Game Engines: Fueling Web3 Gaming and Shaping the Metaverse's Future
In 2020, the gaming industry generated a staggering $180 billion in revenue, with projections indicating a value exceeding $200 billion during 2023. A critical component driving this success is the widespread adoption of sophisticated, user-friendly game engines that simplify game development. These engines have empowered millions of developers to create visually captivating realms, convey compelling narratives, and immerse players in novel worlds.
Beyond gaming, these engines are utilized across various industries such as film pre-visualization, automotive modeling, and architecture, offering unmatched design, simulation, and computing capabilities for creators. The pursuit of increased fidelity in digital environments is essential for constructing the future Metaverse, which will rely on extensive interconnectivity between millions of simultaneous users.
Understanding Game Engines
A game engine is a software framework or toolkit employed by developers to execute a game. It enables creators to integrate visuals, physics, rendering, scripting, collision detection, AI behaviors, and other functions into their games. Game engines allow developers to efficiently build high-quality games without the immense time and financial commitments needed to create the underlying game engine from the ground up.
Prominent game engines, responsible for the development of virtually all exceptional and popular titles ranging from simple indie games to complex AAA games, typically possess the following core features:
Graphics: From basic 2D to intensive 3D rendering, leading engines can import files from third-party software, granting developers greater flexibility in their game’s visuals.
Physics: In-game immersion and physics are accountable for solving motion equations and detecting collisions.
Audio engine: This loads and plays sound and music files, including spoken dialogue, musical cues, object sounds, and ambient background music.
Input: Engines transform player inputs, such as mouse clicks, mouse movements, key presses, and controller inputs, into in-game actions
Artificial Intelligence: AI is employed to adapt game environments to players’ reactions, with non-playable characters (NPCs) and pathfinding being the most common applications.
Networking: Modern engines offer comprehensive networking frameworks for online multiplayer play and downloadable content, aiming to minimize latency between globally distributed clients.
Graphical user interface: Game engines enable developers to design custom graphical user interfaces (GUIs) tailored to their game’s specific style.
Scripts: Pre-existing scripts can be attached to objects in the game world to expedite development.
The Role of Game Engines
Constructing an immersive game from scratch is often a lengthy and expensive endeavor. Game engines equip developers with vital tools to save time and money, allowing them to concentrate on gameplay code or other unique elements, such as character models, textures, and object interactions.
Some engines are visually oriented enough to enable game creation without writing a single line of code. Others offer adaptable cross-platform compatibility, allowing developers to switch between console, desktop, or mobile builds.
Key advantages offered by game engines include:
True engagement: Players are immersed in photorealistic worlds that they can interact with and control.
Limitless potential: A vast array of tools and resources facilitate the creation of high-quality, immersive, and interactive experiences across various sectors, including game development, virtual and augmented reality, education and training, film and animation, modeling and simulation, advertising and marketing, and research and development.
Multi-platform: Versatile tools are applicable across multiple platforms.
Updatable: Games and virtual tools can be updated and iterated as new products and solutions emerge.
Creativity: The potential and power of these tools inspire and enable more ambitious systems and designs.
Originally, game engine software was developed by game creators to streamline new game development. However, these potent rendering tools have now granted other industries the ability to visualize data, products, and processes in innovative ways and develop creative collaboration and innovation methods. For instance, virtual reality developers can now rely on game engines to build virtual settings instead of writing algorithms, as the engines handle most of the challenging work. Beyond virtual reality, game engines are also employed to simulate real-world scenarios, such as pedestrian traffic flow in architectural designs before commencing construction.
Different engines cater to varying needs and expertise levels, so it is crucial for game developers to select the one that best aligns with their concept and objectives. Some of the most advanced game engines that have achieved a high level of prominence in the global video game industry include:
Unity: A multi-platform game engine that supports interactive 3D content, Unity is renowned for its versatility, ease of use, and accessibility. It is compatible with numerous platforms, including Mac, Windows, Linux, Android, iOS, Switch, Xbox (new and old gen), PlayStation (new and old gen), and Tizen. Unity has been used to create popular titles such as Lara Croft Go, Ori and the Blind Forest, Pillars of Eternity, Temple Run, Assassin’s Creed Identity, Hearthstone, Pokémon Go, and Web3 games like Guild of Guardians and Axie Infinity. Furthermore, Unity has recently announced the launch of a Web3 SDK facilitating Tezos blockchain integration into games and a new “Decentralization” category on the Unity Asset Store, and with it, the addition of selected Web3 companies as Verified Solution Providers.
Unreal Engine: Developed by Epic Games, Unreal Engine is one of the most widely used game engines. Notable titles and series created with Unreal Engine encompass Fortnite, Gears of War, Mass Effect, Bioshock, Chorus, Batman: Arkham, and Final Fantasy 7 Remake. The latest version, Unreal Engine 5.1, introduces revolutionary features and improvements, setting the stage for industry transformation. Unreal Engine is also becoming a top choice for Web3 games, with popular titles like Illuvium, Shrapnel, Phantom Galaxies, and Project Eluüne: StarGarden.
Amazon Lumberyard: Designed to build games and fan communities, Amazon Lumberyard is a 3D game engine offering VR preview mode, visual scripting tools, and Twitch integration. Notable games created with Amazon Lumberyard include Star Citizen, Sweet Bandits’ Coffence, Deadhaus Sonata, and State of Survival.
CryEngine: Developed by CryTek, CryEngine is a full-featured sandbox editor that supports development for major platforms, including Xbox, PS4, Windows PC, and Oculus. CryEngine is known for enabling the creation of games with stunning, life-like graphics, such as Crysis 3, Kingdom Come: Deliverance, Son of Rome, and Hunt: Showdown.
Frostbite Engine: Developed by EA DICE, Frostbite is a versatile and powerful game engine known for its stunning visuals and realistic physics. Initially designed for first-person shooters, the engine has since been adapted for various game genres, including sports, racing, and action-adventure titles. Notable titles using Frostbite Engine include the Battlefield series, FIFA, Need for Speed, Dragon Age: Inquisition, and Star Wars Battlefront. The engine’s advanced capabilities and flexibility make it a popular choice among developers seeking to create immersive gaming experiences.
The Future of Game Engines
Game engines have evolved into the most potent tools for constructing digital environments, pushing the boundaries of game design, and providing a sandbox for experimentation and exploration. As the video game market continues to grow and gamers crave the next “new thing,” these engines will undoubtedly propel innovation.
Initially developed as functional game development frameworks, game engines have since expanded their applications to encompass numerous complex fields outside gaming. Engines like Unity and Unreal are exploring Web3 and pushing towards seamless integrations, laying the groundwork for decentralized virtual worlds. As these engines evolve, they’ll continue to push boundaries, offering endless opportunities for creators and users in the interconnected digital landscape.
In the coming decades, these engines are expected to play a critical role in building the Metaverse’s infrastructure, granting creators the ability to bring their visions to life within dynamic virtual worlds.
