Download - Multimedia Games Development COM429
Multimedia Games Development
COM429
Week 6 Evolution and Genres
Lecture overview
Game beginnings Rise of home consoles Rise of arcades Home computers Handhelds Next generation consoles Games genres
In the beginning Evolution of the video game industry can be
traced back to pinball and before. Automatic Industries Whiffle machine (1931)
was one of the first coin operated devices. Evolved to electric machines (1933) with the
addition of cash pay out (later banned)
Early video games
Generally agreed that W.Higginbotham invented the first video game
Oscilloscope based tennis game
Early video games Spacewar (1961), Steve Russell Used toggle switches and allowed two players to
control ships which fired torpedoes at each other Generally accepted as the first real video game
Early video games
Ralph Baer (1972) Magnavox Odyssey Form of ping pong using a moving ball and player
controlled paddles. Game box, two simple controllers and TV as a
display
Early video games: Atari
Nolan Bushnell formed Atari in 1972First commercial success was Pong
Rise of home consoles
Home Pong (Atari) 1975 Telstar (1976) Fairchild Channel F (1976) used
programmable cartridges
Rise of home consoles Atari 2600 (1977) Magnavox Odyssey 2 (1978) Mattel Electronics Intellivision (1979)
Rise of arcades Taito Gunfight (1975) Exidy Games Death Race (1976) Football/Space Invaders (1978)
Rise of arcades Lunar Lander, Atari (1979) Asteroids, Atari (1979) Pac-Man, Namco (1980) Battlezone, Atari (FPS) (1980)
Rise of arcades Donkey Kong, Nintendo (1981) Frogger, Centipede (1981) Pole Position, Joust (1982) Mario Bros, Spy Hunter (1983)
Home consoles evolve Atari ports Space Invaders to the 2600 (1980) Activision formed (1980) Atari ports Pac-Man to the 2600 (1981) Release of E.T. on Atari 2600 (Failed) (1982) Failed release of the Atari 5200 game console General Consumer Electronics Vectrex (1982) Coleco releases Colecovision (1982) Both consoles failed, industry crashed (1984)
Industry crash 1983-1984
Video game market collapsed in 1984. Factors for collapse include
Lack of innovation Over supply Poor strategic choices by Atari Arrival of home computer Press/public perception (Fad)
Rise of the home computerHome computers began to grow in popularity
Use as a gaming platform VIC 20, Commodore (1981) Commodore 64 (1982) Amiga Apple II IBM and IBM clones
Arrival of developers e.g. EA, Lucas Arts
Consoles:Nintendo/Sega Famicom, Nintendo (1984) Launched as Nintendo Entertainment System
(NES) in USA (1985) Sega Master System, Sega (1986)
Console market was reborn
Nintendo/Sega Sega Genesis console (16-bit) Nintendo Super NES (1991) Introduced the world to Sonic the Hedgehog
Rise of the arcades II
Street Fighter, Capcom (1987) Street Fighter II, Capcom (1991) Mortal Kombat, Midway (1992)
Rise of the arcades IIl Fighting games revived arcades but they never
fully recovered Arcades focussed on high end games with
specialised hardware
Handheld machines Atari Lynx (1989) Nintendo Game Boy (1990) NEC TurboExpress (1990) Sega Game Gear (1991) Game Boy Colour (2001) Nintendo Game Boy (2003) Nokia N-Gage (2003) Nintendo dual-screen (2004) PSP (2005)
Rise of the home computer II SimCity (1989) Myst (1993) Doom, Id Software (1993) First-person shooter/multiplayer gaming
Console wars (1990’s) Sega Saturn (1994) Sony Play station (1994) Nintendo 64 (1996)
Market supported all versions
Console wars (2000+) Sega Dreamcast (1999) Sony Play station 2 (2000) Nintendo Gamecube (2001) Microsoft Xbox (2001) Sega Dreamcast withdrawn (2001) Internet connectivity on consoles (2002)
Console wars (2005+)
Microsoft 360 (2005)
3 core processor Wireless Hard-drive Network support High-end graphics
Console wars (2005+)Nintendo Wii (2006)
Console wars (2005+) Play station 3 (2006)
Console wars (2005+)
Games (2010+)
Multi-touch
Brain computer interface
Games (2013+)
Game Genres Numerous types of video games Each can be broadly classified as belonging
to a particular genre Appearance of games in the same genre
can look different but will share similar characteristics
Have common design problems Share similar gameplay/mechanics
Genres: Adventure Games Typically story-based High level of puzzle solving to complete game First, second or third person perspective Typically vast complex world, interesting plot lines
and diverse characters No temporal constraints (not real time) Game waits for player action
Myst 1993Tomb Raider
Genres: Action Games Typically real-time games with short reaction times First-person shooter (FPS) e.g. Doom, Call of Duty and
Unreal Tournament Shooting games e.g. Space Invaders Computer generated or human players opponents Fast pace with less focus on puzzle solving
Genres: Role-Playing Games Role-playing games typically involve heroes and quests
Based in large complex worlds with dynamic storyline High level of player management of characters Characters evolve and gain skills High level of combat included to gain skills/magic or
money Diverse range of characters
World of WarcraftFinal Fantasy
Genres: Strategy Games Resource management to fulfill objectives Trade off related to materials, buildings Turn based or real-time Can be either turn-based or real-time Human or AI opponents
Command and conquerRome: Total War
Genres: Simulations Simulations (serious) emulate real world Accuracy is important Requires effort to learn elements of games Typically simulate complex machinery e.g.
Aircraft Simulations (trivial) simplified to facilate
easy game play
Microsoft Flight Simulator 2004
Genres: Sports Games Players typically participate in sporting events Manager or coaching roles Scenario involved single match or entire season High level of accuracy needed to reproduce the rules
and strategies of the game
Madden NFL 2007
Genres: Fighting Games Control figures on screen Use combo’s to attack opponents/defend Basic attacks and complex combinations to master Short periods of action Side view (multiple cameras)
Virtual Fighter 5
Genres: Casual Games Easy-to-play, short length games Little or no learning curve Hearts/solitaire Adapted from TV Players familiar with format so must be followed Players generally want to drop into and out of these
games quickly.
Genres: God Games Games with general objective Players encouraged to experiment No correct way to play Typically open ended
Black & White 2
Genres: Puzzle Games Intellectual challenge Solution is real objective Real-time or not
Tetris
Genres: Educational Games Used to teach while entertaining
(edutainment) Generally aimed at a younger audience Content must be appropriate
Disney Learning Adventure
Genres: Serious GamesApply of game technologies/skills for non-
entertainment applications e.g.
Business/medical/educational/military applications
Business game Pixelearning
Cross Genres Hybrids: Survival horror in space
Genres: Multiplayer /Online Covers any of genres discussed but includes
multiplayer network play Hundreds/thousands of players May evolve into online communities Just starting off
World of Warcraft
Massively Multiplayer /Online
Multimedia Games Development
COM429
Week 6 Evolution and Genres