History of Video Games

Recently we watched a documentory on the History of Video games.

We watched a documentary about the History of Video Games which taught me a lot about where video games originated and why they were so popular. Video games originated from the military and the technology they created to predict the outcome of real life events that could not be acted out in real life, such as international attacks and invasions. I found this interesting because a lot of games are now developing the idea and use of multiple outcome endings, firstly seen in Myst games and more recently in Heavy Rain where the players’ decisions throughout the game lead them to different conclusions. In 1958 in the Brookhaven National Laboratory, William Higinbotham developed the game, Tennis for Two on an oscilloscope to cure his boredom. The designed circuit displayed the path of the ball and reversed its path when it hit the ground. The circuit also sensed if the ball hit the net and simulated velocity. Users could interact with the ball using an analog aluminum controller to click a button to hit the ball and use a knob to control the angle. This game is considered the first video game. In a laboratory focused on war and missiles, Higinbotham had created something he could use to escape this reality, even if it was only for a few minutes. The first video game had been created, yet it was in 1972 when the video games were taken to a new level with the release of the very first home console, nicknamed the Brown Box. Ralph Baer created the first working prototype of the Brown Box in 1968 after 2 years.

The Documentary also spoke about the creation of some of the revolutionary games in the video game industry. Released in 1972 by Atari, Pong is one of the first arcade games that hit mainstream popularity and the first commercially successful video game, which led to the start of the video game industry. What was interesting about this was how the creator Allan Alcorn made one small change that changed the game dramatically. Instead of the ball bouncing off the paddle in a horizontal line, Alcorn changed it so the ball would bounce off at a different angle depending on which part of the paddle the ball hit. This small change in the programming made a huge difference to the enjoyment value of the game and probably made it the popular well loved game it is. Space Invaders also experienced a similar event where a small change to the game made a big difference. The creators of Space invaders decided they wanted to add sound to their game, representing a heartbeat. They used 4 notes for this, but raised the tempo of the beat as the aliens came closer towards the player, this automatically built tension to the game and panic to the player resulting in an adrenaline rush making Space Invaders addictive and more thrilling to play.
By the late 70s video games had grown grown greatly in popularity, played mainly by the male population, so in 1980, Toru Iwatani, released a game he had designed for the female population. Pacman. Before seeing this documentory I had no idea Pacman was designed for girls, and with Toru Iwatani's inspiration for making a girls game being "girls like to eat" im not entirely sure if that makes it a "girls" game. However, I understand his logic, making a game aimed at females would double the market which would double his money. Although simple in comparison to todays games, and being created with the inpiration of 5/6s of a pizza, Pacman was the first video game Protagonist.
Although this sudden burst of new technology and video games were seen as great in so many ways, it also divided generations. Children, teenagers and young adults were learning about things the older generations were not. Times were changing and becoming a young persons world. I believe this divide in generations has continued to this day as roles have flipped where the young are teaching the old.

My Gaming History

Sonic the Hedgehog

My earliest memory of video games is playing Sonic the Hedgehog on my brothers sega master system. I cant remember much about the story or what I had to do, I just remember running very fast across the screen, jumping on random enemies and collecting as many golden rings as I could. Although the game play was rather repetative, you never really noticed, each level was built so different, and the simplicity was still so fun that this didn't matter.

The Legend of Zelda: Ocarina of time

The game that made me fall in love with gaming however, was The Legend of Zelda: Ocarina of Time. I think I was so drawn to this game because it was the first video game I had played that had a good strong storyline, I wanted to carry on playing not only because i enjoye

d the game play, but I really connected to the characters and wanted to know what was going to happen next.

Reminising the times I spent playing this game, I decided to download it and play again and see how my view point of the game playing it as an adult. Controlling young link was very strenuous at first, it was a task just to get him to walk in a straight line. This made me think about how the controls we have in a game have developed greatly, without us really noticing.

While playing this game, i soon realised how less scary the monsters seemed, which dissapointed me slightly, untill i came across the walking dead which had me running in fear. The moaning and screeching is still terrifying to this day, which made me think that this wasn't just enjoyable for me as a child, but adults as well.

Super Mario 64

Released in 1996, Super Mario 64 was one of the first three dimensional platform games and is considered one of the most revolutionary video games of all time because of its free roaming analog controls, large open ended areas and true 3D polygons. This game set the standard for 3D games as it explored the possibilities of free roaming and completion of multiple missions as opposed to the traditional linear approach in most games that came before it.

The castle setting which contained portals leading to different worlds truly expressed the idea of the players freedom to roam as and where they wish. I liked this about the game because it meant that if I was stuck on a certain mission, I could go play another level and come back to it later, rather than stay stuck in one place which often results in the game becoming boring very quickly. The free roam also meant that no one played the game the same which made the game more personal to each player.

Banjo Kazooie

The Sims

Lego Island

Rugrats Search for Reptar

Tony Hawks

Final Fantasy

Final Fantasy 8 was the first game i played of this series, however, at the time, I was too young to completely understand the strategy behind the battle system, so instead i would force my brother to play it so i could watch how the story unfolded

I love the Final Fantasy Games and have played most of the series, but Final Fantasy X was my favourite because it was the first game i ever completed on my own. I loved the storyline and the cut scenes always blew me away, if i ever got stuck, i would persevere, just so i could get to those beautiful scenes.

Boulders Gate - First co-op campaign

Chris Goodswen Lecture

Recently I attended a presentation given by Chris Goodswen, a 3D Character Artist who attended NUCA and also did the Games Art and Design course. Within this lecture he told us about his experiences within the course, what its like working in the games industry and tips on how we can improve and learn more about our work. Chris told us when he started this course, he wanted to be a 2D character artist and was influenced heavily by Syd Mead, Feng Zhu and Arron Symms. This got me thinking about what job route i want to take and whether this will change throughout the years too, and which artists I'm influenced by. A lot of my work is strongly character based, this is what i enjoy most so i think i would like to go into 2D character and maybe some other form of concept design, but maybe this will change as i learn new things. I would also like to be a storyboard artist or illustrator because the cut scenes in the Final Fantasy games are what made me want to get a job in this industry.
Chris presented a lot of the work he has done over the past year and the projects he has worked on, one piece was a 3D model he did for an ogre character that eats children. This idea was really inventive and captured the creepiness well, however, it didn't just pop out purely from his imagination. He told us how much research is involved in any design process, and for this project he started by looking into old fairy tales, but not the obvious Brothers Grimm, Victorian type of tales, so his ideas were still unique. This taught me to do a lot of research before designing something, and also to create lots of thumbnail sketches and gradually build up a design because its likely you will find something better than your first idea. I will definitely start taking this line of process when designing and creating.

When Chris was talking about how much work he had to do for his masters, with the thousands of words essays, I did find this rather daunting, however, this is just one part of what he had to do, he also had the chance to actually create a playable game, which must have been so rewarding.
Overall, what i learnt is that i should use these next few years t, build up my skills, try using different programmes and techniques, do lots of observations and sketches, but overall, to enjoy the course and the creative freedom, because in the industry, this will go, you'll be designing what other people want, and if its not exactly how they want it, or they don't like it, they will tell you and you will have to change it to their needs. It was really great to see someone who has gone through the process we are now starting and acomplished so much.