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?

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.

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

From Guns and Violence to Playful Adventures: The Growing Number of Gamers and Age Groups

During the 1980's when the Atari 2600 was available, many of the games produced for it were for a small group of dedicated gamers, who were typically in their 20's to 30's and had some pocket change to spend on a game or two. The content of these games could range anywhere from simple adventures to more adult games, such as the controversial Custer's Revenge (1982), or Pac Man (1982). Content on the Atari 2600 was unrestricted, as anyone would be able to make a game for the console and attempt to sell it to the small audience at the time.

It was in 1985 that Nintendo released the NES, creating a new surge of games that could be bother watched or played with one's family. The Legend of Zelda (1986) and Mario Bros. (1983) were such  family-friendly games, as they were relatively nonviolent, and would allow one's children to watch or play the game with their parents. This introduced games to a younger generation, children, and the market soon adapted to this.

One of the more recognizable handheld consoles, the Gameboy Color, was released in 1998, with one of its most popular titles being the Pokemon series, with Pokemon Yellow being released the year after. From the Gameboy Color, children and young adults had a means of portable game entertainment, and became fascinated with the system. Nintendo would release Gameboy Advance, SP, DS, and 3DS in the following years, continuing the portable system's success. With the wide availability and portability these new games had obtained, more and more people wanted to play them.

On the other side of the child-friendly games Nintendo had produced, there was also an expanding amount of games designed for young adults as well. In 2007, Call of Duty 4: Modern Warfare was produced for the Xbox 360 console (2005), and featured violent scenes of killing terrorists, and despite being rated as mature by the ESRB, was undoubtedly played by young children as well. Those children who had grown up playing video games, as they aged, craved for more violence, and the industry responded. In 2008, one such violent game, Grand Theft Auto IV, received widespread attention as being too overly violent and having too many sexual influences, even for an 'M' rated game. Still, GTA IV sold millions of copies, and the trend for more violent games continued.

At present there are a wide variety of both violent and nonviolent games, meant for age groups of all kinds. Whether one is an infant or an adult, there are games with a market for that age group.Compared to the small market of gamers in the 1980's, the gaming playerbase has continually expanded [1], growing wider and wider over the course of the past 30 years. It is likely that this will continue to trend as newer games are released unto the market.

Source:
[1]Parks Associates. (2011, November 10). "Number of gamers double in three years thanks to casual gaming on tablets and smartphones." Retireved from http://www.parksassociates.com/blog/article/parks-pr2011-gamingmc

Choices: A Broader Sense of In-Game Freedom

Games from the late 1980's often had simple objectives, along with a linear path for the player to walk through to reach the final goal: the completion of the game. The player was always a set main character, and almost always did the exact things he/ she was supposed to do to complete the story, if there was one. While jumping over lava and collection coins were necessary obstacles, this left little else for the player to do. If you've ever played Super Mario Bros., you know that you had to move continually right to get to the castle, dodging enemies and collecting power ups when possible.

It was later that RPG's became popular, a later example being Morrowind (2002). An RPG gave the player vastly more choices: namely the creation of one's own main character, and a 'free roam' where the player didn't necessarily have to do the main objective, or complete quests in any particular order. This gave players a sense of a much broader world- one in which they could explore however much they wanted to. As RPG's began to become more and more popular, larger maps and more customization followed suit.

Where older games were more linear and newer ones more free-roam, there were also multi-linear games emerging in the late 2000's. One such popular multi-linear game was Mass Effect (2007), in which the player was given a variety of options when it came to dialogue and character interactions. These interactions would also develop karma, altering the options for the player and storyline. This gave the player the option to choose which ending they wanted, something not though of a decade before.

Different game genres appeared as well, including multiple simulation games, such as Sims 3 (2009). Newer simulation games not only gave the player a personalized character, but complete freedom in what that character did. Instead of scripted events, newer ones were being generated by what the player character did on a daily basis, who they interacted with, and what they chose to do when it came to major decisions. In The Sims, customization went down to every corner of every room, every relationship, every dinner choice, and so on.

While older games have more linear pathing and storylines, newer games have continually given the players more and more choices when it comes to their character and what they do with them. Some games have even become more and more open world, to the point they have been labeled 'sandboxes', worlds in which you can alter however you want. As newer games are being made, more and more customization is being put into them.

How to Mash Buttons and Spin a Joystick: Controllers

Since simple arcade games found in gaming arcades, there have been multiple variations in the controls we use to progress through games, progressing to today's modern console controllers and keyboards (for pc games). Controls over a decade ago were often simple, consisting of anywhere from one to four buttons, based on the game, and while this was engaging for some, it eventually led to the development of more complex controllers, as games became more widely available at home. At home, consoles crafted controllers unique to the console brand, resulting in many variations with the goal of becoming increasingly more easy to use and functional.

As an example, an early console such as the Nintendo 64 (1996) had developed its controller with six buttons found on the right side, a joystick, located in the center, a start button directly above that, and a four-directional pad on the left. However, the controller had two main flaws that most didn't come to understand the reasoning behind. One: it had a grip on the right, the left, and the center, and unfortunately for the Nintendo 64, no one had three hands to grab the controller with. Two: there was only one stick to move both the camera and the player-controlled character, leading to problems where the player would have to spin around in many games in a semi-circle in order to look around. Learning from this, however, they created a slimmer, two grip, two stick controller come their next console, the Gamecube (2001).

On the PC, games played through CDs, Steam, or otherwise can often have their controls modified of which keys perform an action, typically by using the options menu. For example, by going to the in-game options menu of Battlefield 4 (2013), a player can find themselves uncomfortable using a certain key to crouch, and can change it to a key in a more comfortable position. Adapting to players' needs, controllers are more customizable to what the player needs them to be, rather than a set list of controls.

More recently, companies have been more invested in motion controllers, and motion control itself. From the PlayStation 3 comes the PlayStation Move (2010), a controller with a motion-capture sensor at the front. This motion capture can also be found in the Xbox 360's (2005) Kinect (2010), which uses the players entire body as the controller for the game. Preluding these controllers, Nintendo came out with the Wii (2006), the controller of which also had a port on the front to send out an infrared beam for motion capture.

While the controllers that are physical obtain more and more inputs for controls and become more customizable, some controllers have lost form altogether, as with the Kinect. While games are likely to continue to improve motion capture (perhaps for compatibility with virtual reality games), they are also finding ways to personalize every players method of play style. In the future, it seems plausible that voice commands, motion, and buttons will find a way to mesh together for newer generation games.