TL; DR: Our focus on this article is two-fold. On the one hand, a Blankfactor .NET developer, Jairo Rodríguez, clarifies what the .NET framework is all about. He’s doing so especially in relation to different development languages. On the other hand, our .NET developer also briefly analyzes options that the gaming industry, a field for which he’s passionate, could provide for the financial services sector in which he’s worked for a long time. 

The difference between programming languages is not fully marked. This is why we’re covering a bit of the .NET development framework in relation to other languages and frameworks quite briefly to begin. As a bonus wrap-up, our .NET developer, a fan of gaming, music composition, 3-D development, and other areas, also shares a bit of what he sees possible for the financial services sector in an integration with gaming’s latest achievements. 

The .NET framework in a nutshell

The .NET framework interprets anything we write on it. No longer only supported on Windows, as it was for a long time, this framework is now also available for use on UNIX systems like Linux and Macintosh computers. 

.NET also aligns very well with languages that work for a little bit of everything. It helps link with systems with a Javascript front-end as much as for any development in Java and any of the Angular, Node.js or Vue frameworks. It’s compiled to an intermediate code, which is interpreted via the .NET framework. This works similar to Java’s virtual machine. 

Rather than compete with front-end frameworks, .NET focused on integrating those efficiently. This is why Angular and Node.js integrate easily to the .NET platform. 

On the .NET developer job market

And how .NET is trying to make a universal language.

.NET was first aimed at being part of the Microsoft system, which meant meeting high standards and Microsoft requirements that made it quite robust from its inception. Java, which is the most common alternative and open-source, for instance, has been quite commonly adopted as such. 

On the other hand, big companies looking for a solid language back-up most commonly refer to Windows systems, which normally implies using the .NET framework for development, as well. This also ties in with the system’s learning curve, as companies also tend to ensure they have the required expertise to run their systems optimally. 

The above is why .NET developers are in high demand. Since the framework has been around for quite some time now, a lot more developers know about it. According to Stack Overflow’s Developer Survey for 2021, this framework is the one getting “the most love in other technologies” with a leading 37.1% of all professional developers surveyed saying they work with it. The high demand meets a greater offer for candidates in this field. 

.NET improvements are running parallel to new trends and needs. 

As part of this platform’s applications, .NET can write in C-sharp (C#), F-sharp (F#), or Visual Basic. This last language listed was a Microsoft creation being worked out since the 1990s. And they’re all compiled into what’s called a Common Intermediate Language (CIL), formerly known as Microsoft Intermediate Language (MSIL).

C#’s language structure is very similar to C++, just the same as Java. The intention with C#’s creation was precisely to welcome Java developers to code in .NET with a reduced learning curve. Java as an option allows coding much more easily than on C++.

As a .NET developer, here’s how gaming and the financial services industry can connect

As promised and merely from the position of being a gaming fan who’s been in fintech for a long time, I’d like to make an attempt to connect the two. For that, we can first observe how gaming platforms are commonly developed in one of two languages. One of those is worked out on .NET. Rather than it being a question of performance, the difference lies in what they’re each capable of doing in the 3-D sphere, as well as how easy it is to find developers for each one. 

Fintech’s niche, however, is quite specific. As developers, we solve very unique problems for this specific market. Yet, gaming and 3-D have everything to do with the environment to virtual and imaginary worlds. They tend to include payments and other transactions in what we call financialized games. But, to me, there’s a need to think about how to further link areas such as banking, payments, even insurance, and financial services with more integrated aspects of gaming. 

An example would be an online store in 3-D that feels exactly like walking into any department store. Or an insurance company making virtual 3-D mirror images, something we’ve described before in an article by our Chief Revenue Officer on Boosting insurance on the spot with the latest tech. 

DigIn considered SecondLife, for example, as they published news this year under a title that declares video games the new frontier of fintech. That multimedia platform works on a unique currency named Linden dollars. The currency “remains limited to buying, selling, renting, and trading virtual land, services, and goods.” Contrary to other gaming platforms already integrating cryptocurrency, Linden is specific to SecondLife. 

Creating 3-D environments in .NET development

The biggest advance in gaming in the last 15 years includes 3-D models for audiovisual productions. Those include films, videos, animations, and more. According to DigIn, Second Life integrated performances and art back in 2009. Yet, the financial sector could further improve user experiences creating environments as real in 3-D as many other gaming experiences offer today. Doing so is highly possible and worthy of consideration in any executive board meeting.

Nelson Mullins’ FinTech University also published an article titled “FinTech and Gaming” that already names “many similarities and synergies between FinTech and the gaming industry.” They narrow these down to “highly regulated industries” that are “focused on promoting user experience.” As such, great results can derive from the combination of the two. 

In the end, whether in gaming or for financial services exclusively, these platforms all work on a programming language. In that sense, every security measure can fit into any and all of these platforms. Somebody just needs the vision and capital to make these new environments come true. 

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