Augmented reality gaming will enable players to create, share, and compete in custom game experiences using everyday objects and locations as interactive game elements and environments.

Imagined Future Scenarios

Gaming, Plausible Futures, Medium Term (3 - 5 years)

Scenario Generated from '6 Groundbreaking Tech Trends from CES 2025 That Will Change Everything' - CNET

Future Arc and Implications

Grow Arc

Social Impact: AR gaming fosters hyperlocal communities and social interactions, driven by readily accessible and shareable experiences.

Technological Impact: Advancements in AR hardware, cloud computing, and AI enable increasingly immersive and realistic custom game experiences.

Ecological Impact: Increased electronic waste and energy consumption from AR devices contribute to environmental challenges.

Economic Impact: The AR gaming market booms, creating new jobs in content creation, platform development, and hardware manufacturing.

Political Impact: Governments struggle to regulate user-generated content and ensure fair competition within the AR gaming ecosystem.

Narrative: Augmented reality gaming evolves into a ubiquitous form of entertainment, pushing technological boundaries and reshaping social interactions on a global scale.

Collapse Arc

Social Impact: Loss of trust in digital realities and increased social isolation as AR gaming accentuates pre-existing societal fractures.

Technological Impact: Supply chain disruptions and resource scarcity hinder the production and maintenance of AR gaming infrastructure.

Ecological Impact: Environmental degradation limits access to clean energy and materials needed for AR device manufacturing and operation.

Economic Impact: Economic instability and market crashes lead to a significant decline in AR gaming adoption and development.

Political Impact: State failures and social unrest disrupt the internet and electricity infrastructure needed for AR gaming.

Narrative: AR gaming, reliant on a stable global system, withers as resource scarcity and societal breakdown make it inaccessible and irrelevant.

Discipline Arc

Social Impact: AR gaming experiences are curated and controlled to promote pro-social behavior and adherence to societal norms.

Technological Impact: Centralized platforms and AI-powered moderation systems enforce strict content policies and monitor player activity within AR games.

Ecological Impact: AR gaming is promoted as a sustainable activity; resources are managed at a centralized level.

Economic Impact: The AR gaming market is tightly regulated, with government-backed initiatives supporting specific types of game development.

Political Impact: Governments leverage AR gaming for propaganda and social engineering, shaping public opinion and controlling information flow.

Narrative: A controlled and regulated AR gaming ecosystem emerges, prioritizing social harmony, ethical conduct, and top-down management over creative freedom.

Transform Arc

Social Impact: AR gaming leads to increased empathy, understanding, and collaboration between individuals and cultures through shared experiences and perspectives.

Technological Impact: Decentralized AR platforms and open-source tools empower individuals to create and share transformative gaming experiences without censorship or corporate control.

Ecological Impact: AR gaming promotes environmental awareness and inspires sustainable practices through immersive simulations and educational content.

Economic Impact: A gift economy emerges around AR gaming content, fostering creativity and collaboration beyond traditional market structures.

Political Impact: AR gaming facilitates direct democracy and community-led governance, enabling citizens to participate actively in decision-making processes.

Narrative: AR gaming becomes a catalyst for profound social, technological, and spiritual transformation, empowering individuals and fostering a more connected and sustainable world.

Product ideas generated based on this scenario

AR Game Asset Marketplace

A global online marketplace where creators can buy, sell, and share AR game assets (3D models, sound effects, code snippets, etc.) for use in custom AR games. This lowers the barrier to entry for game creation, fostering innovation and making professional-quality assets accessible to everyone.

Hyperlocal AR Advertising Network

An advertising platform that allows businesses to easily create and deploy AR advertisements within user-created AR games. This provides a new revenue stream for game creators and offers businesses highly targeted advertising opportunities based on location and game context.

Solar-Powered AR Gaming Kits

Self-contained AR gaming kits powered by solar energy, including a durable AR headset, charging station, and pre-loaded offline games. Designed for use in resource-constrained environments, promoting entertainment and education even without grid electricity.

AR Game Preservation Archive

A distributed, community-run archive of AR game data and creation tools, designed to be resilient against censorship and data loss. Preserves the history of AR gaming, ensuring that valuable cultural creations are not forgotten during times of societal disruption.

AR Social Credit System

An AR application that overlays a social credit score onto the real world. Users can see the perceived trustworthiness of others, track their own social standing, and access benefits and restrictions based on their score. This promotes socially responsible behavior within the AR gaming ecosystem and beyond.

State-Sponsored AR Educational Games

Government-developed AR games designed to promote specific ideologies, values, and historical narratives. These games are integrated into the education system and used to shape children's understanding of the world and their role in society.

Empathy Training AR Simulations

AR games that simulate the experiences of people from different backgrounds, cultures, and abilities. These simulations promote empathy, understanding, and communication across diverse groups, fostering a more inclusive and connected society.

Collaborative World-Building AR Platform

An open-source AR platform that allows users to collaboratively create and share virtual worlds, fostering creativity, community, and collective problem-solving. This empowers individuals to shape their environment and build a more sustainable and equitable future.