Comp 1: Videogames

🎮 Evolution Of Gaming 🎮

1957

The first video game “Tennis for Two” was created on 18th October, 1958, when physicist William Higinbotham and Robert Dvorak, invented a very simple tennis game. Many more complicated games were developed in 1960’s but computing power was much limited back then and they were all rudimentary by today’s standards.  One popular game of that era was “Spacewar!” where two players engaged into an interstellar space fight.

1972

As time moved on, video games became more and more complicated. The next decade saw the advent of console gaming. First generation consoles such as Magnavox Odyssey, Telstar and Home Pong had very basic graphics, with sprites being basic lines, dots or blocks and often had no audio. These games were mostly black and white or two primary colours only.

1976

With the second generation came artificial intelligence for bad guys to allow for a single player gaming experience. The sprites became more complex and a game could display a dizzying 4-bit 16 color graphics scheme. During this time arcades based games also become popular with classics such as Space Invaders and Asteroids being developed.

1978

1980

During the 1980’s a Japanese company named Nintendo took the world by storm with their Nintendo Entertainment System (NES) rapidly becoming the best-selling gaming console of the decade. During this time home computing also became very popular with faster processors and many game such as California Games were created for platforms like Commodore 64.

1981

1985

1986

1987

1988

1989

1990

1991

1993

The next big development in the world of gaming was the birth of First-Person Shooter (FPS). Games like Wolfenstein 3D and Doom completely revolutionized the gaming experience and these were expanded further with games like Unreal and Half-Life.

1994

Increasingly video games became more of an entire world to explore, with complex and increasingly more realistic and real-life graphics with smoother game play. Important transition during this era was that games could be played in multiplayer mode online, either by dialing up a friend or connecting to a dedicated server. The FPS genre became extremely popular, a popularity which is enjoyed to this day.

1995

1996

As advancements continued, more complex games were developed across many different genres. Role-Playing Games (RPG) where the player go on quests and level up characters, often in a fantasy world setting became quite popular. The first Massively Multiplayer Online (MMOs) were created around this time. While most of the first MMOs were very basic and text based they followed the same trend of development and increased graphical complexity.

2000

2001

2002

2003

2005

Casino games have become quite popular around this time. The player can play video slots, table games or get a video feed of a live action blackjack table. Online casinos are a billion-dollar business and a competitor to Brick and Mortar gambling palaces. The Fortune Coin Company introduced a video bell slot machine that became the first draw poker machine and an instant success and this is said to have brought video poker to the masses.

2006

2008

2010

2011

2012

2014

2015

GAMING REGULATION

PEGI:

Pan European Game Information (PEGI) is a European video game content rating system established to help European consumers make informed decisions when buying video games or apps through the use of age recommendations and content descriptors. It was developed by the Interactive Software Federation of Europe (ISFE) and came into use in April 2003; it replaced many national age rating systems with a single European system. The PEGI system is now used in more than thirty countries and is based on a code of conduct, a set of rules to which every publisher using the PEGI system is contractually committed.

PEGI 3
The content of games with a PEGI 3 rating is considered suitable for all age groups. The game should not contain any sounds or pictures that are likely to frighten young children. A very mild form of violence (in a comical context or a childlike setting) is acceptable. No bad language should be heard.

PEGI 7
Game content with scenes or sounds that can possibly frightening to younger children should fall in this category. Very mild forms of violence (implied, non-detailed, or non-realistic violence) are acceptable for a game with a PEGI 7 rating.

PEGI 12
Video games that show violence of a slightly more graphic nature towards fantasy characters or non-realistic violence towards human-like characters would fall in this age category. Sexual innuendo or sexual posturing can be present, while any bad language in this category must be mild. Gambling as it is normally carried out in real life in casinos or gambling halls can be present.

PEGI 16 

This rating is applied once the depiction of violence (or sexual activity) reaches a stage that looks the same as would be expected in real life. The use of bad language in games with a PEGI 16 rating can be more extreme, while games of chance, and the use of tobacco, alcohol or illegal drugs can also be present.

PEGI 18

The adult classification is applied when the level of violence reaches a stage where it becomes a depiction of gross violence, apparently motiveless killing, or violence towards defenceless characters. The glamorisation of the use of illegal drugs and explicit sexual activity should also fall into this age category.