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TABLE OF 6 7 12

1980:

GOLDEN ERA OF ARCADES

1990:

3D & HANDHELDS

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10 THE FORMULA

CONTENTS 16

BREAK IN THE FORMULA

ARCADE

INTRO

COVER

GRAPHICALLY

THE RISE OF INDIES

CLOSING REMARK

17 1

D A EH PH AN IC A C LL ED Y

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PONG PONG PONG PONG PONG PONG PONG PONG PONG PONG PONG PONG PONG PONG PONG PONG PONG PONG PONG PONG PONG PONG PONG PONG PONG PONG PONG PONG PONG PONG When PONG PONG PONG PONG PONG PONG PONG PONG PONG PONG PONG PONG PONG PONG PONG AFTER PONG’S success, video game companies started creating games for the early mainframe computers with little to no success, leading to the video game crash in 1978. It wasn’t until Space Invaders hit the scene later on that year that video games started becoming a profitable market again, even more so than before racking up in the hundred thousands for units sold, and billions of more revenue than Pong ever generated. Similar to Pong, Space Invaders was a very intuitive game: hit enemies without being hit. One of the things that Space Invaders incorporated that Pong didn’t have was the feature of having a high score. This not only encouraged people to beat other’s high score but also encouraged themselves to beat their own high score. It was addicting not only in the sense of gameplay but also beating a personal goal of beating a high score, a mechanic that is used in video games to this day. DUE to the limited technology in the arcade era, designers had to work hard to make a game design and mechanic stand out from the rest. Back then, it wasn’t about making the graphics as realistic as possible (partly because designers were limited in what they could do) but making a style and gameplay that was more appealing than the next. ANOTHER key component arcade games utilized was the “play more” option. If the player dies, oftentimes they are asked if they want to continue in exchange for inputting another quarter or two. This strategy allowed developers to make the extra buck and allow players the option to continue playing.

ARC ADE video games first hit the public scene in arcades, they were hugely popular. Back then, it didn’t take much to make a trulyengaging game for the innovative move in new technology was engaging in itself. When Pong graced the scenes of arcades in 1972, it instantly became a hit selling 19,000 machines worldwide, opening the gate for other companies to develop their own video games. One of the things that contributed to Pong’s global success was its simplistic and intuitive mechanic, similar to that of tennis in which the user and their opponent tries to hit a ball past their opponent.

marked a significant shift in the video game industry from arcade games with basic mechanics and simple black and white graphics to mechanics that marked the beginning of video game genres and graphics with color and depth. One of the most significant changes however was the incorporation of dialogue, a component that was more of a second thought in the early arcade era instead of a forefront thought. Prior to the 1980’s, dialogue was limited in the sense that the only dialogue or use of language on the screen was to compliment the mechanics. Now, dialogue meant that players could engage in a full interactive story with characters. The introduction of dialogue in emerging genres such as action-adventure games like The Legend of Zelda, role playing games like Dragon Slayer, and text-based games like Zork marked the beginning of a new era of storytelling in video games.

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ANOTHER GENRE that emerged from 1980 was the puzzle game genre. Puzzle games were significant for players had to quickly find solutions to problems. A fine example of this was Tetris in which the player must quickly rotate falling blocks to fit within already fallen blocks before time runs out. This incorporation of a timed video game was essential to gameplay for like high scores, time allowed players another way of

attempting to beat their high score. This genre of gaming was significant

because it made players have to not just beat enemies or obstacles in

their own way, but they also had to race against time and other players.

ONE of the most significant genres that emerged in the 1980’s was role playing games. Role playing games enabled the player choices which would effect their gameplay later on within the game. Although other games incorporated similar mechanics, role playing games were different in the sense that their choices could alter the entire gameplay while other game options could only alter specific components within a game without changing its entirety. This new mechanic of “options” allowed the player to truly feel as if the decisions they made altered the game, much like real life.

GOLDEN ERA of ARCADES

TETRIS TETRIS TETRIS TETRIS TETRIS The 1980’s TETRIS TETRIS TETRIS TETRIS TETRIS TETRIS TETRIS TETRIS TETRIS TETRIS TETRIS TETRIS TETRIS TETRIS TETRIS TETRIS TETRIS TETRIS TETRIS TETRIS TETRIS TETRIS TETRIS TETRIS TETRIS TETRIS TETRIS TETRIS TETRIS TETRIS TETRIS TETRIS TETRIS TETRIS TETRIS TETRIS TETRIS TETRIS TETRIS TETRIS

GAMEBOY GAMEBOY GAMEBOY GAMEBOY GAMEBOY GAMEBOY GAMEBOY GAMEBOY1990 GAMEBOY GAMEBOY GAMEBOY3D GAMEBOY and HANDHELDS s ’ GAMEBOY GAMEBOY GAMEBOY 0 9 9 The 1 GAMEBOY GAMEBOY GAMEBOY GAMEBOY GAMEBOY GAMEBOY GAMEBOY GAMEBOY GAMEBOY 8 GAMEBOY GAMEBOY GAMEBOY great the 90’s p l e e d a m GS that as that m u l t i o E THIN H T to g es w F O elopers eo gam ONE v id e v d d to e w rds d playin rega a t f o r m s a l l o gameplay an ents f m pl terms o 3D ele video e box in rporation of ystath la e P id d outs Inco 4 an 6 . e o c d n n ie r inte wed de er expe e the N epth and allo k t li o s N le . o d re on cons video games ad befo e ld s h r e v e n h ve f hand sh they tion ga the poli in t e g r a t io n o developers s r e p lo ve the ce ration is b u t p e r ie n o n ly t h a n o t h e r e x fore: the integ vele d d b e e a ll o w e ccess to es. This mad r was a e v a didn’t h go video gam hat the playe For w es. of on-th sider not only e player wa mes th n a o g opers c ut also where er Gameboy li b could r r playing n, a lot of ea mes a playe a o these g s f a i t min me o r o this re o S h . s o f e g do Tetris. consiste y when on th emakes like pla ade r quickly de arc lu c in s game

mes ideo ga hv e p a p uld sh ed gra that wo ift of rasteriz gy, and s e g n a h the s ant ch e strate signific e 1990’s was ters, real-tim layer played d e k r a p o m o f th nges o rst-person sh ped how the t not only in a h c t n a fi a a h c s s th s a ifi o ie s n v . ch ig als console d even mo most s of genres su , they s e le e ip th r lt f n le u o e a and g n of m duction e. One ces riv to com and the intro ape graphics e introductio rchestral pie s r a e y th o for hics ’s sh mated oy and D grap the 90 Gameb ted fully auto ics to 3 Not only did e th like ora . MMO’s . Handhelds t also incorp e u m b the ga D graphics le 3 d incredib e d d e clu c u d ne ro 90’s p ave it backbo E H T g hat UGH opped ALTHO also halted w s. Arcades dr ardit de 0’s, h results, t place: arca the 200 ropped e r s fo r e fi b d in the 0’s and games r in the 9 itially arcade sed, fo a e r c rapidly in In . y it d r e te xis pula gam s ly any e e gaming po the arcade y om onsole when h ould now pla me game c c to an ho veling players d on their a tr f o emerve nce they lo e inconvenie but the d 36 is th th nly s 16 an de without cation. Not o such a y ma lo g e lo d o chn arca raphics aphte g w D e 3 n d of the gr include gence lar, for s that u ic p h o p aphics. p a r bit g more ade gr c r g a in m d e ga exceed home finally d a h ics

GAMEBOY

THE FORMULA

ARCHETYPE SIMILARITIES

ACHIEVEMENTS HIGH RESOLUTION GRAPHICS

SPACE INVADERS SPACE INVADERS VIOLENCE SEXUALIZATION SPACE INVADERS SPACE INVADERS SPACE INVADERS SPACE INVADERS When SPACE INVADERS SPACE INVADERS SPACE INVADERS SPACE INVADERS SPACE INVADERS SPACE INVADERS SPACE INVADERS SPACE INVADERS SPACE INVADERS SPACE INVADERS SPACE INVADERS SPACE INVADERS 10 ALTHOUGH these trends made up a lot of early video gameplay, they were specific to their genre. At first it appeared genre specific, such as first person shooters and RPG’s (role playing games), although eventully trends expanded to all genres. After awhile, video games began feeling like the same game repeated multiple times rather than being a new experience on its own. First person shooters especially began feeling the same: a video game where you shoot things with some form of gun from a first-person perspective. Breaking out of that box seemed to be too risky for a lot of Triple-A companies.

video games started becoming recognized as a profitable medium, many companies began adopting common trends which popular video games utilized. Many of these trends included having some kind of post-play reward (high score, achievements), making use of the advancements in technology such as incorporating the highest resolution graphics of the time (such as 3D), and adopting common archetypes and themes which prior successful games had (female damsel in distress, a male protagonist, and the most controversial: sexually portrayed women). Another key component of a lot of video games was the incorporation of DLC’s (downloadable content). This allowed developers leeway in releasing a game being that if the ending was poor, they could just create an alternate ending with a purchasable DLC. Another thing which was great about DLC’s for a lot of companies was that more DLC’s meant more money; so instead of just putting down one payment for purchasing the game, now developers could charge more money on the same game for new content. One of the most controversial games that did this was Mass Effect 3, where players hated the ending so much that the company released an alternate ending.

AS A RESULLT of this adoption of common trends, many companies not only stopped creating new experiences but rather expanded on old ideas or copied old idess. An example of this is Galaga and Galaxa, two arcade video games which copied the basic mechanics of Space Invaders (shoot moving enemies without being hit). Galaga and Galaxa aren’t the only video games which fall victim to this. Games like Katamari Damacy, a video game experience many claim to be truly unique in which the player rolls a ball in order to pick-up objects it rolls over, is actually a modified 3D version of Snakes (as you acquire objects, you increase in size). Many video games which began adopting trends also continued making what they knew: making games that they knew would make them money. In other words, video games became more like a way of making money than making a new experience.

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BREAK IN THE FORMULA

WHEN

indie games first started appearing in the early 90’s, many people didn’t know what to make of it. Not only were video games just beginning to rise in popularity on computers and on consoles with the Super Nintendo and Playstation, but they were also challenging what a video game was capable of both graphically and genre-wise. Because a lot of the big companies at the time like Nintendo and Sony were putting out games that were both innovative in appearance and gameplay, there was no need for something that would fill this need for a new experience and thus indie games were oftentimes overlooked. OVERTIME however, a lot of video games began adopting the same patterns. Most first person shooters were the same formula: shooting first person with a gun, while a lot of role playing games followed similar structured patterns (grinding, skills etc.). Finding an experience that broke this Triple-A norm was challenging, especially when critics focused on the mainstream games and usually gave high reviews on widely acclaimed rating magazines like IGN and Game Informer. A few titles however broke the standard genre archetypes. One of such, Kingdom Hearts, was a Square-Enix RPG game where the player could travel between different Disney worlds and engage with different Disney and Final Fantasy characters. What made this game different from every other RPG was that not only could you travel between worlds and engage with a lot of well-known characters (and some not well known characters), but it also had a child-like Mickey style with big shoes and exuberant outfits, making this a game for all ages internationally.

ANOTHER Triple-A title that broke the standard video game cliché was Okami. Okami, a Capcom video game where the player is a celestial wolf that restores peace to the world through the use of a paintbrush, not only created a fighting mechanic in itself where the player used a paintbrush to brush attacks but also created a truly beautiful world. Its emphasis on a Japanese painting style instead of realistic graphics really gave this game an extra punch that not many video games were utilizing at the time.

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LIMBO LIMBO LIMBO LIMBO LIMBO After Triple-A LIMBO LIMBO LIMBO LIMBO LIMBO The LIMBORLIMBO LIMBO LIMBO LIMBO SE INDIES LIMBOofLIMBO LIMBO LIMBO LIMBO LIMBO LIMBO LIMBO LIMBO LIMBO LIMBO LIMBO LIMBO LIMBO LIMBO LIMBO LIMBO LIMBO LIMBO LIMBO LIMBO LIMBO LIMBO LIMBO LIMBO LIMBO LIMBO LIMBO LIMBO LIMBO15 titles had been around for a while in the 2000’s and high quality graphics became the video game norm, indie video games really started making a prominent stand in the video game industry. A lot of veterans of the video game industry were becoming sick of the same old first person shooter or the repetitive RPG genre and wanted something more than what had been done before. This is where indie video games came in, video games made by independent video game companies who don’t work for a mainstream Triple-A company. One of the biggest indie game successes which really put video games on the map was a block-building video game by the name of Minecraft. Minecraft’s huge success reaching over 35 million copies sold showed video game developers, artists, and writers alike that indie video games could prosper in a once Triple-A dominated industry.

ANOTHER shift in indie video game company uprising was the increase in mobile use. App video games allowed players an alternative on-the-go playable option and quickly took off with the emergence of the iPhone and Android. Indie video game for phones are not what a lot of console/PC gamers call “legit video games.” This is usually because iPhone video games are short and simple, meant to be played for short durations of times, having one to three mechanics (touch, swipe, tilt). They’re goal is usually to make a quick buck using a simple and fun mechanic rather than making a truly emersive emotional experience. App games like Flappy Bird are generally not what a PC indie developer wants to be compared to; PC and console indie games like FEZ and Journey, more likely.

WHAT FEZ and Journey do which other mainstream games don’t is they utilize aesthetic style and unique gameplay. FEZ for example expands on the 2D and 3D concept, creating a 2D game in a 3D space (or what players call, 2.5D). Journey on the other hand is effective in a different sense in that it has gender neutral characters that look the same who work together to complete tasks. One of the unique mechanics of Journey is that the player does not fight in the game, a reoccuring trend in the indie game world that a lot of mainstream titles hardly ever use. Other games like The Unfinished Swan (a game where in order to see the world you must splatter paint on it) and Rain (a game where the main character is a boy who can only be seen in the rain but vanishes under shelter) truly defy what it means to create a game that doesn’t rely heavily on graphics or a genre but relies heavily on experience.

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When all is said in done, video games are subjective. People like certain styles and gameplay more than others and that shouldn’t be discredited for. As video games grow in the coming years, who knows what will become of the trending industry. Some say we can expect virtual reality, others say every system is going to require glasses or will incorporate some form of 3D. What can be certain is despite whatever the Triple-A companies do, we will always have indie video games to bring us back to our roots of what we love.

TYPE: Typed in Bauhaus 93 and Helvetica.

conclusion

What makes a video game “good” should not be based on how “up-to-date” its graphics are. If we critiqued every painter on how realistic his or her paintings are, than what would become of Van Gough? Like any artistic genre, video games have style. Whether a developer decides to create a realistic style or something cartoony is an artistic decision that should not be discounted for. Another thing that should be taken into consideration is that video games are not just a visual experience; it is also an interactive one. The gameplay and storyline usually play a part in what a video game is, depending on the game.

COLOPHON

have made a tremendous leap in history from a medium with just text on a computer screen to a fully interactive experience with high quality 3D graphics (and literal 3D) to mechanics that rival the most complicated algorithms. As for any growing medium, as technology advances and new genres are created within the medium, the visual quality and interactive experience tends to be up-to-date and in a lot of cases, overused. Video games are no exception, at least when it comes to Triple-A titles. It’s rare to find a Triple-A title that’s non-family oriented or geared towards kids that doesn’t strive to make the most realistic graphics possible. It is true that some Triple-A titles break this habit with innovative styles like Okami with its Japanese water color painting scenery and Borderlands with its edgy cell shading, but its found far less often than realistic games like Call of Duty or most notably, the Metal Gear Solid series.

TECHNOLOGY https://web.archive.org/web/20090223095707/http://www.time.com/time/covers/1101050523/console_timeline/ | http://www.nowgamer.com/features/894697/the_definitive_space_invaders_part_1.html | http://www.digitpress.com/library/magazines/electronic_games/electronic_games_ winter81.pdf | http://www.pbs.org/kcts/videogamerevolution/history/timeline_flash.html | http://www.electronicbookreview.com/thread/firstperson/ vigilant | http://web.archive.org/web/20080228191914/http://intl-nms.sagepub.com/cgi/reprint/8/1/117.pdf | http://www.pong-story.com/intro.htm

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