Introduction

As part of our 10th anniversary celebration, I came up with the idea to write about my past, present, and future in video and tabletop games. I already talked about past and present. That, of course, brings us to video games of future. I won’t say that I completely inherited my father’s knack for being wrong when it comes to predicting the future.

However, a student mentioned the “Gamestop thing” to me about five years ago and I thought nothing of it. Then, something happened and they wrote a movie and produced several documentaries about it. Perhaps you heard. Then, more recently, when picking stocks, one of the students suggested Nvidia. No movies about that yet, but investing before the split and then doubling down might have been a good idea.

First of Two Possibilities

Following up on the Nvidia thread, one of the ideas I wrote down in my notes is artificial intelligence. Ever since the release of ChatGPT (and maybe before), AI jumped to the front of the technological zeitgeist. Everyone jumped on board to be the next company to incorporate AI into their platform. This resulted in the stupid money (not dumb money, but stupid money) following that trend with huge investments in what, so far, amounts to so much vaporware.

It comes as no surprise that a company known for graphics chips that pushed video games to new heights also became one of the leaders in AI. Ever since their infancy, video games used the concept of artificial intelligence in their vernacular. Granted, it means something else these days. They added the descriptor generative AI to describe the latest in technology. In truth, it feels like a step back from what video games considered artificial intelligence.

Don’t get me wrong. Combing the wealth of human knowledge contained on the internet to write a semi coherent essay or build a picture based on a simple prompt is impressive. However, when you consider how much it takes to control 22 different players on a football field in addition to the coach and sideline players, AI already impresses in video games. Admittedly not a visionary, I struggle to see how they can make things better with the current iteration of AI.

Second of Two Possibilities

Likewise, virtual reality (VR) has been a promise for as long as I can remember. Back before he went off the deep end, Dennis Miller performed a bit about VR in his stand up set. According to an article I read, Sega researched the possibility for VR for the Saturn. They realized the limitations of technology at the time, so it never went anywhere. Still, the possibilities excite. It makes sense now that they released Virtua Fighter and Virtua Cop now, though.

We finally reached the point in technology where VR is possible and enjoyable. However, recently, things start to look a bit too much like Ready Player One (see my Noob’s Book Club about that!) for my tastes. Science fiction is always written as a warning and friendless losers who somehow become titans of industry look at it as a how to manual. And, by the time they get there, nobody tells them to their faces that its a bad idea. And, so, we get nonsense like that video above.

The Verdict

Video games of future looks bleak. As I say, I’m no prognosticator. Additionally, I generally take a more rosy view of things, especially the future. But, when I consider where we are now and what those things might become, I’m fine with my new Switch Lite and handheld emulator. At least I know those won’t let me down.