Evolution of Gaming
Graphics
Since the first video game
was invented in 1958, graphics have evolved tremendously1.
The simplest of graphics used to keep us happy and occupied. The
graphics were not the greatest even as time went on. As long as
there was a decent story line, we were happy to play along. Story
lines and graphics started to get better and video games became a
growing industry. Graphics only steadily grew over time in the
beginning. Over the past ten years it is remarkable the amount
detail that has been put into video games.
As consumers we expect more
from the games we buy. In fact, it seems at times that more time is
put into graphics than into the story lines. We complain about the
tiniest of flaws in a games graphics. In past games, before graphics
were really advanced we thought that the graphics at the current time
were amazing. Now as we look back, we try and figure out how we ever
thought that we considered older games' graphics good. Graphics now
are becoming more and more realistic. Call of Duty: Modern Warfare 3
was deemed one of the most realistic war games ever 2.
As graphics have become
more realistic, parents are starting to become concerned. Parents
are scared that their children, no matter their age, will try to copy
what they are seeing in the video games. One father, a veteran of
the Iraq War, stated that he would not let his children play games
like this, because it could desensitize them “to the idea of taking
a human life”3.
Parents do have somewhat of a point. While I am not saying children
will necessarily go on a shooting spree, they are more inclined to
become desensitized to violence. The graphics in video games have
evolved, so that players can see blood spurting out or going all over
the place. This is not just in war games either, for example in The
Elder Scrolls V: Skyrim, a game in which its premise is not centered
on war, shows detailed and bloody scenes. Since graphics are so
detailed and realistic, children could easily not think twice about
seeing blood or seeing someone in the real world be hurt.
Despite how one feels about
the violence in the video games, it can not be disputed how far
graphics have come. Polygon count is the term used to describe the
details in a video game. Early video games had a polygon count range
of 200-5004.
The games of today can reach a polygon count of 10,0005.
1996's Tomb Raider had a polygon count of 2306.
In 2008, another Tomb Raider was released and it had a polygon count
of 32,0007.
The higher the polygon count however, the harder your system has to
work in order to keep up and render the game properly. As game
systems evolve, it is possible for developers to increase the polygon
count.
Evolution of graphics in the
Elder Scrolls from Arena to Skyrim
The Evolution of Gran
Turismo
Anel Sisic
1
“Computer and Video Game History,”
http://inventors.about.com/library/inventors/blcomputer_videogames.htm.
2
“More Realistic Than Ever: War Video Games,”
http://www.cbs42.com/content/localnews/story/More-realistic-than-
ever-War-video-games/e2SE55bbO0qAjavcEo-fcg.cspx .
3
“More Realistic Than Ever: War Video Games,”
http://www.cbs42.com/content/localnews/story/More-realistic-than-
ever-War-video-games/e2SE55bbO0qAjavcEo-fcg.cspx .
4“How
Many Polygons You Say?,”
http://www.efgmagazine.com/eye-for/0/how-many-polygons-you-say.html.
5“How
Many Polygons You Say?,”
http://www.efgmagazine.com/eye-for/0/how-many-polygons-you-say.html.
6“How
Many Polygons You Say?,”
http://www.efgmagazine.com/eye-for/0/how-many-polygons-you-say.html.
7“How
Many Polygons You Say?,”
http://www.efgmagazine.com/eye-for/0/how-many-polygons-you-say.html.
I've noticed this a lot too. I remember when the Elder Scroll III: Morrowind came out and everyone was so excited about how the graphics were visually stunning and immerse. Looking back and comparing to Skyrim, it's hard to even understand how everyone thought Morrowind was so impressive. Polygon counts don't count for everything though. I'm worried in the future there will be games that are visually stunning, but fall short on gameplay and enjoyment. There are more than one ways to be immersed in a game.
ReplyDeleteI agree with both of you, the evolution of the gaming graphics for the past decade has been amazingly rapid. I especially noticed this in the cellphone gaming. What used to be only a bouncing ball, a few bricks to destroy, and a bar to keep the ball to fall off or a “snake” rectangle that keeps on getting longer whenever it gets the “fruits” dots now becomes full scale games like Tomb Rider, Fantasia, Nova, and Grand Theft Auto. I remember playing Tomb Rider in my old Nokia N-Gage (the gaming phone made by Nokia more than 7 years ago) and was very impressed by it, but now, when I compare the graphics in my N-Gage to my iPhone 4S, its just like comparing a Tetris to PS3.
ReplyDeleteThis reminds me of the The Legend of Zelda: Wind Waker. Fans of the previous Nintendo 64 Zelda games expected the new game to have realistic graphics, much like the Zelda demo reel shown from Space World 2000 to showcase the succeeding system, Nintendo Gamecube. They were instead meet with Wind Waker, a game with a cartoon style, a year later. Nintendo stated the demo was just that, and the graphic style was meant to expand its brand to a wider audience, ie kids.
ReplyDeleteNintendo intentionally held back on graphics (at least until Twilight Princess) because they figured the realism would alienate a demographic they were aiming for. It shows that polygon counts as we move forward is not the end-all of gaming.
_Nancy Olivo
A few weeks ago, I was at a friend's house, and he was playing the old Sonic game with the two levers on each side that Sonic rolled off of. All I could think to myself was why is he playing this game when there's so many others he could be playing. It just made me realize how far graphics have really come. I like that you brought up the point about parents on the situation too. I think it's important to not let kids get too involved with electronics when they're young, so they can focus more on developing their in-person communication skills.
ReplyDelete