A player’s personal experience of transforming platforms and interfaces: from Game Boy to personal computers
Introduction
Accept it or not, video games and “gaming” are a large part of Australian culture. The average Australian 21-year-old would have spent over 10,000 hours playing games (that’s how long it takes to complete school from year 5 to year 12). For immeasurable reasons such as involvement, freedom, entertainment and story-telling are games such a powerful medium of creative and interactive media7.
Due to my own personal experience with games and their distinct platforms and interfaces, this essay will provide a comparative view of two gaming platforms; a hand-held Game Boy Advance (GBA) and a personal computer (PC). The GBA
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The GBA was made particularly popular amongst gaming communities by games such as Zelda and Pokémon. Coloured games were pleasant to look at and the interface overall is easy to use; a D-pad, A & B buttons and triggers. This is partly as to why it was so popular among younger age group fans. The hand-held console used small ROM cartridges, and the console came in a variety of colours and shared compatibility with other Nintendo consoles at the time (GameCube & Game boy colour). Wireless adaptors were one of the biggest innovations to effect GBA users. For the first time games like Pokémon let players interact by battling and trading. The initial sense was that the game is bigger than yourself and the screen you’re looking at, the once single player experience can now be shared with other friends (which I remember was a huge deal). Due to these circumstances, the GBA created a strong following and as of June 2010, 81.51 million units were sold including 16 million copies of one of their most popular bestselling games; Pokémon Ruby and Sapphire3.
Buying a PC is not cheap and can be quite expensive, which is why naturally you’d only spend the money if gaming was one of your biggest hobbies. There are companies that will assemble prebuilt gaming computers, and establishments that retail mice, keyboards and headsets aimed toward gamers. PC
The very first ‘Video Game’ was invented by Edward U. Condon in 1940, At first it was a simple game called ‘Nim’. In nim players try to avoid picking up the last match. Thousands of people played it, although the computer won at least 90% of the games. Around ten years later in 1950, a new computer program was created by Claude Shannon for the game of chess. In autumn of 1972 the first gaming console was released by ‘Magnavox’ and they called it the Odyssey. Three years later, the next big gaming console arrived when Sears sold the first ‘Atari Pong.’ This was the beginning of a long partnership between Atari and Sears. This relationship lasted multiple years, and Sears sold several successful games. Multiple years later in 1985, Nintendo released the Nintendo Entertainment System. This new gaming console dominated the Gaming Industry and grew Nintendo’s Company. Nintendo created several gaming console legends, such as the Game Boy, Nintendo 64, Game Boy Advanced, Nintendo Gamecube, Gameboy Advanced SD, and Nintendo DS, all of which made a huge impact on everybody’s childhood from 1985 to 2005. In the late twentieth century and early twenty-first century Playstation and Xbox also started releasing consoles. They are still to this day making successful Gaming Consoles, and individual games, as well as Xbox and Playstation.
The author argues elderly and non-gamers have a pessimistic vision of technology and video games, assuming they are addictive and insignificant. Wright emphasize video games are vigorous and can set a creative imagination and boost self-assurance. Wright points out the difference between observing a video game and having an actual participation, there is possession of owning an actual experience. Wright continues to persuade that gamers have “possibility space” meaning there are multi opportunities to create, maneuver and succeed personal effect appropriate to each individual gamer.
Although, seeing as video games are increasingly popular today, not everyone met as unfortunate of a fate. Today, many could credit this to the video game development corporation known as Atari, which arose in 1972 and continuously flourished until about 1982. In 1972, Atari came out with PONG, the first electronic arcade game, and it was an enormous accomplishment that exploded into what is now called the electronic gaming revolution. As time passed, Atari managed to triumph over its competition time and time again, but that is not to say that each of the failed corporations did not feature something that is used today. In fact, a couple of the failed organizations contributed something original to what is common today. For instance, Fairchild Camera and Instrument creating the first system that could play several different games, rather than just one. Another aforementioned group, RCA, was the first to produce and utilize keypad controllers instead of paddles or joysticks. Other consoles that came along, such as Intellivision and Vectrex, sported better graphics than the Atari’s consoles and games, but they still did not manage to gross the amount of money that Atari did because Atari was still on top of collecting all of the most entertaining and enjoyable games of their time. Keep in mind what attracted the masses to video games in the past: fun and addictive gameplay, not how good they looked. Now that the principal eras of gaming have been
Video games are a big part of life in modernized countries. It is one of the biggest entertainment money makers and of the things people enjoy doing. They are now mostly played inside the comfort of your home, with a console or computer. But things weren 't always like this. About 40 years ago you would most likely go to the arcade to play. The consoles they had out were either expensive or not good enough to compete with the arcade ones. Classic video games were made with 4-bit pixels and in very low resolution than modern day games. Over the decades, game machines continuously evolved and become more and more powerful, capable of stunning visuals and graphics. In the 21st century, social media, smart phone and tablet technology entered the gaming scene. Casual games become the norm attracting previously non-gamers into the market. However, if those low-quality games were never made, the games would not have evolved into the games they are today. In this article, I will cover main game a platform from the 1970’s to present day explaining what they are, their key development dates, features and limitations.
When video games were first being introduced to the general public, they weren’t all that exciting. Most gaming took place in arcades and most arcades didn’t have many game cabinets due to their being very few games to begin with. However, all of this changed when the Atari 2600 was released. At the time, Atari was known for their home computers and their hit arcade game “Pong”. Though the Atari 2600 might not have been the first video game system, it was definitely the most successful at that time and a great success for Atari’s first attempt at a home video game console. Thanks to the success of the 2600, video games began to take off and arcades started popping up all over the world with hits like “Pac-Man” and “Donkey Kong”. These would be the
Now that technological companies all over the world have set most of the seven billion individuals in the world with a computer, smartphone or tablet, it is time for better software to use with them. This is where games come in. Electronic Arts CEO John Riccitiello stated in a recent interview that PC gaming is the ‘fastest growing platform’. This shows the growing interest in gaming bearing in mind that gamers also have the means to play on. The term ‘gamer’ refers to an individual that plays a game or games, typically a participant in a computer or role playing game. The gaming community has grown so wide in the last few years because of the shift from single player games to multiplayer games on the internet
Tom Bissell presents an article in 2010, to college students of which is “Why Video Games Matter.” Bissell isn’t intending for the argument to be about video game criticism, the history of the gaming, or an assessment of anything. On the contrary, he wants to articulate his own opinions and thoughts on what playing games feels like, why he plays them, and the questions they make him think about. Being a gamer myself, I have also endured the struggles of what being obsessed with a video game feels like. It is understood that when first purchasing a video game, all one thinks about is getting home and popping it in the console, disregarding everything else that is happening in the vicinity.
He shows how video games enhance creativity, community, problem-solving skills, and self-expression. By engaging players in simulated worlds, video games expand their minds and their imagination. Rather than using the linear approach, players learn to play a video game and master the various levels through a creative problem-solving approach based on the scientific method of hypothesis, experiment and analysis. Video games entertain and educate on a level beyond any other medium by allowing the player to be actively engaged and interact with various aspects of the game environment. Through amplifying the power of human imagination rather than denigrate society, video games benefit and enhance
So, I’m going to change things a bit. Instead of just talking about dates and numbers, which can be boring; I’m going to give this a little casual twist. So, in order to start the history let’s get a few facts out of the way. Let’s talk about gamers, mainly because I’ll be using the term a lot; gamers are people who spent a lot of time playing videogames. The Average gamer playing video games has spent twelve years playing them. Adult gamers have an average of fourteen years of playing videogames, guys have an average of sixteen years, and girls have an average twelve years. Speaking of girls did you know that 47% of gamers are girls? I would have never guessed that, but it’s a fact. So, as of 2013 49% of all people who live in The United States owns a console. All of them that own a console have at least two of them. Me, I own eleven… I think I may have a problem. Anyway, now that some of the facts are out of the way let’s start, THE HISTORY OF VIDEOGAMES! Now before I start I want to talk about all the most important events in the history of videogames, as I call them eras. Each era is very important because they shaped the videogames we know and love today.
Thesis: Console gamers need to understand the over rated outlook of the Macintosh and should invest more of their equipment in PC content. These gamers should use PC instead of Macintosh computers. The lack of gaming capability/availability and user-friendly creativity, high prices, repair capability, more possibilities of cybercrime, and overly gaudy appearance of the Mac are all facts that are never acknowledged by companies and gamers when referring to the Mac as a “gaming” console.
A “Special Exhibition” that was currently being displayed at the Frost Museum was The History of Video Games. It showcased gaming systems dating all the way back to the early 70’s Atari System. It showed computer as well as gaming systems, and images of games such as Super Mario Bros., Doom, and even as far back as PacMan. The exhibit allowed the viewer to experience the incredible way in which the world of video games has changed in a relatively short amount of time. It used actual gaming systems which the participant could
A gaming PC is superior to anything console gaming down to the level of segments it contains. On the off chance that individuals like to level headed discussion, ask a PC gamer and console gamer to clarify why one kind of gaming is superior to the next. Both consoles and PC upgrade the gaming background in their own specific manner, permitting gamer to feel associated and coordinated with better illustrations, smooth motions and fresh, clear sound. This entire contention has found that PC gaming is superior to anything console gaming. Improved illustrations is a main consideration in light of the fact that a diversion with terrible quality is not satisfying to the player. Individuals likewise have the choice to redesign their video card to meet the requests of more up to date innovation and update quality to keep their selves satisfied.
Many video games use visuals to mentally immerse gamers into a virtual world filled with seemingly living, breathing people, animals, or cities. According to Michael Samyn and Auriea Harvey, game designers for Tale of Tales, video games increasingly develop into a true medium of artistic expression (Lamb). In just forty years, video games transformed from an abuse of the new computer for entertainment purposes into a sophisticated form of popular art. The development of video games recently produced results that arguably equal other similar, representational arts. Video games share many qualities with other forms of art, but they are also artistically significant in their own way. “This seems to be something
“In 1972, Atari became the first gaming company to really set the benchmark for a large-scale gaming community. Atari not only developed their games in-house, they also created a whole new industry around the “arcade,” and in 1973, retailing at $1,095, Atari began to sell the first real electronic video game Pong, and arcade machines began emerging in bars, bowling alleys and shopping malls around the world”(Tech Crunch, 2015). As people in the tech industry started to realize that they were catching onto something big, the amount of companies beginning to develop video games increased dramatically. “Between the years of 1972 and 1985, over 15 companies began to develop video games for the rapidly expanding industry”(Tech Crunch, 2015). The evolution of the gaming console was very rapid, and within years had been significantly improved and modified to perform at much higher levels. The leading gaming company, Activision, would later be founded in 1979, starting a new era of gaming. The gaming industry continued its rapid evolution in the 1980s, with increased video game graphics, making many more possibilities for game developers. The iconic gaming company, EA, was later founded in 1982. The 1980s saw the introduction of 3D gaming, absolutely changing the industry forever. As well as 3D gaming being introduced around this time, Japans Nintendo Entertainment System was released, and played a massive role in the evolution of the gaming world. The Nintendo was a huge
Gaming is a hobby where a person plays games, most commonly people who play games or gamers play video or role playing games. Gaming is a popular past time for many people in the United States and even the world today, due to this popularity there are many controversial issues and opinions in gaming. One of these popular issues and differences in opinion come in the form of whether computer or console gaming is a better way to game. Computer gaming is where you are playing games on a computer by downloading games over the internet or playing them through what was put on the computer originally. Whereas, console gaming is where you buy a machine specifically for gaming or playing video games, these consoles come in many forms such as handheld or controller based. However I prefer computer gaming over console gaming due to the greater enjoyment in Computer gaming. Console gamers argue that their games are less expensive in the long run due to changes to the computers that are needed, and also they believe that the graphics and the overall experience of the game is better on consoles. I will strive to show that Computers are a more enjoyable gaming platform by defining the differences and outlining why computers are better than consoles, due to the cheapness of games, and the overall experience of the games which includes the experience in obtaining the game.