How Have Games Continued to Adapt and Change Through the Years?

Since the earliest forms of video game emerged, more than four decades ago, the genre has changed almost beyond recognition. Text-based, large-pixel adventures have, for the most part, been replaced with an astonishingly sophisticated range of immersive experiences: from photo-realistic narrative-driven games, to highly stylised puzzlers.

How did we get here? A number of distinct developments have made it possible.

Technological Advancements

Transistors have been getting progressively smaller, which means that computing power has been rising. What was impossible just a few years ago is now commonplace. Just think of the introduction of ray-tracing technology.

It’s this trend that’s made possible new kinds of gaming devices, from home consoles to mobile ones – from old cathode-ray displays to modern OLED ones, and VR headsets, too. The result has been an experience that’s many times more immersive and compelling.

Rise of Mobile Gaming

The development of the mobile phone, in particular, is worth remarking on. It’s now possible to enjoy an astonishing array of games, wherever you are in the world. The commute home on a busy train can be made much more enjoyable, when you have the right digital distraction.

Growth of Online Gaming

Gaming used to be a solitary experience. But now, thanks to the emergence of the internet, it can be a highly social one. Gamers who share the same preferences and tastes are now able to come together in ways that were once unthinkable. They can compete against one another, or enjoy the same story-based experience in a cooperative way.

This has made entirely new kinds of gameplay possible, but it’s also breathed new life into old formats. For example, if you have access to a phone, it’s now possible to play a classic round of slots, and thereby simulate the casino experience.

Incorporation of Augmented and Virtual Reality

We’ve already looked at how new hardware has helped to make virtual, and augmented, reality experiences possible. Through these technologies, it’s possible to truly immerse yourself in a virtual world, in a way that traditional displays can’t match.

The success of augmented-reality titles like Pokémon Go and virtual-reality ones like Half Life: Alyx demonstrates that there’s an appetite for these new kinds of experience. It falls to designers to create the hardware that will make these games accessible to the average gamer, and to make the technology truly mainstream.