The Future of AR Gaming: A Radical Rethink

Recently, I came across a patent for a "virtualized environment" system that could be used to enhance haunted houses. This sparked a thought: augmented reality gaming may be doomed. Not necessarily because of technical limitations, but due to the fundamental nature of traditional gaming and immersion. Games often provide a power fantasy, allowing players to experience cool and exciting things. However, when these elements are placed in the real world, they can stick out like a sore thumb and detract from the immersion. Virtual reality, on the other hand, offers a more immersive experience by replacing the real world with a digital one. Augmented reality, which combines the two, can create a jarring experience, like playing a VR game with a picture-in-picture camera feed showing the player's real-world surroundings. Some brands, like Pokémon Go, have found success in AR, but others, like Harry Potter: Wizards Unite, have struggled. The key to successful AR gaming may lie in creating experiences that work with the player's environment, rather than trying to impose a game on it. This could involve using the environment as a randomized seed for level generation or creating games that eschew traditional goals and challenges. Ultimately, the future of AR gaming will require a radical rethink of how games work and what experiences they offer. It will not be about taking existing games and putting them in the real world, but rather about taking real-world experiences and giving them a veneer of video games. The industry will need to adapt and find new ways to apply the concepts and techniques of games to other fields.