Computer Game History: 1980 – 1999.

The late 80’s onwards is my main area of interest in gaming history as it’s my era; the time when I got my first console and became enveloped in the digital world. However, in the early 80’s, before I was born, the gaming industry developed some problems as it was around this time that publishers came into practice and are said to make developers roles more difficult by enforcing tight, strict deadlines and limited budgets upon them, which still goes on to this day.

The 80’s were not all bad however, as the low costs set by the publishing houses allowed for more innovative games to be created rather than more clones of existing titles. Genres were born such as; action/adventure, beat ‘em up, scrolling platformers, isometric platformers, real-time strategy, and many, many more.

In 1983 the computer game industry experienced it’s second ‘crash’, much more severe than the one in ‘77’ and is known as “The Crash”. This saw the demise of several companies and the end of what is known as “second gen console gaming”. Part of this problem was due to ‘market saturation’. Between ‘83-‘84 there were so many consoles brought to market with too little innovative and new software to sustain them. Seemingly only consoles suffered in this time where home personal computers thrived as they became affordable and were of more use than console systems as they had multiple purposes.

By the 90’s console gaming was back on track and saw the change to 3D graphics from raster 2D and ensured further game genre development and progressed to mainstream entertainment in the home for many. With this progress bigger budgets were available for game development, meaning bigger and better games, technology developments, bigger development teams and thus the continued cycle of sales and further development.

The 90’s fourth generation of consoles ended with the discontinuation of the Super Nintendo Entertainment System in 1999 and saw the rise of more technologically advanced systems such as the Playstation in 1995.

In short, some of the major gaming developments of the 80’s and 90’s include;

·         The shift from 2D to 3D graphics.

·         The decline of Arcade gaming and incline of home console systems and PC’s.

·         The transition from cartridges to optical media which could hold significantly more data and cheaper to produce, but led to an increase in game piracy.

·         The rise of handheld, portable consoles such as; Gameboy and Game Gear.

·         Online gaming rose to prominence.

·         Publishing houses gradually increased in size, bringing the gaming industry into a corporate business venture.

To Be Continued...

Computer Game History: 2000 - Present.

Computer Game History: 1950 – 1979.

Almost everyone today, in the modern world, has played, seen or heard of computer games/video games, but this was not so 60-70 years ago as this was roughly the time when computer games were first being realised.

Where it all began is up for debate, largely due to the undecided definition of the term “video game”,, but for me it was ‘Goldsmith Jr ‘ and ‘Ray Mann’ who created a missile simulator game in the late 1940’s using a Cathode Ray Tube.

Thomas T. Goldsmith was a Physics Professor at Furman University and a TV technology pioneer only passed away relatively recently in 2009 at the age of 99. His work with Estel Ray Mann on creating a computer game which was inspired by the radars used in WW2, which he and ‘DuMont’ shared their knowledge of with various companies for using Cathode Ray Tubes in Radar Displays: After the war they went on to share their knowledge on Picture Tube Displays, creating a number of manufacturing and engineering techniques that would make it possible for televisions to be made on a mass commercial basis. It’s unfortunate that “Goldsmith” and “Ray Mann” couldn’t take their game any further than the patent stage as they didn’t have the financial means with which to do so.

Games produced in this time period were not commercially available until  the early 70’s and were generally found on company mainframe systems, but the development of arcade video game machines began to change all that. ‘Pong’ was the most wide spreading title of its time and inspired a number of clones throughout gaming history which made their way onto a number of console platforms which brought about the first game industry crash in 1977.

After the crash came a Golden Age for arcade machines when Taito released ‘Space Invaders’; This inspired a number of game manufacturers with games such as ‘Asteroids’, ‘Pac-Man’ and ‘Galaxian’. The coin slot machines spread like wildfire and could be found everywhere from convenience stores and shopping centres to restaurants! This boom in the games industry generated revenue of up to $8 billion, which surpassed both pop music and the film industry at that time by significant amounts in North America alone!

To be continued…

Computer Game History: 1980 -1999

An Introduction.

Hi Folks! 

I’m Emma but my friends call me Emmo. I’m 25 years old, birthstone is Amethyst and I am a born and bred Glaswegian; though I’m often told I don’t sound anything like a “Weeji”.

I recently moved from Scotland to Nottingham to live with boyfriend, which was convenient for attending De Montfort University to study my Game Art Degree. I commute daily by train which takes between 22-46 mins depending on which train I catch.

My reasons for choosing De Montfort to study began by looking at prospectuses where I became enamoured with the course structure and the appealing idea of working/studying abroad on exchange/work experience. At my interview I was further impressed with the work students produced, the numerous skills which the lecturers themselves had, right down to the basic feel of the campus.

What made me choose to study in the field of Game Art? It’s reasonably simple: 1) I can draw and have been doing it all my life and 2) I am a gamer. I started drawing before I could talk and never really stopped. There was a brief period in my life where I was depressed because of my disability, disenchanted with life and uninspired, but I got through it and out the other side and here I am!

Gaming I’ve been doing that for some time as well. My first console was the Sega Master System back when I was 5-6 years old? I was a casual gamer right up until that period in my life I mentioned previously and I got myself a laptop and began PC gaming too.

My aim on this course is to gain vital skills and experience which will prepare me for working in the industry, and developing my artistic skills to a competitively high level in hopes of gaining full-time employment by the end of my degree. I’m still undecided on a career path as yet, though, areas of interest lie in Concept Artist, Character Designer & 3D Modelling. Each of these career paths require different skill-sets and some examples of current vacancies in these areas and the requirements of each position would be;

Gameloft: Concept Artist - http://www.gamesjobsdirect.com/jobs/688753/concept-artist.asp

Main tasks and responsibilities

• Creation of humanoid and non-humanoids characters concepts
• Creation of environment concepts
• Over concept drawing in close collaboration with level designer

Skills and Profile

• Experienced an creative profile
• Excellent skills with Photoshop and/or Painter
• Exceptional understanding of humanoid and non humanoid anatomy
• Keen eye towards form, shape, structure, silhouette, light, value, composition, color, staging
• Ability to carry an idea form the conceptual phase to the finished illustration
• Strong foundation in the traditional arts
• Good interpersonal and communication skills
• Ability to work independently

• Basic writing English an asset
• Understanding of Max modelling and texture tools an asset
• Shipment of AAA game titles as concept artist an asset

Gameloft: 3D Graphic Designer Character – http://www.gamesjobsdirect.com/jobs/688733/3d-graphic-designer-character.asp

Main tasks and responsibilities

• Modelling of humanoid and non-humanoid characters in high and low resolutions 
• Textures creation adapted for both high and low resolution

Skills and Profile

• Excellent understanding of human anatomy and motion
• Excellent understanding of design basics (relief, lighting, composition, perspective, colours, etc.)
• Excellent knowledge of 3DS MAX (experience in Character Studio), Z-Brush, Body Paint 
• Strong knowledge of Photoshop
• Demonstration of creativity
• Adaptability to different games and graphic styles (pixel, cartoon, realistic, illustration, etc.)
• Knowledgeable in contemporary media (Web, games, comics, film, animation, etc.)
• Open-minded and outward-looking
• Organized and efficient

• Degree in 3D, Arts, or equivalent production experience an asset

iD Software: 3D modeller – http://www.gamesjobsdirect.com/jobs/687602/3d-modeler-at-id-software.asp

Responsibilities

Work collaboratively with art director, concept artists and environment artists to create the 3D models, objects, and set pieces that define and populate the game environments
Requirements

• 2+ years of game or film industry experience as 3D artist
• Substantial examples of current and past work demonstrating a strong understanding of shape, perspective, texture, color, and lighting.
• Extensive experience and proficiency with relevant 3D and 2D toolsets.
• Self-motivated, but able to take feedback and criticism and properly reflect comments in work
• Excellent team player with very strong work ethic and a collaborative/cooperative attitude
• Passion for games and gaming
• Good time management skills and efficient development processes, and the ability to apply those principles towards effectively meeting schedules and deadlines
• Excellent oral and written communication skills