Serenity595
Active Member
What is the future of gaming?
Gaming. It's been around for decades. But where is it heading? In order to figure this out, I think we should take a look at the past; namely, the gaming consoles of the past.
In total, there have been eight generations of consoles from the Magnavox Odyssey released in 1972 to the Playstation 4 released in 2013. There have been many advancements in the gaming industry within this time frame; most notably, graphics. For many generations of gaming there onward, it was better graphics that drew the crowds. But will this method always work? Is it even working now? My answer to both questions is "No."
The reason graphics were such a big selling point of consoles in the past was because huge leaps in technology were happening all of the time. This is why the 64-bit Nintendo 64 of the fifth generation had far better graphics than the 16-bit Super Nintendo Entertainment System of the fourth generation. The advancements in computing capabilities across the older generations allowed new gameplay features to be possible such as 3D that completely changed the way a game was played. A very good example of this is the FPS genre. Prior to 3D, FPS games simply did not exist. But now, it's one of the most popular genres on the market today.
Now, let's compare the last three generations of gaming. The 6th generation had the Dreamcast, Playstation 2, GameCube, and Xbox; the 7th generation had the Xbox 360, Playstation 3, and the Wii. The 8th generation, which is only just beginning, includes the Xbox One, Playstation 4, and the Wii U. If you have been a gamer during all three of these generations, then you probably have noticed something: graphics aren't getting much better.
Don't get me wrong; the graphics on the PS4 are definitely better than the PS2. But there is not as great of a difference as you might think. Compare these two images below. The first is of the original Killzone released on the PS2 in 2004. The second is of the "fourth" Killzone game known as Killzone: Shadow Fall released on the PS4 in 2013. Now, tell me honestly how big of a difference you see between the two:
Killzone (2004)
Killzone: Shadow Fall (2013)
There's almost a decade between the two games and yet they don't look that different. Now, take a look at these two Mario games on the SNES and N64 respectively:
Super Mario World (1990)
Super Mario 64 (1996)
As you can see, there is a much bigger difference between these two games, and they're only six years apart! What I'm trying to point out is that gaming itself is reaching a threshold in graphics where it just can't get that much better. A game can only look so real. Even if we did reach the point to where games looked exactly like real life, the amount of time it would take to design said graphics as well as the cost that it would require to do so would be insane.
But with all things considered, ultra-realistic graphics doesn't make a game fun anyway. Gameplay does. Back then, increased graphics capabilities did allow for new gameplay mechanics that were never possible before. Now, games simply look like more polished versions of earlier games.
This isn't to say that ground-breaking innovations haven't happened recently. The Nintendo Wii released back in 2006 is a great example of a system that brought something new to the table and had amazing sales because of it.
However, this still comes at a cost. While the Wii did bring in a lot of new gamers, it also "ostracized" many others because of its emphasis on motion controls and the casual crowd. But it still had great success regardless; this is easily seen in the Playstation Move and the Xbox's Kinect, both of which tried to cash in on the same casual crowd that Nintendo had been banking on.
But this brings up an interesting question: will we enjoy the games of the future the same way we enjoy the games of today? If companies follow where the money lies, the future console generations decades from now may consist of tablet devices that you can plug into your TV or even new devices such as the Oculus Rift which seeks to change the gaming experience itself via a virtual reality head-mounted display.
Pictured below: the Oculus Rift
I believe within a few decades, the gaming industry as we know it is going to completely change. No longer is the emphasis going to be on graphics but immersion. Now, I know that graphics increase immersion, but only so much. The real immersion comes from changing the virtual reality experience itself. Rather than looking at a screen with a controller in hand, I think our eyes are going to be the screen and the controller is going to be ourselves. While that may not sound very appealing to some, I think that is where the money lies.
Right now, the technology is in its infancy so it will be awhile before this becomes mainstream. However, when we get to the point where you can feel like you are literally in the game rather than simply playing it, we'll have a new whole generation of consoles and gamers who view virtual reality much differently then how you and I view it today.
So where do you think the future of gaming is headed? Does it look awe-inspiring or does it look unnerving? Should we seek to escape reality or keep it firmly grounded? Most importantly:
Will you still be a gamer in the far future or will you turn to other forms of media for entertainment?
Our answers may vary, but as for me: once a gamer, always a gamer. The future may be widely different from what we have today, but I am willing to embrace it to its fullest extent. After all, if we leave the gaming community years from now and go our separate ways, who else will be left to pwn the n00bs in the next generation?
And with that, I rest my case.
Gaming. It's been around for decades. But where is it heading? In order to figure this out, I think we should take a look at the past; namely, the gaming consoles of the past.
In total, there have been eight generations of consoles from the Magnavox Odyssey released in 1972 to the Playstation 4 released in 2013. There have been many advancements in the gaming industry within this time frame; most notably, graphics. For many generations of gaming there onward, it was better graphics that drew the crowds. But will this method always work? Is it even working now? My answer to both questions is "No."
The reason graphics were such a big selling point of consoles in the past was because huge leaps in technology were happening all of the time. This is why the 64-bit Nintendo 64 of the fifth generation had far better graphics than the 16-bit Super Nintendo Entertainment System of the fourth generation. The advancements in computing capabilities across the older generations allowed new gameplay features to be possible such as 3D that completely changed the way a game was played. A very good example of this is the FPS genre. Prior to 3D, FPS games simply did not exist. But now, it's one of the most popular genres on the market today.
Now, let's compare the last three generations of gaming. The 6th generation had the Dreamcast, Playstation 2, GameCube, and Xbox; the 7th generation had the Xbox 360, Playstation 3, and the Wii. The 8th generation, which is only just beginning, includes the Xbox One, Playstation 4, and the Wii U. If you have been a gamer during all three of these generations, then you probably have noticed something: graphics aren't getting much better.
Don't get me wrong; the graphics on the PS4 are definitely better than the PS2. But there is not as great of a difference as you might think. Compare these two images below. The first is of the original Killzone released on the PS2 in 2004. The second is of the "fourth" Killzone game known as Killzone: Shadow Fall released on the PS4 in 2013. Now, tell me honestly how big of a difference you see between the two:
Killzone (2004)
Killzone: Shadow Fall (2013)
There's almost a decade between the two games and yet they don't look that different. Now, take a look at these two Mario games on the SNES and N64 respectively:
Super Mario World (1990)
Super Mario 64 (1996)
As you can see, there is a much bigger difference between these two games, and they're only six years apart! What I'm trying to point out is that gaming itself is reaching a threshold in graphics where it just can't get that much better. A game can only look so real. Even if we did reach the point to where games looked exactly like real life, the amount of time it would take to design said graphics as well as the cost that it would require to do so would be insane.
But with all things considered, ultra-realistic graphics doesn't make a game fun anyway. Gameplay does. Back then, increased graphics capabilities did allow for new gameplay mechanics that were never possible before. Now, games simply look like more polished versions of earlier games.
This isn't to say that ground-breaking innovations haven't happened recently. The Nintendo Wii released back in 2006 is a great example of a system that brought something new to the table and had amazing sales because of it.
However, this still comes at a cost. While the Wii did bring in a lot of new gamers, it also "ostracized" many others because of its emphasis on motion controls and the casual crowd. But it still had great success regardless; this is easily seen in the Playstation Move and the Xbox's Kinect, both of which tried to cash in on the same casual crowd that Nintendo had been banking on.
But this brings up an interesting question: will we enjoy the games of the future the same way we enjoy the games of today? If companies follow where the money lies, the future console generations decades from now may consist of tablet devices that you can plug into your TV or even new devices such as the Oculus Rift which seeks to change the gaming experience itself via a virtual reality head-mounted display.
Pictured below: the Oculus Rift
I believe within a few decades, the gaming industry as we know it is going to completely change. No longer is the emphasis going to be on graphics but immersion. Now, I know that graphics increase immersion, but only so much. The real immersion comes from changing the virtual reality experience itself. Rather than looking at a screen with a controller in hand, I think our eyes are going to be the screen and the controller is going to be ourselves. While that may not sound very appealing to some, I think that is where the money lies.
Right now, the technology is in its infancy so it will be awhile before this becomes mainstream. However, when we get to the point where you can feel like you are literally in the game rather than simply playing it, we'll have a new whole generation of consoles and gamers who view virtual reality much differently then how you and I view it today.
So where do you think the future of gaming is headed? Does it look awe-inspiring or does it look unnerving? Should we seek to escape reality or keep it firmly grounded? Most importantly:
Will you still be a gamer in the far future or will you turn to other forms of media for entertainment?
Our answers may vary, but as for me: once a gamer, always a gamer. The future may be widely different from what we have today, but I am willing to embrace it to its fullest extent. After all, if we leave the gaming community years from now and go our separate ways, who else will be left to pwn the n00bs in the next generation?
And with that, I rest my case.
I mean sure, i could go beat the hell out of hookers and random bystanders, steal their money and hijack cars. Well, i guess i could do that IRL, but, Police. ya know. OR i could go into the future and fight a group of Aliens whose sole mission is to destroy humanity, as humans are an affront to their gods/religion. 
