Video games as we see today has undergone a lot of development over the course of time. The earlier games were not accessible to be played by the normal users and could be played only on mainframes. Now the games can be played on a relatively large number of devices like PC, mobiles and TV screens as well. Earlier the games were quite easy to develop and could be developed by even single individuals. Nowadays, the game development process is a bit complex and numerous people work together for months and even years to develop a game. The games nowadays even reach the budget of millions of dollars totaling in the development and marketing costs. It is because of the gradual increase in the complexity of the games.
Here we are going to go into the history of the video game development that will provide an idea of how the game development process has evolved over the years and how it is going to evolve further. This will help you to focus while pursuing the Game Development Courses degree.
Early days:
The earlier games developed were quite simple games that used to run on Mainframe computers. These devices were quite costly and hence were available only for the experts. Then Atari introduced gaming for the general public with the help of video game consoles. One could see gaming consoles everywhere in the bowling alleys, theatres, shopping malls, bars, etc. These used to attract a lot of gaming enthusiasts.
PC Days:
With the advent of Apple Windows PC, the computer games became accessible to the general public. These were pixelated black and white games with simple graphics. Most of these games consisted of Arcade games. Earlier the simple games could be developed even by single developers. Then the gaming market grew rapidly at a faster pace where the games were developed to be used for various platforms. Gradually the gaming consoles evolved as they started supporting colors. Then the games came in color versions but were still pixelated. Gradually multiplayer gaming was also introduced. This underwent a lot of changes with the introduction of latest technology and increase in the processing power of the computers.
Availability on consoles and mobiles:
As the games became widely accessible, dedicated consoles were developed to help the users play games. These provided better playing options and were specifically designed to play games. With the advent of mobiles, games were introduced on these which too underwent a lot of development from the black and white games to HD games.
Current scenario:
Now the complex mass multiplayer games are the most played games with the players spread all over the world with thousands of users. Apart from that many high ends games are available that require vast amounts of GPU power, CPU power, and RAM. Cross platform gaming makes it easy to play games anytime anywhere.
Future of gaming:
As per the predictions of a large number of gaming experts, Virtual Reality (VR) and Artificial Intelligence (AI) technology are expected to play a massive role in the game development process. Game development using these technologies are still in the beginning phase but is expected to see a massive boost and has a huge potential. Many big players too are looking to encash this opportunity as heavy investments have been made.
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