Is Technology Completely Changing
THE WAY WE TRAVEL?
A few short years ago, I would spend hours pouring over dog-eared brochures and tattered guidebooks to plan a trip. Nowadays, most of us have a supercomputer in our pockets that, with a few simple clicks on a smartphone or laptop, can virtually transport you around the world – from online tours of Buckingham Palace to clicking on landmarks in a 3D Google Earth, and even getting a 360 view of the local beach before taking the leap and booking the holiday.
Yet these aren’t the only ways technology is changing the way we travel. In fact, the technology that is revolutionizing travel has been seen in other industries too.
Surprisingly, the industry that travel is taking the most inspiration from at the moment is online gaming. So, strap in, because we’re about to show you how online gaming is changing the way we travel completely.
From Pixels to Panoramas: Borrowing Immersion from Online Gaming
Immersion is key to taking travel to the next level of being a real journey of discovery. Giving flight to the imagination has been taken to new levels of reality through virtual tours that take inspiration from the interactivity of the online casino gaming experience. The interactive experience can be just as engaging, if not more so, when you ‘fly’ through the ancient arches of the Colosseum in Rome, ‘feel’ the wind in your hair as you stand atop the Great Wall of China, or ‘swim’ with virtual fish in the Great Barrier Reef.
It’s something that has been evolving with online games for quite some time now, in fact, it’s surprising that it’s taken this long for the travel industry to realize how important digital immersion can be. Online casinos have come a long way in creating more realistic experiences for players; when they are using a digital slot machine they want to hear the whirl of the slots spinning, the winnings clattering down through the machine, and feel the real suspense when they find out if they’ve won or not.
Not only have these real money slots done a lot to improve the graphics and audio quality of games, but they’ve also started to include real immersive experiences like bonus rounds and must-drop jackpots to keep people interested – and it’s definitely worked for them.
Beyond Brochures: Gamification Takes Travel Planning to New Heights
And in the new world of gamified planning, interactive tools will help to keep travelers involved in their personalized travel planning.
Imagine a travel app that awards points for researching a destination, completing challenges such as learning basic phrases in a local language, or simply making or confirming bookings to travel such as flights and accommodation.
These points can then be redeemed for discounts, travel upgrades or luxury perks – a little like being rewarded on an online casino site for being a loyal player. This way of thinking could gamify trip planning and make it more like a game, which may increase the motivation and enthusiasm we have for future adventures.
Blurring the Lines: VR Gaming Pave the Way for Virtual Travel Experiences
The virtual replacement of gaming through the spread of VR technology is likely to cause the greatest upheaval in both the online gaming sector and the travel industry. VR games have been able to create three-dimensional immersive environments for players that would be really beneficial in the travel industry. For example, it is now possible for players to enter a fully rendered virtual world, taking them anywhere from the depths of the ocean to the outer regions of our galaxy. In this environment, players can immerse themselves in every detail, close their eyes and play against the ever more realistic digital avatars – all while sitting on their living-room sofa.
This technology, which has already changed the way that people interact with online games, has the potential to radically transform travel. VR tourist experiences could soon replace a lot of real experiences and allow people to travel anywhere on the planet. Want to shop in Marrakech, summit Everest, or visit the most beautiful sites in Hawaii? All you’d need to do is don your immersive visor and be transported there.
This would be great because it makes travel so much more accessible. You don’t have to spend thousands of dollars on flights and wait 24 hours to get to Australia anymore, you could be there at the click of a button.
The Future of Travel
Over the past few years, we’ve seen a huge shift in the travel industry towards digitisation. Largely, it’s been a great thing that has encouraged more people to travel and also made the whole process a lot less stressful.
There’s a lot of inspiration that can be drawn from the online gaming industry, which is already so far ahead in terms of technology, it will be interesting to see where it goes next.
