In games from the late 1970's and early 80's, most games had little to no voices, merely sound effects. For instance, in Pac-Man (1980), there were only small beeps for when you ate either a ghost, a fruit, or a pellet. It wasn't until the 1990's that voice acting started to become prevalent, such as with the Superman game in 1999. As games became more and more advanced, voice options for characters increased as well.
Today, many games have at least a few set lines for main characters, as well as a small repository for minor characters (RPG's naturally have more voicing lines than a FPS, keep in mind). For example, Fallout 3 (2008) had a very extensive library for character dialogue, allowing the player to interact with the other characters in varying ways, allowing for opening of new dialogue options, quests, and relations.
As budgets for games have expanded, more popular game series started to hire more famous actors, borrowing from the movie industry. Such actors as Liam Neeson not only were present in Kingdom of Heaven (2005) and Taken (2008), but also in Fallout 3 as the main character's father. Other voice actors have done similarly, acting in movies, television, and games. This increasing number of voice actors has helped games achieve a wider range of character personalities, helping establish a larger community of units in a game.
As the number of voices and characters in games continues to grow, character options have done the same. Compared to the 1980's, there are more options to both perform and hear when it comes to building up a character, whether it be in a role playing, racing, or puzzle game. As the voice repository continues to grow, it seems that it's certain there will be games in the future that have a unique voice for every character, even when those number in the hundreds.
Source:
Mazer. (2013, September 14). "Top ten video game voice actors." Retrieved from http://www.screwattack.com/news/top-10-video-game-voice-actors
Friday, December 6, 2013
The Open World and Development of the Sandbox Genre
Today I wanted to try making a podcast, covering the development of the sandbox genre and open world games. Feel free to give it a listen!
Thursday, December 5, 2013
In the Industry's Pocket: Sales and Economics
Since 2000 (as an example), the gaming industry has been steadily increasing in its profits, selling new titles and consoles every year. While this might seem unimportant, keep in mind that the more money companies have, the more production they can put into their work. As such, I thought it important to quickly summarize some economic findings on video game sales over the years. While there is a smaller slump in the present, the overall trend from 2000 is upwards in spending.
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(I've also included a link to the full image here, in case it's difficult to read)
Sources:
Harry Wallop. (2009, January 15). "Video games: Eight out of ten homes own a next-gen game console." Retrieved from http://www.telegraph.co.uk/technology/video-games/4248136/Video-games-eight-out-of-ten-homes-own-a-next-gen-games-console.html
Jane McGonigal. (2011, February 14). "We spend 3 billion hours a week as a planet playing videogames. Is it worth it? How could it be more worth it?" Retrieved from http://www.ted.com/conversations/44/we_spend_3_billion_hours_a_wee.html
NatalieBot. (2012, October 31). "How much money is too much to spend on games per year?" Retrieved from http://www.bigshinyrobot.com/45403/how-much-money-is-too-much-to-spend-on-games-per-year/
NPD Group. (2012). "Computer and video game sales in the United States from 2000 to 2012." Retrieved from http://www.statista.com/statistics/273258/us-computer-and-video-game-sales/
Sunday, December 1, 2013
Modding: A Creative Change for Older Games
Mods have been available since the mid 1980's, allowing
users and small companies to add, change, or otherwise alter portions of a game
past its original intent. Mods have increased in popularity since then, and
have led to the generation of modding communities, who outsource their game
mods to the public, making modding easily accessible to everyone. Bennie Lively
is one such modder, who has been modding games since 2006, and continues today.
In the growing field of user created mods, I believe he can help give some
insight into what modding is today, from all its quirks to its benefits and
development.
Me: So to start off, what was the first game you remember modding?
Bennie: I want to say it was for the bloodmoon expansion on the Elder
Scrolls III, Morrowind. Although it may have been Oblivion, I can't remember which I modded first. It was the elder scrolls games that got me into modding in the first place, in fact.
Me: What do you see modding as? A means to breathe new life
into older games, a creative outlet, or something else entirely?
Bennie: I think modding definitely breathes new life into
older games, and can help them by improving it in ways unthought of at the time. It's like having a
bland, older game and adding some flavor into it, for example. It allows you to
cross over multiple genres to create an overall better game, like adding an rpg
element to a game entirely focused on something else.
Me: If there was a mod you could create right now, what game
would it be for, and what would it do?
Bennie: Honestly I'm really liking modding Civ V at the
moment. If I could, I'd like to create custom units for it that would create an entire new tech tree if possible. If I could, I'd make an entire
entry for all the Starcraft units into the Civ V game, I think that would be pretty cool.
Me: How has modding evolved in your perspective from when
you started until today? For instance, have you seen companies begin to embrace
modding, or deny it?
Bennie: I've seen more companies embrace modding now, as
most companies now give modders the tools they need to mod whatever they want to the
game. They used to have very limited tools, but now they cover the entire game
and allow almost anyone to use their tools to change their game any way they
want to. For example, Civ V allows you to download their source code from Steam for free and use a custom built coder that runs off a variant of Microsoft Visual Studio to mod their game with. I almost rarely see games that are closed source to modding anymore, they're just too outnumbered by companies willing to allow users to mod their own content.
Me: What's the strangest/ most interesting mod you've ever
come across?
Bennie: The strangest mod? Hm, I'm not really sure. Do you
mean one of my mods, or from somewhere else?
Me: It could be either yours or someone else's, really.
Bennie: I've seen mods for Neverwinter, Minecraft, Civ,
Elder Scrolls, there's just so many ones to choose from. Although there was a
pretty strange mod that added Final Fantasy and Kingdom Hearts content to
Oblivion, for instance in one part you had to fight master Chief in a ghost,
while he had an enegry sword and you drove around him really fast in the ghost,
that was pretty silly [laughs].
Me: Lastly, is there any direction you'd like to see the
modding community go from here?
Bennie: There's becoming more and more experienced people in
the modding community, and I've seen a lot of modders who have gotten to the point
where they take their knowledge of modding to make games off of kickstarter, based off of
the games they've already modded. I'd like to see modders make new content
entirely, since I prefer modded content even more than the
original copy of the game.
And there you have it. As companies continue to create games, it seems as though companies are easily accepting modding as a method to help give their games a sort of free DLC, with the users being the ones to create the content for one other. As more and more users are able to mod copies of their games, it'll be interesting to see where the modding community goes from here.
Friday, November 15, 2013
Consoles: The Evolution of Rectangular Prisms
Video games have, since their conception, been limited by the specifications of the consoles/ platforms that they've been designed for. Consoles have been designed and redesigned countless times, reformed after numerous upgrades and fixtures to the newest models. Newer consoles have consistently upgraded both graphics and their CPU's, in order to show off newer generation games.
While arcade games were played on their own separate machines, perhaps a good starting point is the Sega Dreamcast (1999). While it was a simple console, it had add-ons for the controller to try and enhance a game's impact, and had up to four controller slots for people to play on. In that same decade, the SNES came out in 1992 as one of the best selling 16-bit consoles, having two controller ports and 128 kb of main RAM for the system. Although simple, these proved to be good starting points for later consoles, although they weren't the first ones on the market.
In 1994 the PlayStation had arrived, with the standard two controller ports and the option to keep save data on memory cards. While the system still used 32-bit, it was overshadowed in 1996 by the N64, using the newer 64-bit graphics. Unlike the PlayStation, however, the N64 kept save data in the cartridge itself, meaning there was one less item to bring when it came to playing games at friend's houses, although these cartridges proved to be more fragile than originally intended, and often needed 'cleaning' by blowing the inside (although there are actually warning not to do this, many often did it anyways due to often positive results). This was the marking of the transition to 64-bit graphics, and the new consoles CPU's kept up in this regard as well, allowing for more visually pleasing, immersive games.
Come 2000, the Playstation 2 had come, followed in 2001 by Nintendo's sequel to the N64, the Gamecube, as well as a new contender, the Xbox. These main three consoles held a vast majority of the console market at the time, and competed to have the best graphics, the best CPU's, and the most stable UI's for gaming. Years later, this continued to the release of the Xbox 360 (2005), Wii (2006), and Playstation 3 (2006). This competition between the three has lead to an exponential scale in a graphics ceiling, as well as a demand for more memory-applying games. While the 'console wars' had been going on, the game content producers had had their hands full keeping up, resulting in progressive trials of improvement in games.
With the current trend still going, and the Playstation 4 released today, the Xbox One (expected Nov. 22, 2013) and Wii U (2012) will likely keep improving their own system specs, attempting to boast the higher gaming experience. As consoles such as the Xbox One include features such as Skype integration, 8GB RAM, 8 core x86 processor, and voice and movement recognition, games will try and integrate these new features to improve their experience. Considering voice, movement, graphics, and processors have all been added/ upgraded so far, what will newer generation consoles add next?
While arcade games were played on their own separate machines, perhaps a good starting point is the Sega Dreamcast (1999). While it was a simple console, it had add-ons for the controller to try and enhance a game's impact, and had up to four controller slots for people to play on. In that same decade, the SNES came out in 1992 as one of the best selling 16-bit consoles, having two controller ports and 128 kb of main RAM for the system. Although simple, these proved to be good starting points for later consoles, although they weren't the first ones on the market.
In 1994 the PlayStation had arrived, with the standard two controller ports and the option to keep save data on memory cards. While the system still used 32-bit, it was overshadowed in 1996 by the N64, using the newer 64-bit graphics. Unlike the PlayStation, however, the N64 kept save data in the cartridge itself, meaning there was one less item to bring when it came to playing games at friend's houses, although these cartridges proved to be more fragile than originally intended, and often needed 'cleaning' by blowing the inside (although there are actually warning not to do this, many often did it anyways due to often positive results). This was the marking of the transition to 64-bit graphics, and the new consoles CPU's kept up in this regard as well, allowing for more visually pleasing, immersive games.
Come 2000, the Playstation 2 had come, followed in 2001 by Nintendo's sequel to the N64, the Gamecube, as well as a new contender, the Xbox. These main three consoles held a vast majority of the console market at the time, and competed to have the best graphics, the best CPU's, and the most stable UI's for gaming. Years later, this continued to the release of the Xbox 360 (2005), Wii (2006), and Playstation 3 (2006). This competition between the three has lead to an exponential scale in a graphics ceiling, as well as a demand for more memory-applying games. While the 'console wars' had been going on, the game content producers had had their hands full keeping up, resulting in progressive trials of improvement in games.
With the current trend still going, and the Playstation 4 released today, the Xbox One (expected Nov. 22, 2013) and Wii U (2012) will likely keep improving their own system specs, attempting to boast the higher gaming experience. As consoles such as the Xbox One include features such as Skype integration, 8GB RAM, 8 core x86 processor, and voice and movement recognition, games will try and integrate these new features to improve their experience. Considering voice, movement, graphics, and processors have all been added/ upgraded so far, what will newer generation consoles add next?
Guest Blog Writer: Dalton Irwin on the Elder Scrolls
One game series which has
been referenced a few times in this blog, that provides an excellent look at
the change in game’s focus over the past twenty years, is The Elder Scrolls,
developed by Bethesda Softworks. This role-playing experience, which has expanded
from a simple dungeon-crawler with pixelated graphics to one of the most
beloved action role-playing sandboxes of modern times, has five entries,
stretching back to 1994. Each of these entries is reflective of the role-playing
desires of the time.
The first entry, The
Elder Scrolls: Arena, had a simple premise; the player, after being freed from
prison, must put the eight scattered pieces of the Staff of Chaos back together
to defeat the evil mage posing as the Emperor. Each piece is located at the
bottom of a large dungeon, the location of which is only found by finding a
special item in another dungeon at the location-giver’s behest. Other than
these dungeons, any other dungeons the player explored were randomly generated,
similarly to the miscellaneous quests the player could receive. Arena had no
tutorial, so players had to discover their abilities through exploration of the
interface and random button-pressing. After its release, Arena became a cult
classic, which allowed Bethesda to create the second entry, Daggerfall.
Daggerfall, released two
years after Arena, had a similar feel to its predecessor, but with certain key
differences. First, the graphics received a much-needed overhaul. Second, the
storyline became much more player-driven: there were multiple endings which
varied based on which faction the player supported during the game (this
variation in endings was explained in later entries as “The Warp in the West”,
in which all of the endings mysteriously occurred simultaneously). Factions were
a new addition to the game, and each had a reputation system, allowing the
player to be loved or hated by various organizations. After Daggerfall,
Bethesda released its third entry in 2002: Morrowind.
Morrowind’s release marks
the Elder Scrolls’ transformation to what it is today. The third entry in the
series made many changes, not the least of which was to the graphics. The
aesthetics were astounding at the time, and the music, written by the same
composure who would write Oblivion’s and later Skyrim’s soundtrack (Jeremy
Soule), denoted the style that later game’s background music would take (although
songs tended to replay too often). Perhaps the most notable change in
Morrowind, however, was its environmental consistency. Previous entries had
randomized dungeons, but all of Morrowind’s dungeons were predetermined; human
enemies even had the same unique names.
Four years after
Morrowind, Oblivion was released, with Skyrim releasing five years after that.
Oblivion and Skyrim followed Morrowind’s example, with established dungeons and
quests (although Skyrim’s Radiant Quest system allowed for some randomization
through quest type and location).
The Elder Scrolls’
graphics have seen an overhaul with every release, but the gameplay has evolved
each time as well. These changes reflect not only the series’ change in focus,
but the design of role-playing games in general.
*Dalton Irwin also maintains his own blog, Preparation for College Play Auditions, covering many of the necessities and tips for upcoming performers. If you have interest in the subject, I highly recommend checking out his blog here.
*Dalton Irwin also maintains his own blog, Preparation for College Play Auditions, covering many of the necessities and tips for upcoming performers. If you have interest in the subject, I highly recommend checking out his blog here.
Friday, November 8, 2013
Soundtracks: the Evolution of Music in Games
Sounds have been a part of games since their conception, although the earlier the game, the simpler the sounds become. In Super Mario Bros. (1985), the overworld theme [1] became iconic, used in many of the later Mario games. Although many games created in the 1980's used synthesizers to create the sounds they needed, newer games also expanded to include full orchestras and bands to use in their games.
While a game such as Pong [2] (1972) may not have many sounds as a more modern game might, it was difficult at the time to code the game and put the appropriate sounds in at the proper time. Those sounds were created by a synthesizer, used in games as early as the late 1960's. While the synthesizer could play a variety of notes to be used in games, it wasn't until the 1980's that this was explored more in-depth.
As games approached the 90's and 00's, more and more soundtracks became available, using a wide variety of instruments, like the familiar synthesizer, and the rare string orchestra, as well as a few band pieces. In The Legend of Zelda: Majora's Mask (2000), various songs [3] featuring harps, drums, wind instruments, and percussion can be found throughout the game in different areas. Depending on what boss you face, or in which area you're traveling, the background music may change to better suit the situation. This sort of dynamic change in music based on events was not a new change by any means, but it helped give the player a greater sense of immersion when it came to playing through the game in its entirety.
While older games from the 2000's or 1990's (or even earlier) featured simplified soundtracks or specific noises in response to specific actions, modern games such as Skyrim (2011) seem to take this to a whole new level, hiring an entire orchestra to create over three hours worth of musical content [4]. As many newer games keep to this standard of immersion by continually increasing the quality of music within their games, it's likely to keep up with the current music industry, including as wide a range of sounds into their games as possible. Certainly, such is expected of games now by default, similarly to how a certain level of graphics is expected as well.
Sources:
[1]DAFTPUNKletlive. (2008, July 5). "Super Mario Bros.- overworld theme." Retrieved from http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=L4PxvY2gjP0
[2]Sebastien Cousin. (2012, April 30). "Arcade gameplay- original Pong- Atari- boulot-retro-dodo,fr." Retrieved from http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=SHsYjWm8XSI
[3]Officer 94. (2011, October 18). "The Legend of Zelda: Majora's Mask -OST- all tracks." Retrieved from http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=NhRImdUT06Y
[4]ThreeToucans. (2013, March 10). "Skyrim full soundtrack (1080p HD)." Retrieved from http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=atM3ZhF8MVs
While a game such as Pong [2] (1972) may not have many sounds as a more modern game might, it was difficult at the time to code the game and put the appropriate sounds in at the proper time. Those sounds were created by a synthesizer, used in games as early as the late 1960's. While the synthesizer could play a variety of notes to be used in games, it wasn't until the 1980's that this was explored more in-depth.
As games approached the 90's and 00's, more and more soundtracks became available, using a wide variety of instruments, like the familiar synthesizer, and the rare string orchestra, as well as a few band pieces. In The Legend of Zelda: Majora's Mask (2000), various songs [3] featuring harps, drums, wind instruments, and percussion can be found throughout the game in different areas. Depending on what boss you face, or in which area you're traveling, the background music may change to better suit the situation. This sort of dynamic change in music based on events was not a new change by any means, but it helped give the player a greater sense of immersion when it came to playing through the game in its entirety.
While older games from the 2000's or 1990's (or even earlier) featured simplified soundtracks or specific noises in response to specific actions, modern games such as Skyrim (2011) seem to take this to a whole new level, hiring an entire orchestra to create over three hours worth of musical content [4]. As many newer games keep to this standard of immersion by continually increasing the quality of music within their games, it's likely to keep up with the current music industry, including as wide a range of sounds into their games as possible. Certainly, such is expected of games now by default, similarly to how a certain level of graphics is expected as well.
Sources:
[1]DAFTPUNKletlive. (2008, July 5). "Super Mario Bros.- overworld theme." Retrieved from http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=L4PxvY2gjP0
[2]Sebastien Cousin. (2012, April 30). "Arcade gameplay- original Pong- Atari- boulot-retro-dodo,fr." Retrieved from http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=SHsYjWm8XSI
[3]Officer 94. (2011, October 18). "The Legend of Zelda: Majora's Mask -OST- all tracks." Retrieved from http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=NhRImdUT06Y
[4]ThreeToucans. (2013, March 10). "Skyrim full soundtrack (1080p HD)." Retrieved from http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=atM3ZhF8MVs
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