Videogame Photo Essay by Charlie Dotson

Introduction

20023775 — 2024-02-06 14:46:33 UTC

Video Games, everyone has played them at least once. Whether it's Fortnite, Call of Duty, or Minecraft. Videogames started not that long ago. Despite that, it is now the biggest entertainment industry in the world. Going over how the game mechanics, graphics, and the hardware has changed over the years.

Conclusion

20023775 — 2024-02-06 14:47:32 UTC

Now it has become obvious how the game mechanics, graphics, and hardware of video games have completely changed since they were introduced. It is important to look back at where video games came from so we can gain an appreciation for how far we've come. It's awesome to see where video games came from and where they are, but there's one other thing, the future. The future of video games is a bright one of new games and consoles. We even have platforms like VR that completely revolutionize the way we can play them. Thankfully, video games aren't slowing down or going away anytime soon.

Subtopic #1

20023775 — 2024-02-13 14:22:53 UTC

Now pressing the start button The first evolution is the game mechanics. According to game-wisdom.com “The 21st century has brought about impressive advancements in video game technology, leading to the emergence of innovative gameplay mechanics.” From the portal gun in portal to the platforming in super mario. Everything builds upon everything else and there are new gameplay mechanics all the time. Some examples of great gameplay mechanics are the gravity gun from Half-Life 2, climbing colossi in Shadow of the Colossus, and gliding in the Batman Arkham Tetralogy. Now evident the ways we can play video games has changed a lot, but the way they look has too.

Subtopic #2

20023775 — 2024-02-13 14:23:25 UTC

Now let’s press pause to stop and take a look at the graphics. Gamesurve.com says “Video game graphics have come a long way since their humble beginnings in the early 1950s. Since then, they've evolved from simple 8-bit characters to photorealistic 3D worlds, the evolution of video game graphics has been a constant source of awe and amazement for gamers everywhere”(The Evolution of Video Game Graphics: From 8-bit to Photorealistic).

Subtopic #3

20023775 — 2024-02-13 14:26:29 UTC

Now roll credits as we look at the hardware. Medium.com states “From the earliest arcade machines to the latest consoles and PCs, gaming hardware has come a long way. With each new generation of hardware, we have seen more advanced graphics, sound, and game play. As technology continues to advance, we can expect to see even more stunning and immersive games in the future (Choudhary).” It started with Arcade cabinets like Donkey Kong, Pac-Man, and Mortal Kombat. Then Atari systems like the Atari 2600 swapped the focus to home consoles. It went to Nintendo and SEGA. Nintendo systems like the The NES, SNES, and N64 and SEGA with the SEGA Genesis, SEGA Saturn, and SEGA Dreamcast. Then SEGA stopped making consoles. Keep in mind PC gaming is mixed throughout all of this. Nintendo stayed around and two new competitors emerged, those being Playstation and Xbox. That’s where we are today. We’ve come a long way in the hardware we use to play games. From faster load times to improved processing power. Games have been able to be better because of our advancements in hardware.

Subtopic #2 continued

20023775 — 2024-03-06 22:33:32 UTC

We went from 2D including 8, 16, and 32 bit graphics to early 3D graphics like Mario 64, Half-life, and Goldeneye 007 all the way to now with games like Red Dead Redemption 2, Uncharted, God Of War (2018), and Gta V. They all look very realistic. There is even a game called Unrecord that has yet to be released and it has graphics that are virtually indistinguishable from reality. Graphis now are near real life. It’s crazy how it has evolved. There’s one last thing that has had a huge impact on the evolution of video games. Some would argue the most important.