this is one of the most impressive things about the game.
That is without even mentioning the fact that the game became a global sensation. Today, the game has between 2.5 million and 4 million players accessing the servers at any given time. Fortnite’s “last person standing” approach has proved to be very popular with a lot of imitation games and game modes.
Game streaming arrives to our consoles
There was a time when we didn’t think it would be possible to stream movies, let alone full games, but with platforms like Xbox’s cloud gaming, we can now access a whole video game without having to download anything first. See a game you like that has this playing mode enabled? Jump right in and start playing as if you were streaming a song or a movie.
With more and more people able to access quick internet connections, and the game servers being fast and robust, these games are pretty reliable too. The very biggest games often need to be downloaded first but some of the smaller offerings can easily be streamed.
It’s not perfect and it does rely on a good internet connection, but the fact that game streaming exists at all is incredible, and its implementation was a monumental event in the last decade of gaming.
The rise and rise of Twitch
Who could’ve predicted that there would be such a massive appetite for watching online personalities play their games?
Streaming on Twitch became absolutely huge, and so many people have attempted to start their own Twitch channel and gain those levels of superstardom that some of the biggest streamers have managed. Twitch gaming is even a way for some people to make a living – this is a sign of just how far gaming has come.
No Man’s Sky introduces the idea of an open universe
The term “open world” has been around in gaming circles for some time, but an “open universe” is truly impressive.
Interestingly, the game got some very mixed reviews when it first came out, and while the gameplay has been up for debate, some of the things about this game will definitely be remembered and stay with the gaming community.
The game has a generative design, which means that the planets within aren’t stored on a hard disk, but are governed by a set of rules and are generated when you visit them. In total, there are 18,446,744,073,709,551,616 planets in the No Man’s Sky universe. Gaming has come a long way since those little blocky graphics on a game like Pac Man or Pong, and this game has forever changed the way things are done.
