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Everything is moving so fast in today's modern gaming world. There are three brilliant next-generation consoles on sale and new games are being released all the time. When deciding which games to buy, we will often consult reviews, whether they be on the internet or in gaming magazines. Reviews will often evaluate a game using a set of criteria; Graphics, Sound, Longevity, Gameplay, etc... Another aspect of games which we sometime see being commented upon is its ORIGINALITY.
What does originality mean in terms of Computer Games. It can mean a number of different things:
Some games may have a truly original concept, which has never been seen before. This game, if successful, will therefore have the power to create a whole new genre of games. One example of a truly original game in the last decade was the original Grand Theft Auto. When this game was released it was like nothing we had ever seen or played before. If i had to describe it i'd probably have to say it was something like a cross between Goodfellas or the Godfather movies and the game 'Mico-machines'.
Other new titles take an existing type of game and add an element of originality to it. This can sometimes 'spice up' an ageing concept. This happened a few years back with football games. As consoles became more powerful and games designers became more impressive, football games moved from the old top-down format of Sensible Soccer to an isometric, more 3-D view, particularly in the first FIFA games. A few years later and football games were in full 3-D format seen in Actua Soccer and many of todays top football titles.
With all this talk of originality, how many of todays top games can be truly described as being original?
Whilst looking through the top gaming charts at the moment, it would seem that there are very few original games. Most games around are simply updates of types of games that have been around for many years;
-Gran Turismo 3: The best in its field but in essence simply 'another driving game'
-Pro-Evo Soccer & FIFA World Cup 2002: Football games, the likes of which have been around for years.
-Grand Theft Auto 3: An original 3D perspective but gameplay similar to its predecessors.
-Virtua Fighter 4 & Tekken Tag Tournament: Fighting games with little originality except new moves, combos, characters, etc...
It would seem that the only games of true originality i can find are 'State of Emergency' and 'Wreckless'. Most other games are simply games which have, in some way, been done before.
Is such an absence of originality a bad thing? Well yes and no. With so many computer games around perhaps the reason for the lack of original games concepts is the fact that so many ideas have been done before and so few avenues remain unexplored. However, games designers and producers today are far better than ever before and must do all they can to think up new and original games if they are to keep gamers interested in the long run. We all look forward to games like Virtua Fighter 4 and Final Fantasy X now, but who's to say that a few years down the line we won't get bored and demand something more original?
It may also be argued that games have no need to be too original. Games such as driving games, FPS's and sports sims have given us many hours of gaming pleasure. The last thing we may want is for this pleasure to be hampered in the interests of originality. This is probably why most futuristic driving games where you can shoot lasers at your opponents and drop bombs are very poor games whilst the Gran Turismo series has been enormously successful.
In conclusion, originality is a valuable commodity in the world of gaming. I believe that originality is important, both in terms of new concepts of games and new original features being added to old concepts of games.
What does originality mean in terms of Computer Games. It can mean a number of different things:
Some games may have a truly original concept, which has never been seen before. This game, if successful, will therefore have the power to create a whole new genre of games. One example of a truly original game in the last decade was the original Grand Theft Auto. When this game was released it was like nothing we had ever seen or played before. If i had to describe it i'd probably have to say it was something like a cross between Goodfellas or the Godfather movies and the game 'Mico-machines'.
Other new titles take an existing type of game and add an element of originality to it. This can sometimes 'spice up' an ageing concept. This happened a few years back with football games. As consoles became more powerful and games designers became more impressive, football games moved from the old top-down format of Sensible Soccer to an isometric, more 3-D view, particularly in the first FIFA games. A few years later and football games were in full 3-D format seen in Actua Soccer and many of todays top football titles.
With all this talk of originality, how many of todays top games can be truly described as being original?
Whilst looking through the top gaming charts at the moment, it would seem that there are very few original games. Most games around are simply updates of types of games that have been around for many years;
-Gran Turismo 3: The best in its field but in essence simply 'another driving game'
-Pro-Evo Soccer & FIFA World Cup 2002: Football games, the likes of which have been around for years.
-Grand Theft Auto 3: An original 3D perspective but gameplay similar to its predecessors.
-Virtua Fighter 4 & Tekken Tag Tournament: Fighting games with little originality except new moves, combos, characters, etc...
It would seem that the only games of true originality i can find are 'State of Emergency' and 'Wreckless'. Most other games are simply games which have, in some way, been done before.
Is such an absence of originality a bad thing? Well yes and no. With so many computer games around perhaps the reason for the lack of original games concepts is the fact that so many ideas have been done before and so few avenues remain unexplored. However, games designers and producers today are far better than ever before and must do all they can to think up new and original games if they are to keep gamers interested in the long run. We all look forward to games like Virtua Fighter 4 and Final Fantasy X now, but who's to say that a few years down the line we won't get bored and demand something more original?
It may also be argued that games have no need to be too original. Games such as driving games, FPS's and sports sims have given us many hours of gaming pleasure. The last thing we may want is for this pleasure to be hampered in the interests of originality. This is probably why most futuristic driving games where you can shoot lasers at your opponents and drop bombs are very poor games whilst the Gran Turismo series has been enormously successful.
In conclusion, originality is a valuable commodity in the world of gaming. I believe that originality is important, both in terms of new concepts of games and new original features being added to old concepts of games.
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Everything is moving so fast in today's modern gaming world. There are three brilliant next-generation consoles on sale and new games are being released all the time. When deciding which games to buy, we will often consult reviews, whether they be on the internet or in gaming magazines. Reviews will often evaluate a game using a set of criteria; Graphics, Sound, Longevity, Gameplay, etc... Another aspect of games which we sometime see being commented upon is its ORIGINALITY.
What does originality mean in terms of Computer Games. It can mean a number of different things:
Some games may have a truly original concept, which has never been seen before. This game, if successful, will therefore have the power to create a whole new genre of games. One example of a truly original game in the last decade was the original Grand Theft Auto. When this game was released it was like nothing we had ever seen or played before. If i had to describe it i'd probably have to say it was something like a cross between Goodfellas or the Godfather movies and the game 'Mico-machines'.
Other new titles take an existing type of game and add an element of originality to it. This can sometimes 'spice up' an ageing concept. This happened a few years back with football games. As consoles became more powerful and games designers became more impressive, football games moved from the old top-down format of Sensible Soccer to an isometric, more 3-D view, particularly in the first FIFA games. A few years later and football games were in full 3-D format seen in Actua Soccer and many of todays top football titles.
With all this talk of originality, how many of todays top games can be truly described as being original?
Whilst looking through the top gaming charts at the moment, it would seem that there are very few original games. Most games around are simply updates of types of games that have been around for many years;
-Gran Turismo 3: The best in its field but in essence simply 'another driving game'
-Pro-Evo Soccer & FIFA World Cup 2002: Football games, the likes of which have been around for years.
-Grand Theft Auto 3: An original 3D perspective but gameplay similar to its predecessors.
-Virtua Fighter 4 & Tekken Tag Tournament: Fighting games with little originality except new moves, combos, characters, etc...
It would seem that the only games of true originality i can find are 'State of Emergency' and 'Wreckless'. Most other games are simply games which have, in some way, been done before.
Is such an absence of originality a bad thing? Well yes and no. With so many computer games around perhaps the reason for the lack of original games concepts is the fact that so many ideas have been done before and so few avenues remain unexplored. However, games designers and producers today are far better than ever before and must do all they can to think up new and original games if they are to keep gamers interested in the long run. We all look forward to games like Virtua Fighter 4 and Final Fantasy X now, but who's to say that a few years down the line we won't get bored and demand something more original?
It may also be argued that games have no need to be too original. Games such as driving games, FPS's and sports sims have given us many hours of gaming pleasure. The last thing we may want is for this pleasure to be hampered in the interests of originality. This is probably why most futuristic driving games where you can shoot lasers at your opponents and drop bombs are very poor games whilst the Gran Turismo series has been enormously successful.
In conclusion, originality is a valuable commodity in the world of gaming. I believe that originality is important, both in terms of new concepts of games and new original features being added to old concepts of games.
What does originality mean in terms of Computer Games. It can mean a number of different things:
Some games may have a truly original concept, which has never been seen before. This game, if successful, will therefore have the power to create a whole new genre of games. One example of a truly original game in the last decade was the original Grand Theft Auto. When this game was released it was like nothing we had ever seen or played before. If i had to describe it i'd probably have to say it was something like a cross between Goodfellas or the Godfather movies and the game 'Mico-machines'.
Other new titles take an existing type of game and add an element of originality to it. This can sometimes 'spice up' an ageing concept. This happened a few years back with football games. As consoles became more powerful and games designers became more impressive, football games moved from the old top-down format of Sensible Soccer to an isometric, more 3-D view, particularly in the first FIFA games. A few years later and football games were in full 3-D format seen in Actua Soccer and many of todays top football titles.
With all this talk of originality, how many of todays top games can be truly described as being original?
Whilst looking through the top gaming charts at the moment, it would seem that there are very few original games. Most games around are simply updates of types of games that have been around for many years;
-Gran Turismo 3: The best in its field but in essence simply 'another driving game'
-Pro-Evo Soccer & FIFA World Cup 2002: Football games, the likes of which have been around for years.
-Grand Theft Auto 3: An original 3D perspective but gameplay similar to its predecessors.
-Virtua Fighter 4 & Tekken Tag Tournament: Fighting games with little originality except new moves, combos, characters, etc...
It would seem that the only games of true originality i can find are 'State of Emergency' and 'Wreckless'. Most other games are simply games which have, in some way, been done before.
Is such an absence of originality a bad thing? Well yes and no. With so many computer games around perhaps the reason for the lack of original games concepts is the fact that so many ideas have been done before and so few avenues remain unexplored. However, games designers and producers today are far better than ever before and must do all they can to think up new and original games if they are to keep gamers interested in the long run. We all look forward to games like Virtua Fighter 4 and Final Fantasy X now, but who's to say that a few years down the line we won't get bored and demand something more original?
It may also be argued that games have no need to be too original. Games such as driving games, FPS's and sports sims have given us many hours of gaming pleasure. The last thing we may want is for this pleasure to be hampered in the interests of originality. This is probably why most futuristic driving games where you can shoot lasers at your opponents and drop bombs are very poor games whilst the Gran Turismo series has been enormously successful.
In conclusion, originality is a valuable commodity in the world of gaming. I believe that originality is important, both in terms of new concepts of games and new original features being added to old concepts of games.