Improvements in Gaming (10)

From Past to Present

For my last blog post I want to examine how the video game industry has evolved and improved over time. One of the longest surviving game franchises in the world (and probably most well known) is Super Mario. The first "Mario" game was called "Jumpman" and featured extremely basic graphics and game-play mechanics. Here is a link to a video displaying the game. In the image on the right, you can see just how far Mario's sprite has evolved over the course of approximately 40 years. Not only do the games just look better, but they play better. Jumpman only had a few basic game-play elements. You can move left, right, up, and down while either jumping or smashing oncoming barrels. Today, the level of complexity introduced in video games has increased exponentially. 

Mario, over the years has always remained true to its roots in that it keeps the elements of being a "platformer" game. For those unfamiliar, a platformer game is a genre where the player must jump around on platforms while performing various other actions. One of my favorite games, that is now over 10 years old (released in 2007), is "Super Mario Galaxy". The game introduced crazy 3D elements and gravity that were pretty much new to gaming as a whole. The creativity that was put into this game's development is nearly impossible to explain. You can take a look here with this trailer. I remember this game blowing my 12 year old brain. Personally, I feel Mario Galaxy was ahead of its time. From 2007 to present, the games have still improved. However, Galaxy holds up to titles that have been released this year even.

Graphics in gaming have transformed from 8-bit styles to 4k resolution over the last few decades. In the image on the right, you can see just how far graphics have improved. The left image displays the game "Halo: CE" released in 2001. The image on the right is from the same game that was re-released in 2011. About a week ago,"Red Dead Redemption 2" was released. The game's graphics are stunningly beautiful. Up close, you can even see detail on individual blades of grass. At times, playing the game is almost like watching a movie because of how real the people look.

Of course, with all these improvements, the hardware required to run these games must also improve. Even though the technology is getting progressively more expensive, it is definitely worth the investment if you enjoy video games. I'm incredibly excited to see what kind of innovations the gaming industry reveals next.