|
Are You Game?
Where and when, did man (and according to the Interactive Digital Software Association,47% of women) come by their fascination with video games? Believe it or not, it was not Atari. It wasn’t even Radio Shack’s early versions of “Pong”. The concept of games on television dates back to 1949, when Ralph Baer, an engineer with the military airborne electronics firm Lora, was asked to build the best t.v. set ever. He suggested they add a game feature, to distinguish it from other models. He was ignored.
The concept would lie percolating in the fertile minds of six computer programmers, until 1962, when they produced the first game on a Dec PDP-1 mainframe computer. Two spaceships battled each other for supremacy while orbiting around a simulated sun. The groundbreaking game was called SpaceWar, and burst onto the public scene just as Berlin Wall went up, John Glenn completed his first space flight, and the cold war was becoming more heated. The time was ripe. This very simplest of programming feats, would set off an industry revolution leading to the creation of major corporations, when it became evident that computer use for entertainment was going to mean major profits. Programming became fun, and financially rewarding. The game attracted such a cult following, and was so addictive, that at M.I.T. playing was banned except at lunch and after working hours.
In 1962 there were no game patents, simply because until SpaceWar, there were no games. The team of six programmers, led by Steve Russell, freely gave out their instructions which were then improved on and revised by other software programmers. The race to develop more and better games was on.
Video games are now outstripping movies in terms of mass appeal. The movie quality visual effects and high calibre sound quality make them unbeatable for providing not only entertainment, but an interactive experience. In 2001, $14 billion was spent on movies around the world, yet Americans spent $8 billion on games for their homes and another $7 billion in arcade games. A high quality video game can surpass the movie experience in terms of usability, realism, return use/viewing, and active participation. The artificial intelligence that has developed over the years, enables players to now focus on the game premise, instead of having to interrupt the action for sequencing problems, which previous games could not deal with.
Gaming has now gone beyond simple entertainment. A study carried out in Britain early in 2002 by Teachers Evaluating Educational Multi-Medai (TEEM) advocates the incorporation of computer games as beneficial to developing strategic thinking and planning skills. The study, which involved 700 children aged 7-16 years, showed that rather than being a solitary activity, children chose to play in pairs or groups.
A team of programmers at MediaLab Europe, in Dublin, Ireland, are now attempting to create games that operate on the exact opposite attraction of most video entertainment: high tension, and sustained excitement. Their trial programs are designed to function “competitively” only when the player relaxes, promoting stress relief and potentially alleviating depression. The games are operated by galvanic skin response technology, the same thing that powers lie detectors. In one dragon racing game pioneered by team leader Dr. Gary McDarby, the skin’s ability to conduct electricity changes as the player relaxes, making the dragon go faster. Next on their drawing board is a game incorporating galvanic skin response and brain reaction, where the player wears a cap with sensors that pick up changes in brain wave patterns. Relaxed, doors open for the player. The more tense, the more difficult the game. McDarby and team hope to benefit children with attention span difficulties with their newest creation.
When you look back at the last 40 years in game development, it would appear that career opportunities in design will be viable for some time to come. Video game entertainment has become big business without boundaries.
|
Digital Design
