The Future of Video Games
I've recently been thinking about where video games could be going in the future. I'm hoping to work in the game industry one day after I've finished university study and I've been wondering about it a lot. What do I want to see happen in the future? Well I may not have too many answers right now, but I have come up with a few ideas that I think may come into 'play' in the not too distant future.
Firstly forget Virtual Reality, as we know it. They've tried VR goggles and they made a lot of people sick in doing so. It's probably never going to work very well in its current form. They're still around and you can still buy them but they really don't seem to be taking off. It will probably take a lot to get people totally immersed and involved in a new form of game play. It's threatening to lose touch with the outside world and the people around you aren't going to appreciate it much either. The Sci-fi neural implants are also both a long way off and not likely to be accepted by a majority of the general populace without some severe marketing and luck. I for one am not planning on going through brain surgery just to have a computer attached to my head. In fact I never want anyone to able to plug into my brain.
A technology that was brought to my attention by a zealous presenter at the local 'Science and Technology Centre' (a sort of science museum aimed at making science fun for children and juvenile adults such as yours truly) is that of 'Augmented Reality'. Augmented Reality is essentially the overlaying of virtual elements onto the real world, such as a pair of transparent glasses that can display certain elements over the top of what is actually there. I agree with the presenter in that this could indeed have some awesome potential. Forget all the socially beneficial applications such as workmen being able to view underground pipes before digging, think about it from a games point of view. This technology could provide gamers with the ability to run around looking like complete idiots shooting at things that aren't actually there and that no one else can see, kind of like in the film 'They Live!' The upside to this is that it would be a lot of fun. A group of people from the University of South Australia created the 'ARQuake' project, http://wearables.unisa.edu.au/projects/ARQuake/, merging the classic shooter Quake with this Augmented Reality technology. Again, this technology may not ever become overly popular, but it would be entertaining to play with.
Technology has driven the games industry for a long time with new games always trying to keep one step ahead of the competition. It started way back at the dawn of technology and it continues to this day. 2D graphics gave way to 3D and 3D is becoming ever better. Graphics are starting to lose the ability to impress like they once did. The step between Quake 2 and 3 was amazing, but DOOM 3 while being visually very impressive isn't leaps and bounds ahead of its competitors in the same way new games used to be. 2D graphics encountered a similar problem; there comes a point where you just can't do much more with graphics technology. It is this that turns graphics from striving for technological achievement to becoming art. It is my hope that we will start turning away from tech demos and return to game play and making great entertainment. Games such as Zelda: The Wind Waker or The Sims that strive to show greater depth of character through simplifying the game enough to portray emotions will hopefully become more common (and more fun? but that's just one person's view?). Technology plays a certain part in the conveying of emotions and story but it's quite hard to focus on everything at once. When technology is easier and less essential to game sales we'll hopefully see an increase in games that cast a lasting impression.
Somewhat unfortunately the rise of the 'Casual Gamer' will probably lead to more simplistic games being released. While personally I would love to see depth of story and characters, there are a significant number of players out there who want to pick up a game for twenty minutes or so, have a bit of fun, and then put it down until another time. These gamers are generally less interested in the latest greatest technology and more interested in a 'fast food' kind of entertainment that satisfies the moment, despite the lack of quality or the lasting effects. Hopefully the two game types can co-exist peacefully although recently it has been seen that some developers are cutting down on some of the planned depth of a title in order to accommodate the more casual gamer.
As technology pushes forwards boundaries are slowly being broken down between systems. We saw the Bleemcast a few years back enabling the running of Playstation games on the Dreamcast, and the PC is able to run almost anything given the right emulation software. Consoles are able to emulate other consoles and new consoles are being announced that promise the ability to play PC games. The Xbox 2 is reported to have a model in planning that comes in a PC case and with the ability to run both PC software and Xbox software. Macs can emulate Windows software and vice-versa. We'll probably start seeing less of a distinction between consoles and PCs as the price of technology continues to drop and consoles continue to become more and more powerful and able to compete with the more expensive computers. Ideally we'll see a single platform come into prominence so that everything can be run without purchasing a copious number of different machines, although that does have a downside in that it can establish a monopoly for one particular company.
The technology price drop and increase in power has also lead to more powerful hand-held machines than before. Real games, not just simple toys are now available for the portable market. The advent of PDAs and mobile phones with the ability to play games raises awareness of portable gaming and new competitors are starting to get in on the field that was once primarily dominated by Nintendo's GameBoy. There is a new product, the gp32, that can run many different emulators and hence, many different system's games (including some PC games).
I can't say for sure what's going to happen but these are just a few ideas that I've had recently. Hopefully the games industry will continue to strive towards new heights with new and interesting game play, stories, characters and ideas. I'm looking forward to seeing what happens in the next few years.
Daniel Punch
M6.Net.
More Resources
Unable to open RSS Feed $XMLfilename with error HTTP ERROR: 404, exitingRelated Articles
Halo 2 Multiplayer Tips for Beginners and Advanced players
Here are some general tips from an advanced player for all of you who are looking for an edge in this game. You may know some or all the things in this article depending on your skill level.
PC Gaming Video: Meeting the Demands
If you have an interest in playing PC games that were made at least in the past couple of years, you've probably seen the serious video demands these games now have. It's not only that you need a fast system that can handle all of the information in today's games, but you need a major performance video card to handle computer game video too.
Playing Games Like Its 80s
Do you miss the good old 80's Amiga and Commodore games? You are not the only one. In fact, creating remakes for popular eighties games is all the rage.
7 Simple Steps to Avoid Being a Newbie in Online Games
It doesn't matter if you are new to online roleplaying games. The road to becoming elite isn't easily traveled.
Top 10 Dumbest Game Titles
You may not agree with the order in which they are in, that's personal preference.But you have to agree that these are some pretty stupid game names.
Rent Games Online
Renting video games online has exploded in recent months! I for one am thrilled to see this available to me and my family. Over the summer it was my sanity saver! Why you ask? Well simply because for an affordable price I can rent unlimited games online and have them sent to my door.
Computer Traumas
It has happened! Computer games have started to control my life on and off the screen. No complicated games like Age of Empires, just the simple one of Tetris.
Rome Total War: Battle Strategy Guide
A. FormationsIt's pretty much common sense to come up with a good formation foryour army but the basic idea in most situations is to have your infantry in front, ranged units behind, cavalry protecting the flanks and your general right behind the infantry.
Xbox vs. PS2 Game Consoles
There has been a great deal of discussion regarding the two most popular gaming consoles currently on the market: Playstation 2 (PS2) and Xbox. PS2 is a Sony product, while Xbox is owned by the software giant Microsoft.
Virtual Wrapping Paper and E-Gifts- Is There Really An Online Santa?
The internet has proven to be an amazing delivery conduit for words, information, music, pictures and generally anything that can be turned into little 1s and 0s. As we approach the end of the year the question is asked "Can the Internet deliver my Christmas presents?" Now thanks to a remarkable innovation at www.
Reviving Old Computer Games
Remember the good old days of gaming, when there were only 5 pixels in the protagonist and your imagination could turn them into a heroic figure of Schwarzenegger proportions? When the enemies and the heroes were distinguished by colour and you only needed one button on the joystick? Well times have changed and technology has moved on. Pulling my old Commodore 64 or Atari out of the back of the cupboard and setting them up often takes more time than the nostalgic pang lasts.
Sapphire Tipped UAVs for Midair Collisions to Defeat Enemy UAV Swarm Threats
Defeating enemy UAV Swarms will be a challenge for our Net-Centric Blue Force Team. When our enemy launches 1000 UAVs at our forces in the battlespace, will we be able to shoot them all down? The answer is most likely no.
Popular Electronic Games - They Are Not Just For Kids Anymore
Superheroes battle monsters and space invaders in fast action games. Players take on the role of these superheroes in epic battles.
Evolution of Gaming : Graphics vs Gameplay
If you are old enough to remember the early days of computer gaming you know there were a lot of great games that were fun because of the exceptional gameplay and not just the graphics. Gaming started to become a little more popular in the 90s once people started buying computers.
Solitaire RULES Half Life DROOLS
It's a popularity contest.Solitaire is hip, cool, and way more popular than Half Life 2.
Why We Play Games, Part 2
Last week we started to get into the motivation of the gamer. We discussed challenge and its ugly stepsister competition, two of the most common motivators.
You Dont Have To Be Rich To Be A PC Gamer
There is a common misconception that you have to take out a second mortgage on your house if you want to get a computer that will run all of the latest and greatest games. I don't know who started the rumor that you need to spend $3000 to get a gaming computer.
A Comparison Of the Next Generation Gaming Consoles (Part 2)
Arguably Microsoft can attribute a great deal of its success to the hugely successful online capabilities. The new Xbox 360 will continue with the online feature and develop it even further.
Review: Samurai Jack -- Code of the Samurai
Fans of Genndy Tartakovsky's "Samurai Jack," which wrapped last year on the Cartoon Network, enjoy the quirky storytelling and stunning visuals, also the martial arts sequences. Naturally, it was only a matter of time before the online gaming industry turned the time-traveling samurai's adventures into video games.
SMS Gaming - Text Paging Games that can be Played by Anyone
Using the Physical World as a Game Board: This is not a Kinky game! SMS stands for Short Message Service.Just like our last article, this can be fun for teens and adults.