There was a time where full CGI was all the rage. When the technology became sufficiently widespread for the internet to evolve from its humble beginnings – back when an animated vector or bubbly font felt like the cutting edge – there was a real trend for games and game shows that created worlds totally removed from our own, complete with pre-rendered dealers tinged with varying levels of that uncanny valley vibe.
But then things changed. The internet got, arguably, more sophisticated, and while online casinos grew far more successful in their own right (separate from the ongoing popularity of brick and mortar casinos) they found certain ways to emulate the prestige and high-end experience of the real world’s more coveted destinations.
In other words, the internet was no longer about creating a sort of extraterrestrial space that felt far-removed from the four dimensions surrounding us. Instead, it was about taking those most successful elements and reinventing them with technological features that built upon the familiar experience. It’s a creative risk that paid off, with interactive live game shows now representing some of the most prominent casino games in Canada.
What really is augmented reality and how is it used for game shows?
As the name implies, augmented reality takes a live experience – in this instance, a real studio manned by real, human dealers or game show hosts – and overlays the footage with additional elements. A good example that you likely encounter on a near-daily basis is in sports broadcasting where, these days, networks overlay the action happening on the pitch, rink, or court with additional data, insights, stats, and player fact sheets.
Augmented reality isn’t the same as virtual reality, although the two terms are easily mixed up. Virtual reality refers to experiences that immerse the player in a fully fabricated world, and hasn’t yet taken off in the world of live game shows.
You don’t need special tech to experience augmented reality overlays. On the studio side, CGI can be layered over the live footage using chroma key and motion tracking, which means players can continue using their PCs, phones and tablets without needing to invest in a headset in order to experience it.
What are the benefits?
Game shows rely on concrete elements: a strong host, a spinnable wheel (as just one example), visual flair, and, these days, multipliers, bonus buys, or RNG-driven wheel segments. For that reason, a game show without any AR elements is a harder sell than it was two or three decades ago, while a totally CGI gameshow lacks the core elements that made the genre popular in the first place.
With AR, modern game shows can be a hybrid that combines human personalities and live action with elements that emulate the online casino experience we’ve become accustomed to. For the presenter or dealer, that poses a greater challenge, since managing the on-screen elements that they can’t see as easily as the players is a skill that takes time to hone, but the results are strong.
With AR, casinos can introduce multipliers and bonuses that are much harder to depict using just the concrete elements of the studio. It’s easier for players to keep track of these elements, but nothing feels disjointed from the main, in-studio action because the hosts are able to segue neatly between the wheel in front of them, and the CGI elements ‘in front of them’.
