World History, Deleted Chapter: History of Games
The history of games is something I’ve never thought about, but reading the article titled “The History Of Gaming: An Evolving Community” by Riad Chikhani that was published onto TechCrunch on October 31st, 2015, I’ve been thinking about it a lot now.
When I read the sentence that said that Atari was not the first game console because the Magnavox Odyssey had preceded it by a few months, I was kind of surprised. I then proceeded to tell my friends who were more into gaming (we were having a study session at the table), and they were also shocked because they had thought all their lives that Atari was the first. Although the Magnavox Odyssey didn’t sell much. “Poor sales were blamed on mismanaged in-store marketing campaigns and the fact that home gaming was a relatively alien concept to the average American at this time.” It’s just so weird to me that home gaming was once such an alien concept, because home gaming is so normal to me, having grown up with it.
The gaming industry started in the late 1960’s, which again, has me shocked because it has only been approximately 50 years of the existence of gaming. It’s fairly recent, but it has advanced so much in terms of graphics, speed, and being able to connect to the internet. Already, “in 1973, Jim Bowery released Spasim for PLATO — a 32-player space shooter — which is regarded as the first example of a 3D multiplayer game.” That shows just how much has improved in the span of less than ten years. Although the “access to PLATO was limited to large organizations such as universities — and Atari — who could afford the computers and connections necessary to join the network, PLATO represents one of the first steps on the technological road to the Internet, and online multiplayer gaming as we know it today.” It’s wild to think that back then, not a lot of people could afford it. It’s also wild because I couldn’t imagine not having online multiplayer games (like League of Legends).
Back then, people “would not have considered four out of every five American households having a game system as a probable reality.” I was not alive back then, so I have no idea how they felt, because in today’s time, I can’t think of anyone I know who doesn’t have a gaming console in their house (although at first, I was going to say me, but then I remember our household has four Nintendo 3DS’s). But there were too many gaming consoles and not enough interesting and engaging games to play, which then led to the 1983 North American video games crash. It’s so weird to think of gaming becoming less popular because of how popular it is today; it’s become an integral part of today’s culture.
But as gaming console sales went down, computer sales went up since they were more affordable. These computers had stronger processors which opened up a new way of gaming: multiplayer gaming. Although with these multiplayer games, “many people reported that more than four players at a time slowed the game dramatically and made it unstable.” That was the first sign of lag, which must’ve been pretty bad because it was only with four players and it was lagging.
A gaming revolution happened when LAN networks and internet opened up multiplayer games. This “took the gaming community to a new level because it allowed fans to compete and interact from different computers, which improved the social aspect of gaming.” This is what set the stage for the interactive large scale gaming that is hugely enjoyed today.
Then William von Meister unveiled modem transfer technology which allowed people to download software and games using their telephone connection and a cartridge that could be plugged into the console and to download games from around the world and be played up to eight times (basically a very primitive way of downloading a demo). The device failed to gain support, though, and fell through during the crash of 1983. Sega, Nintendo, and Atari all made a number of attempts in online gaming between 1993 and 1996 by using cable providers but they all failed because of the slow internet capabilities and problems with cable providers.
The first internet ready console was the Sega Dreamcast. It was the “first net-centric device to gain popularity, but was also a massive failure which put an end to Sega’s console making,” although it did pave the way for consoles like the XBOX because new console manufacturers learned from and improved from the net-centric Dreamcaster.
The release of Runescape (2001) was a game changer because it had built in chat functions that allowed players to interact. That was a big game changer (no pun intended) because it made gaming into a way to bond with others. It made gaming a social activity. “The recent ESA gaming report showed that 54 percent of frequent gamers feel their hobby helps them connect with friends, and 45 percent use gaming as a way to spend time with their family.” Also adding to the social aspect of gaming is the emergence of “clans” (also known as guilds, factions, legions, etc.).
Nowadays, the online component of a game has become more popular. So popular that it even “vastly improves the gameplay experience and interactivity, often suspending the importance of the player’s offline game objectives.” Keith Fuller, a long time Activision production contracter says, “‘What I’ve been told as a blanket expectation is that 90% of players who start your game will never see the end of it,’” and he is actually kind of right. Players tend to start the story mode, then get sidetracked with the online mode.
Gaming has undergone yet another major evolution and has been integrated into pop culture as smartphones become more popular. “Rapid developments in mobile technology over the last decade have created an explosion of mobile gaming, which is set to overtake revenue from console-based gaming in 2015.” And it’s true, since mobile gaming is easier and cheaper than console gaming. A game for console can cost as much as $20, but a mobile game is at most, $2. Some are even free. And phones are taken everywhere, which just adds to the advantages that mobile gaming has over console gaming.
Mobile gaming has widened the gaming demographic and it [mobile gaming] has been pushed to the forefront of media attention. Although mobile gaming is revolutionary, it has it’s limitations: small screens, processing speeds, and internal storage.
From when gaming was invented to now, there have been major changes and improvements. Even now, it is still changing and improving. “Two industries that could well play a key role in the future of gaming are virtual reality and artificial intelligence technology.” This article was written in 2015, and true to its words, virtual reality is changing the game, literally. VR Headsets are changing how we play games and is letting us experience the game.
The history of games is still being written (just like any other history), and I have a feeling it will be a long series.
