How has gaming changed over time? How has touch screen technology changed the games that we play? For this week’s lab, what problems, obstacles or issues have you encountered? If so, did you find a solution? Feel free to discuss your experience, issues, obstacles, workarounds or best-practices
Expert Answer
How has gaming changed over time?
If there is one constant in the video gaming industry, then it is ‘change’. If you were to compare gaming today with the ancient gaming industry of 10 or 15 years ago, it would feel like looking at a black and white picture of your great grandparents and trying to find the resemblance. The topic of how video games have evolved over the years is massive. There have been millions of games created in the 50 years since the creation of 1962’s Spacewar!, the first true video game. Video gaming has improved as technology has improved, and as a result has become more popular and is now part of mainstream culture.
Here are the top 5 technological improvements that have radically changed the way games are being played.
1) Artificial Intelligence Improvement: Technically, AI has been around from the very beginning of the gaming industry. It is not anything innovative. But what is actually new is the fact that AI is beginning to mimic humans more and more each day now. AI is getting more intelligent with each passing year. In addition, it’s already gotten to the point where it is training a computer-controlled player to act like a human. AI can certainly be regarded as the biggest technological advancement in video games since it’s the one that’s quite responsible for the existence of video games.
2) Better Graphics: Technology has apparently allowed for enhanced graphics by means of hardware upgrades. Go online and find a website that allows you to play the original Super Mario Bros, it was one of the best games back in its in the heyday. Now go and play Mario Kart. The graphical differences are night and day and can make one wonder how we suffered through such pixilated graphics.
3) The 3D looks: Now, most games are three-dimensional games. With the betterment of graphics software, they are even looking better. The stride to the third dimension has changed something fundamental regarding the way games look and feel.
4) Online play: Online gaming is one of the biggest changes to hit the industry over the last ten years, since the introduction of widespread reliable broadband. The great thing about online play is that it connects people with other like-minded gamers from all over the world. As well as making possible a wide range of casino gaming, online gaming has facilitated the development of multiplayer experiences including massive multiplayer role-playing games like the hugely popular World of Warcraft.
5) Cloud Based Technology: One of the biggest issues that gamers have is making sure that their device has enough memory or good enough specs to properly play the game. This technology is anticipated to be a real game changer for gamers. In addition to freeing up space on the computer, phone or game console, cloud based technology will make games more accessible for everyone.
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How has touch screen technology changed the games that we play?
The arrival of touchscreen technology must be one of the most intuitive computer interface transitions in history. Capacitive touchscreens use glass displays insulated with a conductive layer. As our fingers are also conductive, touching the screen produces a small charge that produces a disruption in the screen’s electrostatic field, which is recorded. Capacitive technologies are more accurate than resistive and support multi-touch gestures.
With all the recent advancements in the field, touch technology will no doubt have a major influence on the future of video gaming. Today, touchscreens can be found virtually everywhere, starting from smartphones and tablets to the latest notebook computers and laptops. Game developers are doing everything to take advantage of the touchscreen technology in their games. Empowered with modern touch screen technology, today’s mobile technology has also made video gaming a lot better. It frees the player from the living room couch by allowing them to play on their smartphones and tablets. When equipped with the internet this allows for a very small, intuitive, portable gaming set-up that is just perfect for playing on-the-go, irrespective of where you are.