Much To My Surprise, I Love 3D Gaming

For a while, I believed that I could effectively keep away from 3D gaming. Even as it was brought to the PlayStation 3 and Xbox 360, and as the 3DS launch nears, I believed that my distaste for even the idea of 3D gaming would be enough for me to stick in the 2D realm forever.But then Killzone 3 arrived at my house. And a perfect storm erupted in my living room.

See, I recently purchased a 3D television. And when Killzone 3 hit the doorstep, I still hadn't taken the opportunity to put the ugly, bulky glasses on and see how the 3D experience would appeal to me. I had every intention of trying 3D out with an on-demand movie, but I hadn't gotten around to it.

However, with Killzone 3 in hand and a few hours to kill before I was slated to go out to dinner, the timing felt right. And against my better judgment, I popped the disc into my PlayStation 3, put on the 3D glasses, and entered into my first 3D gaming experience. I thought for sure it would be my last.

Oh, how wrong I was.

From the get-go, I was surprised by how much I really enjoyed playing Killzone 3 in 3D. The feature was expertly crafted and the addition of depth went a long way in adding a level of immersion that I had not thought possible.

I then tried a few other 3D games to see if it was a fluke. Each time, I was impressed. And for the most part, I found the experience as enjoyable in those games as I did in Killzone 3.

Along the way, I realized that 3D gaming was nothing like I had expected. I thought the experience would be a gimmick that delivered no added value to playing a game. I thought I would tire of it after a half hour or so. And I thought for sure that the glasses would annoy me.

But none of that was true for me. The addition of 3D was not a gimmick in the least; it actually added value to the game. I played 3D games for two hours and didn't tire of the experience once. And surprisingly, the 3D glasses proved to be far less annoying than I had expected.

Plus, my experience playing games in 3D taught me something else: it could be a key component in the future of this industry.

I know the history of 3D in gaming. And I'm fully aware that the vast majority of gamers either have no interest in 3D or haven't had the chance to try it out. But if developers can find unique ways to integrate it into their titles, and they can prove to gamers that it really is integral to the experience, I think it'll be around indefinitely. Most importantly, I think it might eventually be considered a must-have in any game.

Will that happen overnight? Of course not. And I'm willing to bet that there will be a vocal group of gamers that balk at the idea of 3D playing a part in every title. But the 3D experience can only improve over time.

And as it does, I think more people will see value in it.