Beyond Play: How Gaming Shapes the Future of Technology

Human evolution and development have been significantly influenced by play, a fundamental aspect that goes beyond mere entertainment. Through play, crucial behaviors for survival are learned, skills are honed, and cooperation is fostered, driving us toward innovation and social breakthroughs.

Evolution of Games Through Millennia Games have played an integral role in human history for over 5,000 years, evolving from ancient board games like Egypt’s Senet to today’s sophisticated video games. This evolution mirrors human progress and propels it, particularly in the realms of technology and business innovation.

The gaming industry has been a hotbed for novel business models, introducing concepts like freemium models, in-game purchasing, and advertising, setting precedents that now permeate the global business landscape. Today’s ubiquitous streaming subscription models trace their roots back to gaming, showcasing the industry’s profound influence on revenue generation and consumer habits.

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GoChess: Revolutionizing Chess Gameplay with a Robotic Chessboard

Chess enthusiasts in search of a smart chessboard that can autonomously move pieces during online competitions, matches against competitors, or even friendly family games may find their interest piqued by an exciting new Kickstarter campaign. With over $500,000 raised from more than 1300 backers and 54 days remaining, the project has already garnered significant attention. Limited early bird offers for the innovative GoChess board are now available, starting at approximately $199 or £161 (depending on current exchange rates).

Behind the sleek exterior of GoChess lies a revolutionary and patent-pending robotic system, capable of replicating your adversary’s chess moves autonomously. This groundbreaking feature enables you to compete with opponents from around the world, whether they are grandmasters or distant friends. The diligent robotic components within the GoChess board orchestrate simultaneous movements of multiple chess pieces, resulting in a swift, noiseless, and seamless game setup process. The experience is further enhanced with the option to initiate puzzles or revert to previous game states. With just a click, watch these miniature ‘operatives’ efficiently navigate across the checkerboard realm, effortlessly bringing order to the chaos.

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Roblox Is Bringing Generative AI to Its Gaming Universe

Newsazi has reported that Roblox is introducing generative AI to its gaming universe. The article explains how this technology will enhance the user experience and create more immersive gameplay.

Generative AI is a type of artificial intelligence that can create new content and experiences based on pre-existing data. In the case of Roblox, this means that the game will be able to generate new content such as terrain, buildings, and objects based on the user’s preferences and gameplay behavior.

According to the article, the use of generative AI will allow Roblox to create a more personalized experience for its users. For example, if a user frequently plays games with a certain theme, such as space exploration, the generative AI will create more content related to that theme.

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When playing video games becomes a full-time job

The digital economy has created a new market that can turn a love of online gaming into a profitable occupation through titles such as Axie Infinity and The Sandbox

By JORGE G. GARCÍA

The coronavirus pandemic has led to the transformation of many sectors and video games is one of them. For some players, spending a few hours playing for fun is a thing of the past. Some people may think the rise of e-sports has already changed the face of gaming from a pastime to a career, but what has been happening over the past few months goes even further. Games such as Axie Infinity, CrytpoKitiies and The Sandbox have created a new digital market that has transformed entertainment into cash. And not because they sell millions of copies, but because blockchain has allowed cryptocurrencies to become the focal point of these games, known as crypto games.

Axie Infinity, the main driver of this revolution, is the easiest example to understand how this new economic activity works. It is similar to Pokémon, with players collecting, training, feeding, buying and trading “axies,” which are loosely inspired by the axolotl. The idea of the game is to obtain these characters with small love potions, which are used to feed them. Via blockchain technology, these potions have been turned into a cryptocurrency known as Smooth Love Potion (SLP), which can be used to trade on the digital market. The best players can earn up to 1,500 SLP (around $470, €400) a day.5.4KDIRECTO | PEDRO SÁNCHEZ se reúne con los LÍDERES EUROPEOS en GRECIA

But this explanation is incomplete without mentioning NFTs (non-fungible tokens), which have already revolutionized the world of art and collectors. The first-ever tweet recently sold for $2.5 million (€2.13 million) and practically anything collectable can be obtained with NFT, which makes perfect sense if the project to create metaverses becomes reality. A metaverse is a universe built in cyberspace that can be accessed via virtual reality and in which, in an ideal world, people can travel through different shared experiences with millions of other users.

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Kids in the UK are now spending more money on ‘Fortnite’ and ‘Roblox’ than candy and books

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Childrens’ spending habits in the UK have shifted to online games such as “Roblox” and “Fortnite” since lockdown began, away from sweets and books, a pocket money app has reported.

Kids are also saving 14% more money than they did in 2019 — that’s £104 ($135) a year, RoosterMoney.

  • Lego, Roblox, and Apple are the top three brands that children save up for, the study found.
  • Online video games “Fortnite” and “Roblox” have overtaken sweets and books as the main target of kids’ pocket money spending in the UK, according to a pocket money app.

A study by RoosterMoney of 24,000 kids in the UK aged between four and 14 had Roblox, a virtual gaming platform, in top spot, followed by Epic Games’ “Fortnite,” a battle-royale video game.

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HTC is prototyping an AR headset that looks like sunglasses

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The HTC Proton concept rendering

It’s still a work in progress

HTC just announced updates to the Vive Cosmos, its lineup of consumer-ready virtual reality headsets. But it’s also testing a more streamlined mixed reality device codenamed “Project Proton.” While the Proton is just a prototype, HTC shared concept images of its design, shedding some light on the company’s goals.

The Proton headset seems functionally similar to the upcoming Cosmos XR. Both are built for mixed or augmented reality experiences, but unlike Microsoft or Magic Leap’s mixed reality glasses, they use passthrough video instead of transparent waveguide lenses. (So basically, you’re looking at a VR-style screen, but it shows you live video overlaid with virtual elements.) But where the Cosmos XR looks like the Cosmos VR headset, the Proton looks more like ski goggles or — to put it generously — very large sunglasses.

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US Army to study gamers’ brains to build AI military robots

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A group of experts wants to study the brain waves and eye movements of people playing a video game in order to build an advanced AI that could coordinate the actions of military robots.

The US Defense Advanced Research Projects Agency, known as DARPA, awarded a team from the University of Buffalo’s Artificial Intelligence Institute a $316,000 grant for the study.

Although swarm robotics is inspired by many things, including ant colonies, researchers believe that humans have a lot of potential to improve AI learning systems. The study of 25 video game players will include real-time strategy games such as StarCraft, Stellaris and Company of Heroes.

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More than a game, Fortnite is emerging as the best new social network

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The wild popularity of the shooter game is a reminder that socializing is way more fun when you’re actually doing something with your friends.

It has more than 200 million users, up to 8 million of whom are online at any one time. Most spend six to 10 hours a week on the platform. And half of teens say they use it to keep up with friends.

Snapchat? Instagram? Twitch?

Nope. Fortnite. The wildly popular online video game has quietly become one of the planet’s biggest social networks. Not in a traditional sense, of course. Fortnite Battle Royale is, first and foremost, a last-man-standing, shooter-style game, especially popular among teens and twentysomethings. (Disclaimer here: I’m not a hardcore Fortnite player, though I know plenty of people who are.) In the game, 100 players at a time jump out of a flying bus and onto an island. Combatants are left to duke it out, Hunger Games-style, with a variety of weapons, armor, “healables,” and other tools at their disposal. Though the premise is violent, the game itself really isn’t, with none of the gore or blood of more graphic offerings. Eventually, the final combatant claims the coveted “Victory Royale.” All told, each match lasts around 20 minutes.

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Inside the ‘World Cup of E-sports’

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The League of Legends World Championship Finals in Incheon, South Korea, on Nov. 3.

Two squads battled it out at a 50,000-seat stadium in the South Korean city of Incheon. Photography by Jean Chung

This weekend, legends were created in South Korea, the birthplace of esports.

Watched by tens of millions of people each year, the world championship finals of League of Legends this year featured two squads battling it out at a 50,000-seat stadium in the South Korean city of Incheon.

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VRgineers new pro headset XTAL features Auto eye IPD and leap motion

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The new design features a raft of professional features.

Czech-based virtual reality (VR) startup VRgineers specialises in producing high-end head-mounted displays (HMDs) for enterprise, having started with the VRHero 5K Plus. Now the company has unveiled a successor, XTAL, a pro headset with unique features.

VRFocus first reported on the new enterprise-grade headset a few months ago, with VRgineers revealing little in the way of specifications, just that the company was working on a new project.

The XTAL headset has been built around the needs of professional designers and engineers – so don’t expect to see on in Best Buy or PC World – boasting a 5K resolution, 170º field-of-view (FoV), and patented non-Fresnel lenses.

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Discover the Hidden Patterns of Tomorrow with Futurist Thomas Frey
Unlock Your Potential, Ignite Your Success.

By delving into the futuring techniques of Futurist Thomas Frey, you’ll embark on an enlightening journey.

Learn More about this exciting program.