Computer Architecture and Computer Games - Assignment Example

Computer Architecture – Computer Games Computer gaming is so much part of modern life that it is difficult to imagine a time when there was no such thing. The truth is, however, that this massive industry only came into being over the last 40 years. The very earliest beginnings took place in universities across the world, where students latched on to the increasing capability of clumsy mainframe computers to design very simple games. The very first game ever produced using computers was MIT’s classic title Spacewar in 1962. (Computer History, no page number). It used the early DEC PDP1 computer and was at first only issued with new computers. For the next ten years computer gaming was reserved for academic enthusiasts, and there was very little awareness of the potential of this medium outside the big universities. During the 1970s computer manufacturers were the sources of early games. They wrote simple programs which were designed to work on the equipment that the firm produced. The games were not the main focus for these companies, but they were included because they had novelty value and made programming fun. From the start, development of games went hand in hand with development of hardware. Atari was an early market leader with its games Pong 1972 and Asteroids 1978. The screen technology was unwieldy and the technology prohibitively expensive in those days. Manufacturers sought to recoup their costs by the use of arcade machines where players used coins per game. An important development came in 1977 when Atari introduced its cartridge based console Atari 2600. With a tiny ROM capacity of only 2K it was surprisingly successful. Over time the Rom capacity increased to 16K by 1983 (Computer History, no page number) but the limitations of RAM were more of a problem. Since RAM was built into the hardware, it was a major undertaking, and very expensive, to upgrade this element in the system. Throughout the 1980s a series of technical improvements were introduced. Since early systems like the Commodore 64 (1982) used the BASIC programming language, many teenagers developed an interest in imitating the simple games of the time by writing their own code. During this period computer gaming was therefore still a domain dominated by young male students, who grew up to be programmers and designers, within a geeky international community. Systems like the ZX Spectrum and the BBC micro proved incredibly popular, and an important development was the point and click system which removed the need to enter text via a keyboard. The mouse and the joystick emerged as increasingly important accessories. All of these single inventions were critical in the history of computer gaming. There is one technological advance, however which of all the many bright ideas is the most significant of all. It is the development in the mid 1980s of the home computer by large scale companies like IBM and Apple MacIntosh. The importance of this step cannot be overestimated: “No serious historian has yet written a full account of the personal computer, mainly because historians generally avoid writing about recent events on which they lack a proper perspective. But the personal computer has been of such sweeping global importance that no book on the history of the computer could properly ignore it.” (Cambell-Kelly and Aspray, 1996, p. 233) As we have noted above, the restrictions of the hardware were the most important limiting factor in game development. The entry of these huge companies into the market had two immediate consequences: it speeded up devlopments like color so that IBM’s PS/2, for example, gave the PC potential for 256-color graphics in 1987. This rendered all older systems immediately obsolete and set a new standard for game design. Sound equipment took a little longer until Sound Blaster in 1989 brought at last more realistic sounds to the game experience. At the same time there was a negative consequence, because these huge companies swamped the market and displaced the innovations which had until that point been made by individuals and small companies. It is a paradox of history that the injection of huge financial resources brought world wide expansion of the computer gaming experience at the expense of software innovation. Once gain the hardware manufacturers were in charge of strategic developments. Both Bill Gates of Microsoft and Steve Wozniak in Apple were instrumental in bringing PCs into the reach of ordinary citizens, although they have used very different styles and tactics. Wozniak can be credited with pioneering the move from mainframe computers to smaller scale: “Big companies like IBM and Digital Equipment didn’t hear our social message… They looked at what we were doing – small computers, hobby computers, and said they would just remain toys… They didn’t imagine how they could evolve.” (Wozniak and Smith, 2006, p. 151) Bill Gates, in a move criticized by some, made a large contribution towards the standardization of systems for use across the world. The dominance of PCs also caused a decline in arcade games, and a polarization to large scale PC-games and smaller, hand held devices. Those companies who tried to maintain a specific console-based platform simply could not keep up. In the mid 1990s computers enjoyed first 34-bit technology and then full 64 bit. Graphics could now handle 3D smoothly, and all later developments owe their origins to this leap to the PC platform. Another step forward in computer history took place with the advent of the internet. Without widespread ownership of PCs this development would have been impossible. Origin’s Ultima Online, 1997 used linked PC machines to bring in a new era for computer gaming. “It marks a critical turning point from stand-alone single-player products to massively multiplayer online games or MMOs, a genre that seems destined for dominance.” (Longuidice and Barton, 2009, p. 352) As a response to the dominace of a very few large companies producing hardware, a large number of companies specialising in software only were set up. They have suffered mixed fortunes, however, with some producing only one or two major titles before sinking in to oblivion. As computer games become more realistic and more available to people in their own homes, a number of important consequences arise for society. As William D. May notes “Problems with virtual reality are foreseeable. In the near future, a home PC and virtual reality games could be as much fun and addictive as alcohol or drugs or sex.” (1996, p. 192) In the twenty first century virtual reality is now available via laptop computers, which are more powerful than the early PCs and considerably more flexible, allowing users to carry their gaming world with them in a backpack. The PC was the forerunner for the latest hardware innovations like the Nintendo Wii. Now special consoles are seeing a revival, because of the additional capabilities like physical movement sensors. A revival in hand held devices is also underway, in the form of mobile phone and smart phone technology. Interestingly, however, the PC is proving to be extremely durable, and even small scale games like Farmville which are expressly designed for gaming on the move, are played on PCs by busy adults and young people who only want to snatch a few minutes of gaming at a time. “One problem facing game publishers today: In the casual online world, people are looking for free, easy diversions. How can companies create compelling content…How to continue expanding the audience for video games.” (Perenson, 2008, no page number). The solution to these questions has been to find a way to bridge the gap between hand held and PC platforms, and provide games that work on both. When a raft of other social networking applications are on offer at the same time, as for example supremely on Facebook, the gaming community expands to include almost everyone who has access to the internet. This social connection makes up for the relative simplicity of the game code. Instead of sitting alone at a PC in a teenage bedroom, today’s typical gamers are adults as well as children and drawn from a very wide social spectrum. Casual gaming is the future, it seems and the constraints are now no longer the hardware, but the decreasing amount of leisure time that people have to devote to their gaming. The personal computer has made all of this possible and looks set to continue in this direction for the foreseeable future. References Campbell-Kelly, M, and Aspray, W. 1996. Computer: a history of the information machine. New York: Basic Books. Computer History. Website available at: http://www.computernostalgia.net/articles/HistoryofComputerGames.htm Loguidice, B. and Barton, M. 2009. Vintage Games: An Insider Look at the History of Grand Theft Auto, Super Mario and the Most Influential Games of All Time. Burlington, MA: Focal Press. May, W. D. 1996. Edges of Reality: Mind Vs Computer. New York: Insight Books. Perenson, M. J. 2008. How Facebook Changed Gaming. PCWorld Magazine. Available at: http://www.pcworld.com/article/151892/how_facebook_changed_gaming.html Wozniak, S. and Smith, G. 2006. iWoz: Computer Geek to Cult Icon: How I invented the personal computer, co-founded Apple, and had fun doing it. New York: W. W. Norton. Read More