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-   -   Let's See How Far We've Come: The History of Video Games (https://www.pokecommunity.com/showthread.php?t=238030)

Sydian December 3rd, 2010 8:31 PM

Let's See How Far We've Come: The History of Video Games
 
Tentative title for my research project I'm doing at the moment. But have you ever been playing a game from this generation and just think "wow...how did we get this far?" It's a fascinating story when you think about it. I'm not going to sit here and type it all out though, but if you want to read, I'm using this as my main source of information. And here is the history of home consoles. We started on radar equipment and look at us now with motion controls, Microsoft's Kinect using the body and the Nintendo Wii and Sony PlayStation Move using wireless remotes.

Which feature that has changed over the years has astounded you the most (music/sounds, graphics, controls, the development of plots, etc)?
Where do you think we're going in the future? Where will the technology for video games cease, in your opinion?
Which feature in video gaming today would you want to put less/more emphasis on?

You don't have to answer those topics if you want, I was just trying to pull something out of the bag. Haha. But this is also for general discussion on the history of video games if you so desire. :) I'm about pooped from writing this report, so I think I'm just gunna have to get back to these topics later.

Luck December 3rd, 2010 9:01 PM

Which feature that has changed over the years has astounded you the most (music/sounds, graphics, controls, the development of plots, etc)?
Graphics. In only 30 something years, we went from Pong and Super Mario Bros. on the NES to games like Crysis and Killzone 2. That alone really amazes me.
Another thing is the increasing complexity of games. The Atari 2600 just had a joypad and a button, but if you look at the 360 you'll see an abundance of buttons that each have a separate function.

Where do you think we're going in the future? Where will the technology for video games cease, in your opinion?
You can't really go anywhere at the moment, but I suppose since 3D is a popular thing, 3D will be pretty popular. The technology will probably cease if virtual reality can be done accurately.

Which feature in video gaming today would you want to put less/more emphasis on?
I would like to see more of an emphasis on gameplay first. No matter how nice a game looks, if it's absolutely unplayable then everything else goes to waste.
Creativity comes at a close second, and ties in with gameplay. I don't think I need to explain myself here.
I, probably like everyone else who will post in the thread, would like to see less of an emphasis on graphics. It seems like all that time used to make the game look pretty could be used to make the gameplay better.

Captain Fabio December 4th, 2010 3:11 AM

Sorry I couldn't help you make this Syd, I had a hectic night last night! ><

Which feature that has changed over the years has astounded you the most (music/sounds, graphics, controls, the development of plots, etc)?
Everything has astounded me at some point. The level of variety that they is now in the games industry is astonishing.
But if I had to pinpoint the aspect of a game that has astounded me the most, it would have to be the hardware.
But Fabio, that isn't an aspect of a game, what have you been smoking?
Well, you are correct that it isn't a part of a game, however, without it, there wouldn't be a game. The technology from the, for example, Atari, to the PS3 is just staggering. And that isn't just a different way of saying graphics, with this increased hardware, the developers have been allowed to create different stories, more rich soundtracks, complicated controls and so on.

Where do you think we're going in the future? Where will the technology for video games cease, in your opinion?
Well, with the whole, AMAZING OMG MOTION CONTROLLER rubbish, there is going to a point where they will try and replace normal controllers with motion controllers. Nintendo, Sony and Microsoft all have motion controllers now, but they can all be used as a normal controller, except Microsoft's. I honestly think that they will try and force this gimmick.

As for what till cease, that is a good question. I don't know what will cease, not even a single clue...

Which feature in video gaming today would you want to put less/more emphasis on?
Well, graphics is one of the biggest things companies, normally, put money into. But I feel that the playability is forgotten about at times. I would work a little less on the aesthetics and work more on the core game mechanic; you don't need a game to look stunning for people to play it, just look at World Of Warcraft.

Sydian December 4th, 2010 6:41 AM

Would like to point out that the Odyssey was the most annoying console in my research because it bred like rabbits. Everywhere you turn, another Odyssey!

Which feature that has changed over the years has astounded you the most (music/sounds, graphics, controls, the development of plots, etc)?
Like Fabio said, everything about games has astounded me in some way, but the thing I've enjoyed seeing grow the most would have to be sound and music. To think that now, we have full blown soundtracks to games. Back on Atari, it was mainly bleeps (I'm aware it had music...but bleepy music). Even looking back at the SNES days, the music on a 16-bit system was still really good, and the music on Super Mario All-Stars lives up as some of my favorite music mainly because I used to think of words to the songs.

Where do you think we're going in the future? Where will the technology for video games cease, in your opinion?
Motion control is already a far step...haha. But the 3DS is around the corner, and if Nintendo's doing it, I don't think Sony and Microsoft are going to be too far behind it. We're headed to the 3D age, I think. As for anything past it, like Luck said, I don't know how much more you can do once you hit virtual reality. Unless gaming companies go out of their way to learn how to do a bunch of molecular restructuring and put us physically in the game, but um...if that ever happens, I think I'll have been long gone.

Which feature in video gaming today would you want to put less/more emphasis on?
Hopping on the bandwagon and saying gameplay, since for me, that's usually something that will keep me playing the game. I was on Skype with a friend last night that was doing screen sharing and I was watching him play Minecraft and I thought "wow this is really ugly, but people like it" and that's what there should be more of, imo. Even the Sega Masters System was superior to the NES in graphics, but the NES did much better (in American markets that is). So it seems like in today's generation, we're still in that thought process that graphics are the most important, but it's been proven time and time again that it doesn't need to be the main market gimmick.

Yuoaman December 7th, 2010 3:34 PM

I really think it's fascinating how far we've come since the early days. That Odyssey really was a wacky thing. It was made of wood guys, like trees. Jeez, do they even make those things anymore?

Anyway...


Which feature that has changed over the years has astounded you the most (music/sounds, graphics, controls, the development of plots, etc)?

Plot, without a doubt. While in the early days the goal of playing a game was to survive for as long as possible and to get the high score during the eighties this began to change. Games like Super Mario Bros. And The Legend of Zelda had set goals: to beat the game and rescue the damned princess. With there being an actual tangible goal in the game it became incredibly easy to shoehorn a plot around it, to compel the player to continue playing. Over the years the implementation of plot in video games has evolved quite a bit, even the plot of Chrono Trigger (my favorite game ever) is a lot less complex than that of a more modern game like Dragon Age: Origins.

Where do you think we're going in the future? Where will the technology for video games cease, in your opinion?

I have no clue. Even though I'm hoping to work in the industry I don't have precognitive abilities, I have no idea what the next 'big thing' will be. And I doubt the advancements in technology will ever cease, as long as people want to play games the technology will continue to evolve to suit their desires.

Which feature in video gaming today would you want to put less/more emphasis on?


Graphics are one of the least important thing to a game. Developers need to realize this sooner rather than later. No matter how realistic the game looks, if the gameplay is subpar and the plot's weak, then why are you even playing? Video games are supposed to be interactive, if they don't interact well then what's the point of playing?

Ninja Caterpie December 7th, 2010 9:26 PM

Which feature that has changed over the years has astounded you the most (music/sounds, graphics, controls, the development of plots, etc)?
Everything. Music's gone from the nice, nostalgic 8-bit ness to orchestrated eargasms; graphics have gone from dodgy huge pixels to amazing stuff better than Avatar (although, personally, I dislike the 3D stuff...); controls are amazing too (just compare the 3-handed N64 controllers with the single-handed Wiimotes of today). Plots are...definitely a huge improvement, simply because of the size of games now. Before, you didn't have the time to make a story. Now, even puzzle games have some in-depth story involving a princess and a bad guy with a giant castle.

Where do you think we're going in the future? Where will the technology for video games cease, in your opinion?
Well, it's going up. Nintendo's brought motion control, and so has everyone else. With 3D coming in soon, there's not that much in honesty that can be done. It's getting a bit hectic, haha, but once it reaches virtual reality...I don't see it going any further (unless there becomes virtual virtual reality!)

Which feature in video gaming today would you want to put less/more emphasis on?
Less on graphics. Imho, this pseudo-3D stuff isn't really going very far anyway, and simpler is much better. I mean, look at Nintendo. They've got the best-selling systems and games of all time, yet their graphical (and even overall engine) capacities are terrible compared to the other systems of those generations. Something the other major companies should learn from, really. Gameplay and innovation is more important and sells better than graphics and hardware capabilities.


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