If you’re looking for entertainment in 2023, then the chances are you’re finding it online, and as we continue to move well and truly into the digital age, the options are becoming increasingly sophisticated. It’s just as well, because the modern and affluent entertainment seeker is demanding more from the ways in which they interact and engage with games – and, sparked on, in part, by the recent global pandemic and accelerated further by the ongoing development of the Metaverse, the latest and greatest solutions are intelligent, immersive, and a cut above those that we knew just a decade ago.
From streaming services for music, TV and films to virtual reality gaming and casino platforms like the popular Fruityking.co.nz, just about any type of content you can dream up is now accessible via a few taps of your smartphone screen and a cutting-edge mobile app, with the most recent innovations meaning it’s now possible to immerse yourself in an entirely different world from the comfort of your sofa at home.
There are several key trends we’re seeing emerging this year in the luxury entertainment sphere, with the Metaverse unsurprisingly leading the pack. Here are the ones to watch now that are set to transform entertainment over the next few years.
The Metaverse
There’s a reason we have to cover the Metaverse first, and that’s because almost every other emerging trend is as result of the rapid development of this 3D virtual online world. Widely dubbed within the tech space as the ‘Internet 2.0’, that moniker in itself should go some way towards conveying the project’s significance, and while it might take as long as ten years for it to be entirely brought to fruition, it’s almost certain to transform the way we live, work, shop and socialise irrevocably.
We’re already seeing many of the latest and greatest entertainment platforms and apps taking advantage of the tech that underpins it to allow users to interact with one another in real time and feel as if they are truly in a made-up environment or setting when they are really just at home – and all of the following trends are as a result of it.
Immersive online casinos
High-end online casinos enjoyed a dramatic spike in popularity during the widespread lockdowns of the recent Covid-19 pandemic, with a record number of new users signing up to the most highly-sought-after platforms as they pulled out all of the stops to attract and maintain the attention of the world’s biggest high rollers.
With land-based casinos shut for extended periods of time, big-money gamblers were forced to find their entertainment online, and some of the biggest names in the luxury casino business responded in impressive fashion as they sought to provide the kind of much-needed face-to-face interactions that isolated players were craving through the use of virtual reality.
From live dealers to real-time social gaming, the online casino experience is becoming more and more immersive – and as the development of the Metaverse gathers pace, we could soon be visiting some of the world’s biggest high-end casinos and – think the Venetian Macao and the Wynn Las Vegas – and rubbing shoulders with a star-studded clientele from the comfort of their sun lounger, bar stool or bed.
Virtual world gaming
In a similar vein, online gamers are starting to enjoy truly out-of-this-world experiences thanks to the ever-increasing use of augmented and virtual reality. Everyone loves a bit of escapism, and in this day and age, the word has taken on new meaning, with fantasy lovers able to immerse themselves in unique, custom-made environments and hang out with both virtual and real-life friends anywhere, anytime.
At the moment, VR headsets still play a central role in bringing such experiences to life, but once the Metaverse is complete, they may no longer be necessary. Prepare for a thoroughly futuristic experience that you never could have conceived of until now – it’s hard to believe in it until you see it, but once you do, there’ll be no going back.
Immersive streaming
Streaming platforms have become staples of our everyday life that we simply couldn’t do without over recent years, having kept many of us sane during the pandemic with a constant stream of our favourite TV series, films and entertainment programmes. But if you’ve ever sat watching the Oscars or Glastonbury at home and wishing you’d managed to get a ticket to the real thing, you’re going to like what’s in store – because streaming is set to take on a high-end, luxury twist by allowing you to attend and spectate at a host of big-name events in real time – entirely virtually, of course.
Again, it’s a difficult concept to get your head around, and some Metaverse experts feel that this could be a premium service available only to affluent users with money to burn on virtual tickets, but the fact is that, ultimately, virtual event attendance could become the norm. And what’s more is that this technology can be applied to other types of streamed content, too, allowing viewers not just to watch their favourite programmes, but to actively participate in them too, potentially even with the power to influence the outcome of storylines.
If it sounds like we’re talking about a futuristic world, that’s because we are – but increasingly, the future is now. And, while some of these trends have yet to fully take shape in all their glory, they’re set to transform the way we consume and engage with entertainment forever.
