The Evolution of Gaming & Game Development

          For some people, this scenario may seem more familiar to them than to others. You are waking up on a Saturday morning during the early 1970s. This is great day; as it is the weekend, no school, no work, and no responsibilities. You have a very exciting day hanging out with your friends going to the movies and the malt shop. All of you are walking down the street, and you come across an arcade with some of the latest innovations for children entertainment. They have all types of video games from companies called Atari, Nintendo, and Sega. These new games interest you and your friends with their cool pixeled graphics and the strange little sound of beeps and boops. Across the country and the world, arcades and so-called video games are taking shape. They are pretty basic but highly entertaining. However, in many people’s eyes, this is only a trend that will die off within the next ten to twenty years. Guess what, they were right! Within a decade, arcades are on the decline, though still popular. Arcades are losing business, but not to people getting bored with video. On the contrary, in the mid and late 1970s, video games are now being played in many people’s homes; as companies have come out with new platforms and consoles that allows kids and adults enjoy video games from their very own homes.
          The first gaming console was the biggest leap in gaming evolution. For about twenty to thirty years, many companies continued to up their game development technology to offer the player a better experience. Over this time, games got more complex and began using new methods, mechanics, graphics, a processing that allowed them to become better and draw more people into them. In 1994, something truly incredible happened in the gaming industry. The tech company Sony released one of the most powerful consoles that had never been seen before. This console was called the Playstation. This console was an amazing miniature computer that allowed for some of the most advanced gameplay in the world at the time. It prompted companies to begin boosting their research and development for video games and to improve graphics and game mechanics. The birth of a new gaming age had just begun. Within a few years in 2001, Microsoft decided to enter the gaming industry by introducing the X-box a rival console to the PlayStation that spark a console competition between Sony and Microsoft that would span for decades to come. Many people could not believe that gaming had not disappeared yet, but rather it was becoming more popular and innovated by the year. This growth carried on into the 21^st century.
          It is a Saturday morning, I wake up and decide to play a few games on my PlayStation 2. It has been about a decade since the release of the first PlayStation. I am enjoying an experience playing a game called Battefield 3, a great war game that focuses on modern warfare that literally makes you feel that you are on the Battefield. Gaming is my favorite past time, and I just found out that Sony is about to release their new PlayStation 3. Microsoft is also about to release the X-Box 360. The competition still goes on. Now the graphics and mechanics are unimaginable compared to that of the early 1970s. We have full fledged models, animations, music, videos, mechanics, and more. The games are so realistic that it is almost unbelievable. A few years past, now there is a PlayStation 4 and X-Box 1. The gaming industry has rapidly been growing so fast that it is almost impossible to keep up with it anymore. Graphics are more realistic then ever, and new development companies are springing up now than ever. I have decided to go to college to study Game Development and Design. Yes, it is unbelievable, I am going to a university so I can learn and play video games. Many people can hardly believe that such a career exists, but it does. I am also part of a professional gaming team for competition that actually has state, national, and international games with cash prizes and international recognition. There was one tournament that was held that the grand prize was $3 million. Consoles are slowly being replaced by the PC (Personal Computer) that is designed and dedicated to playing video games. It is almost impossible to believe that this one simple hobby and entertainment mechanic that is now making billions of dollars a year, and it has been predicted that it will eventually engulf the Super Bowl and other world physical sports. I am so happy to be part of this rapid growth and evolution of gaming and game development. The next phase that is predicted to taking the gaming industry is dealing with virtual reality!