blog post 5 – Capstone

Ted Talk

How Have Video Games Evolved Over Time, and How Has the Use of Technology Impacted Their Success?

 

I did my Capstone project on video games.  My main inquiry question is, “How have video games evolved over time, and how has the use of technology impacted their success?”

 

Before we get started I want to share some fun facts with you.  Did you know that the average gamer is 38 years old? Also, 49% of American adults play video games. Finally, 65% of households own a device used to play video games. Isn’t that surprising?

 

Now, a little lesson on the history of video games. Video games began with Spacewar and Pong. Spacewar was the first ever computer game to have a screen. Spacewar was developed in 1962 by Steve Russell. One of the most famous first games was Pong. Pong was developed in 1972 by Atari or more directly by Allan Alcorn. Pong was the second game to have a screen. Pong was a very simple game with black and white 2D graphics.

 

You might be wondering, “How has animation and graphics changed in video games?” Let me tell you! Pixels (the smallest unit of a digital image or graphic that can be displayed and represented on a digital display device) are getting smaller. Video games used to be Pixelated and used simple geometric shapes.  In the past, the character animation consisted of very rigid movements. For example, in Donkey Kong, Mario had a walk animation that consisted of his arms moving back and forth. With each new video game graphics improve, and so does the character animation. In recent years, the character animation that’s possible in a game is nearly on par with fully animated feature films.

 

If you want to know, “What other technological advances have been made in video games in recent years?, you are in the right place! Nintendo, Sony and Xbox continue to manufacture the current generation of console wars. The difference is they now have the added capabilities of both PC and mobile gaming. Changes in technology have had a huge effect on gaming. While games have used Artificial Intelligence since the time of Pong, what’s changed is that AI is mimicking humans better and better each day. AI is the most important advancement in video games.  AI is becoming more and more intelligent each year.  This means the games are getting more and more lifelike. MMORPG = Massively Multiplayer Online Role Playing Games. Multiplayer online games are games that people can play anywhere that they have access to a computer and internet. The most successful online game, The World of Warcraft, has eight million subscribers.  This means that eight million people are connected to each other through this game. Also, three dimensional play has improved games.  Some games as far back as the 1980s used 3D graphics, but they didn’t look so realistic. Today, however, most games are 3D, and are more lifelike and fun to use.

 

If you are thinking, “How has technology changed video games over time?” then you are in the right place. 3D scanners and facial recognition technology can make your avatar (a figure representing a particular character) look like you in the real world.  Or, if you create your own avatar, it shows the expressions on your face. Voice control gaming has been around for awhile but the technology hadn’t caught up yet. But now you can use commands to do all kinds of things like turn the console on and off and control game play, interact with social media and more, just with your voice. If you are real lazy, you can use IntelliSense technology to interact with your device without a console. A 3D camera tracks 22 different points in your hand and allows users to connect to their game that way. Because of technology VR (virtual reality) headsets are available to you today, and are the new age of technology and gaming.

 

Another question you might have is, “How have video game characters and story lines changed over time?” Most video games are rich with story, just like you would see in any movie. In video games the player gets to advance the storyline himself/herself. In some games, storylines are given a less important role, due to focus on action and more. Some characters kept repeating for many years. For example: Mario. Mario mostly stayed the same over the years in spite of the advancements in graphics.

 

Finally, I’m going to tell you “What some of the best selling video games of 2018 are, and what are their qualities?”

 

Dragon Ball FighterZ[a] is a 2.5D fighting game that was developed by Arc System Works, and published by Bandai Namco Entertainment. It was released in most regions in January 2018, and in Japan the following month, and is based on the Dragon Ball franchise,

 

Call of Duty: WWII is a first-person shooter video game that was developed by Sledgehammer Games and published by Activision. They released it worldwide on November 3, 2017.

 

PlayerUnknown’s Battlegrounds (PUBG) is an online multiplayer battle royale game that was developed and published by PUBG Corporation, which is a subsidiary of the publisher, Bluehole. The game is based on previous modifications that were created by Brendan “PlayerUnknown” Greene for other games using the film Battle Royale for inspiration. It was  expanded into a stand alone game under Greene’s creative direction.

 

The Best-Selling Video Games Of January 2018

 

#	Name	Information
1	Dragon Ball: Fighterz	Dragon Ball FighterZ[a] is a 2.5D fighting game developed by Arc System Works and published by Bandai Namco Entertainment. Based on the Dragon Ball franchise, it was released for the PlayStation 4, Xbox One, and Microsoft Windows in most regions in January 2018, and in Japan the following month.
2	Call of Duty: WWII	Call of Duty: WWII is a first-person shooter video game developed by Sledgehammer Games and published by Activision. It was released worldwide on November 3, 2017 for Microsoft Windows, PlayStation 4 and Xbox One. It is the fourteenth main installment in the Call of Duty world at War in 2008. playerUnknown’s Battlegrounds
3	PlayerUnknown’s Battlegrounds	PlayerUnknown’s Battlegrounds (PUBG) is an online multiplayer battle royale game developed and published by PUBG Corporation, a subsidiary of publisher Bluehole. The game is based on previous mods that were created by Brendan “PlayerUnknown” Greene for other games using the film Battle Royale for inspiration, and expanded into a standalone game under Greene’s creative direction.
4	Grand Theft Auto V	Grand Theft Auto V is an action adventure video game, and the first title in the series to be set primarily during World War II since Call of Duty: Wotion-adventure video game developed by Rockstar North and published by Rockstar Games. It was released in September 2013 for PlayStation 3 and Xbox 360, in November 2014 for PlayStation 4 and Xbox One, and in April 2015 for Microsoft Windows. It is the first main entry in the Grand Theft Auto series since 2008’s Grand Theft Auto IV. Set within the fictional state of San Andreas, based on Southern California, the single-player story follows three criminals and their efforts to commit heists while under pressure from a government agency.
5	NBA 2Kq18	NBA 2K18 is a basketball simulation video game developed by Visual Concepts and published by 2K Sports. It is the 19th installment in the NBA 2K franchise and the successor to NBA 2K17. It was released in September 2017 for Microsoft Windows, Nintendo Switch, PlayStation 4, PlayStation 3,IOS, Android, Xbox One, and Xbox 360. Kyrie Irving of the Boston Celtics serves as cover athlete for the regular edition of the game, Shaquille O’Neal is the cover athlete for the special editions, and DeMar DeRozan of the Toronto Raptors is the cover athlete for the game in Canada.
6	Super Mario Odyssey	Super Mario Odyssey[a] is a 3D platform video game developed and published by Nintendo for the Nintendo Switch. It is a Super Mario game that follows Mario and Cappy, a spirit that turns into Mario’s hat and allows him to possess other characters and objects, as they journey across various worlds to save Princess Peach from his nemesis Bowser, who plans to forcibly marry her. In contrast to the linear gameplay of prior entries, the game returns to the primarily open-ended, exploration-based gameplay featured in Super Mario 64 and Super Mario Sunshine.

 

And now, some of my favorite video games, are Terraria, and Minecraft. I like these because I think they are really fun, and I can play them for hours and not notice the time. Also, video games are universal – it doesn’t matter where you live, you can play them alone or with other people through the internet.

 

All this shows how video games have evolved over time, and how the use of technology has impacted their success.