Introduction
Video games and gaming technology have witnessed the most rigorous shifts and changes compared to any other entertainment art form. However, it was not until 1980s that the industry finally started – the previous years were mainly experimental, with fewer commercial breakthroughs. The Atari video computer system of 1977 is a good example of the evolutionary changes the gaming industry has been witnessing over the years. It was regarded by many as the precursor to modern consoles and other classical features. In the final half of the 20th century, technology helped transform video games into objects of cult devotion and the bleeding edge of human ingenuity. In essence, graphics technology advancements, combined with the easy accessibility provided by online gaming platforms such as Twitch, have shaped not only the evolutionary process of video games but also the way they are consumed.
How Video Games And How Gaming Technology Have Evolved
The evolutionary journey to the current state of gaming started way back in the 1950s. It is important to note that most game-like programs that dominated this period were mainly recreations of tabletop games. For instance, in 1951 the British mathematician Alan Turing tried to change Turochamp, “a chess game capable of playing against a human, for the Ferranti Mark 1 in Manchester” (Pallavicini et al., 2019, p. 135). However, he died before he could actualize his invention and ensure it ran unaided. Other games common during this period were largely training programs, such as William Higinbotham’s idea of installing Tennis for two players, which led to the development of Pong (Pallavicini et al., 2019). It took another 11 years (1962) before the first original game recognized as Spacewar was developed by Steve Russell and several other MIT colleagues. As described by Pallavicini et al. (2019),“the game was a basic dogfight between two human-controlled spaceships around a star’s gravity well” (p. 136). The game worked well on platforms such as the PDP-1 minicomputer.
The emergence of companies such as Atari, Namco, Midway and Taito in the 1980s brought with them significant changes in the gaming industry. For instance, these companies were engaged in fierce competition as each was trying to develop the most engaging machines for its audience (Saucier, 2022). The Taito’s Space Invaders (1978) is cited as the most unique of these early machines – it had a high score memory combined with background music (Saucier, 2022). In 1979, Atari introduced Asteroids, which added more unique features such as a leaderboard. However, Namco’s Pac-Man in 1980 is regarded as one of the few games that saw video gaming evolve into objects of cult devotion. This led to the development of home consoles, which emphasized story-driven RPG games more (Saucier, 2022). Some of the common games include Zelda, Dragon Quest and Final Fantasy. Throughout the 1980s, video technology continued to shrink several components for gaming, including Nintendo’s Game (Saucier, 2022). The 3D graphics further led to the development of new and more genres of games. The programmers started using this new technology in home PCs and successfully created the first-person shooter.
By mid-90s most of the features that are currently being used in modern gaming had started appearing. For example, gamepads with joysticks, D-pads as well as consoles and PCs were dominant during this period. Similarly, technological advancements in the graphics card and the transition from 64-bit to 128-bit processors gave gamers a whole new experience (Saucier, 2022). In 2000s, online gaming was introduced with the emergence of games such as EverQuest and World of Warcraft – they attracted millions of players to the fictional realms. However, Saucier (2022) observed that most games that required precision were not available due to poor internet speed. The website 4chan became popular towards the end of the decade – it helped address the limitations existing in the late 1990s.
Video Games as Objects of Cult devotion
Video games are increasingly attracting different players across the globe and from diverse cultures. According to Aslinger and Huntemann (2013), “video games inherently transnational by the virtue of their industrial, textual and player experience” (p. 23). In a different study, Shaw (2010) described video games as a product of contemporary culture because it comes with cultural elements that can easily be replicated in different formats. This explains why these games are popular with diverse age groups, genders, sexuality and nationality. Shaw (2010) further noted that the cultural perspective of video games focuses more on the gamers’ experiences gained through repeated interactions at the global level.
Although video games are popular with sexuality and genders, most of these games are strongly associated with men. This is because unlike women, men are highly devoted to playing these games – they are considered hard-core gamers because they play more skillfully. Paaßen et al. (2017)gave an overview of Cosplay, which, despite starting off as anime, soon transitioned into gaming. This was informed by the overlap in the audiences of Japanese games and anime.Cosplay was popular among female players because it allowed recreation of costumes of popular game characters. This, as explicated by Paaßen et al. (2017), “provided away of characters to express their passion for gaming and unleash their creative and role-playing sides” (p. 435). In fact, Cosplay was introduced after the gaming climate was criticized for being misogynistic. In addition to this, competitive gaming such as esports is dominated by male players because they are believed to be more physical with fast-twitch muscle fibers and better reaction times.
It is imperative to note that video technology and games just like other forms of artistic production, are not without cult hits. Most of these games are designed in such a way as to capture both the attention and feeling of the consumers – they end up developing a feeling of belonging to a hobby. Emulation has helped ensure games become ease to access, especially the popular ones. A good example such games is Ico, produced in 2001 by Team ICO under the guidance of Fumito Ueda (Paaßen et al., 2017). It soon attracted the attention of many players with most of them lauding its title. It represented mood and visual style which were common features in PS2 library. In fact, critics were quick to compare Ico’s style of play to Prince of Persia, specifically since it exhibited the ambiance of the real world. It was among the early games that utilized bloom effects, a practice that later dominated the gaming industry.
Ico endured for many years and eventually transitioned into a cult classic due to its unique features and game play. Most of the consumers of Ico find its title refreshing on a technical level. Others view it as a precise game requiring its players to solve puzzles as opposed to heavy combat. As a matter of fact, the biggest game designers such as Eiji Aonuma and Hideo Kojima admit that Ico is one of the most influential titles ever created (Paaßen et al., 2017). Game media has consistently helped ensure cult titles such Ico remain popular through re-releases.Paaßen et al. (2017) further observed that video games remain popular “on the backs of fans who remember them and commercially re-releasing titles often goes a long way to preserve them for future generations” (p. 429). This was evidenced well in the Ico &Shadow of the Colossus Collection, which were added to PS3.
Rise of Online Gaming Platforms
In the 1970s, online gaming was only accessible through text-based format – this continued until graphics were introduced. Although several graphical multiplayers such as Multi-User Dungeon (MUD) were introduced, they failed to address the endless demands of consumers (Chew, 2019). The main limitation of these graphics revolved around their quality – it was poor to an extent that many players thought online gaming would not have a future. While it is true online gaming took time to develop due to technical challenges, it soon gained popularity once the issues were addressed. Some of online games such Massively Multiplayer Online Role-Playing Games (MMORPGs) are still popular even today (Chew, 2019). It is important to note that from the beginning, games were creating to convey strong emotions which helped ensure they continue attracting new consumers and retaining the existing ones. Early games such as Pac-man were capable of provoking strong feelings of tension and even paranoia. Most of Shigeru Miyagawa’s designs exhibited imaginative landscapes that appealed to a wider audience.
While there are many online gaming platforms, Twitch and YouTube Gaming are ranked among the most popular platforms. On the one hand, Twitch’s popularity is embedded in the fact that it is user-friendly and has an interactive user interface. It also allows players to live stream their favorite gaming videos on different social media channels (Lin et al., 2019). Most importantly, it allows the gamers to know the total views and followers. On the other hand, YouTube Gaming is one of the most commonly and frequently used online gaming streaming platforms (Lin et al., 2019). It allows the user to develop a wider fan base, a feature that was facilitated through its collaboration with Google AdSense – it helps creators to make good and timely reviews. In countries such as the Philippines, India, and Malaysia, YouTube Gaming was launched to help improve their online presence and publicity. One main advantage of this platform is that it involves low cost and requires less time to develop. Other online gaming platforms include Steam, HitBox, Smashcast and Disco Melee
It is imperative to note that the raise of these online gaming platforms changed how video games are consumed – they are now being viewed and consumed as art. According to Guay-Bélanger (2021), the popularity of online gaming platforms have seen video games being described as a blend of multiple art forms and cultural products. The author further observed that video games, facilitated through these platforms, tend to “pull from art that came before them, becoming, in a way, an assemblage of art forms”. Similarly, Jenkins (n.d.) noted that games now represent a new lively art, one that resonates well with the digital age – those that rely mainly on online gaming platforms. These games are now being consumed as an experience since they are capable of transforming the computer screen through innovative features that are widely accessible. In addition to this, platforms such as Twitch have ensured “games that have been embraced by a public that has otherwise been unimpressed by much of what passes for digital art” (Lin et al., 2019, p. 100). It imperative to note that art exist on the cutting edge that that is where games have dominated for the past few years.
Similarly, video games are now being consumed through role-playing and, in the process, helping model the multi-directional plotting for different games such as Run Lola Run. These games are uniquely designed to provide a memorable experience by maintaining a thin line between reality and digital illusions just as in The Matrix. In addition to this, game interfaces and genres are increasingly being reproduced with a touch of metaphors or other related elements in avant-garde installations. For example, Matthew Barney became an overnight star after he transformed the Guggenheim into a huge video game that was played in his Cremaster filmLin et al., 2019).In this type of game, Mathew allowed the protagonists to fight all the way up the ramps. The artistic nature of this game so several artists in other media try to absorb some key aspects of the video game into their work.
Furthermore, online platforms have provided away for consumers to express their passion since most of them are build on excessive kinetic energy. For instance, children tend to sway from one direction to another with the movement of the characters in the games. Most of them, as explicated by Lin et al. (2019) tend to bounce with the action – they are completely immersed into the moment. Such responses represent the degree of control that most consumers have over what happens in online gaming. In essence, online gaming platforms such as YouTube Gaming ensures consumers control the characters as well as owning the gaming space. The same experience is also felt in the people watching them play – they too, unconsciously mimic the actions being exhibited on the screen. Such games have found a way of creating some level of immersion without necessarily controlling the gameplay. This is done through the use of first-person perspective combined with an iconographic landscape. The bottom line here is that online gaming platforms have ensured designers focus more on the visual presentation of the action to ensure players remain engaged.
Conclusion
Video games and gaming technology have witnessed the most rigorous shifts and changes compared to any other entertainment art form. However, the evolutionary journey to the current state of gaming started way back in the 1950s. Most of the games during this period were largely training programs such as William Higinbotham’s idea of installing Tennis for two players, which led to the development of Pong. The emergence of companies such as Atari, Namco, Midway and Taito in the 1980s brought with them significant changes in the gaming industry. Although video games are popular with sexuality and gender, most of these games are strongly associated with men. This is because, unlike women, men are highly devoted to playing these games – they are considered hard-core gamers because they play more skillfully. In addition to this, rise of online gaming platforms such as Twitch and YouTube Gaming changed how video games are consumed. For instance, Twitch allows players to live stream their favorite gaming videos on different social media channels. Overall, most of the video games are now being consumed as art.
References
Aslinger, B., & Huntemann, N. B. (Eds.). (2013). Gaming Globally: Production, Play, and Place. Palgrave Macmillan.
Chew, M. M. (2019). A critical cultural history of online games in China, 1995–2015. Games and Culture, 14(3), 195-215. Web.
Guay-BĂ©langer, D. (2021). Assembling Auras: Towards a Methodology for the Preservation and Study of Video Games as Cultural Heritage Artefacts. Games and Culture, 15(5), 120-211. Web.
“Henry Jenkins – Games, the New Lively Art.” n.d. Web.
Lin, J. H. T., Bowman, N., Lin, S. F., & Chen, Y. S. (2019). Setting the digital stage: Defining game streaming as an entertainment experience. Entertainment Computing, 31 (4), 100-309. Web.
Paaßen, B., Morgenroth, T., & Stratemeyer, M. (2017). What is a true gamer? The male gamer stereotype and the marginalization of women in video game culture. Sex Roles: A Journal of Research, 76(7-8), 421–435. Web.
Pallavicini, F., Pepe, A., & Minissi, M. E. (2019). Gaming in virtual reality: What changes in terms of usability, emotional response and sense of presence compared to non-immersive video games?. Simulation & Gaming, 50(2), 136-159. Web.
Saucier, J. K. (2022). The video game age: A brief history. IEEE Potentials, 41(2), 7-16. Web.
Shaw, A. (2010). What is video game culture? Cultural studies and game studies. Games and culture, 5(4), 403-424. Web.