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So what was the next step? Well that would have to be the NES. Or Nintendo Entertainment System. This console revolutionised gaming as we (as a race) knew it. It also saw Mario brought forward from arcades to home consoles. Yep the NES was definitely where proper gaming began. What next? PC’s. Yes they were built primarily for work etc but game manufacturers took advantage of the sheer power of the PC and re-revolutionised gaming. Actual flight simulations were made, Theme Park was born and gaming entered its Bronze Age.
Soon after PCs arrived and colonised the world, the SNES, Nintendo’s follow up to the NES, was revealed to the world. The graphics were considered to be the best in the business and the all round playability of games was raised. I consider the SNES to home my favourite all time game. The Legend of Zelda: Links Awakening. The SNES had competition though. The Sega Megadrive was being sold worldwide on a massive scale and the Great Console Wars began. Who would have guessed that they would go on for more than a decade?
Then, gaming came to it’s silver age. The PlayStation, N64 and Dreamcast. The PlayStation was the first ‘next gen’ console. With games like Metal Gear Solid, Grand Theft Auto and Die Hard, the PlayStation hyped, advertised and pirated it’s way to the position of king of consoles. The N64, released in 1997 brought us GoldenEye. The next step was then taken with the release of GoldenEye. A new playability level was reached. The graphics were silky smooth, the gameplay slick and… well it was James Bond!
The Dreamcast opened up a new window for the great lumbering giant of gaming to fall through. The Dreamcast of course brought us internet gaming. Yeah I know this was already available on PCs but it was a first for consoles. Unfortunately Sega have now spluttered and died. So, the final step that gaming is going to take will be completed with the release of the Xbox and the GameCube.
At this point I believe that gaming can’t get any better. The periphilon will have been reached. Gaming will go into its golden stage. The graphics will look stunningly realistic and won’t be able to be improved. So, after gaming has reached its pinnacle, where the hell is it going to go next?
Well that question is one I have been pondering for a long time and I have come up with only two answers. Virtual Reality, this can be the only way that gaming can get any BETTER. The feeling of actually being there, being in game physically DOING the puzzle, swimming through the lake…etc. This is one way or the other is slightly more interesting. Or haywire. Bizarre…. Call it what the hell you want. The other answer I came up with is slightly better than reality. Actual role-play. The scenery could be made or projected, the enemies would be played by people or employers of the company who are running the game. And you could take the title role. Costume and everything, sword shield… everything. Obviously I’m describing how an adventure game would be. Shoot em ups would be twice as fun. Exactly the same, scenery enemies but with paintball guns. How fun would that be? Legging it around pretending to be James Bond with a paintball gun, catching Trevelyn and Jaws. Strategy games would be much ore fun this way round. Imagine commanding a team of SWAT soldiers. Having maps and paintball guns, trying to work your way into a building. It would be bloody brilliant!
Also this way, new genres could be introduced. Decent war games could be played. With proper scenarios. Played in woodland with certain obstacles and tasks. It would be superb!
Obviously not all game genres could be played like this though. Racing games would be impossible, as would puzzlers. But I think that this is a small price to pay for… well, for what? Reality gaming I suppose it would be called.
Phew! It took a long time to write that! But don’t just *think* about the thoughts that I have provoked (well, I hope I’ve provoked) I would really like to know your thoughts on this
RBS
> Firstly, good post mate!
thanks!
Only one
> minor problem, the PSX wasnt the first next gen console. The Amiga
> CD32 was around before, which was a 32 bist machine. The Atari
> Jaguar was released before the PSX and that was a 64 bit
> machine.
By first 'next gen'I mean that actually changed how we think/thought of gaming. Not on it's specs
Only one minor problem, the PSX wasnt the first next gen console. The Amiga CD32 was around before, which was a 32 bist machine. The Atari Jaguar was released before the PSX and that was a 64 bit machine.
Apart from that, spot on!
So what was the next step? Well that would have to be the NES. Or Nintendo Entertainment System. This console revolutionised gaming as we (as a race) knew it. It also saw Mario brought forward from arcades to home consoles. Yep the NES was definitely where proper gaming began. What next? PC’s. Yes they were built primarily for work etc but game manufacturers took advantage of the sheer power of the PC and re-revolutionised gaming. Actual flight simulations were made, Theme Park was born and gaming entered its Bronze Age.
Soon after PCs arrived and colonised the world, the SNES, Nintendo’s follow up to the NES, was revealed to the world. The graphics were considered to be the best in the business and the all round playability of games was raised. I consider the SNES to home my favourite all time game. The Legend of Zelda: Links Awakening. The SNES had competition though. The Sega Megadrive was being sold worldwide on a massive scale and the Great Console Wars began. Who would have guessed that they would go on for more than a decade?
Then, gaming came to it’s silver age. The PlayStation, N64 and Dreamcast. The PlayStation was the first ‘next gen’ console. With games like Metal Gear Solid, Grand Theft Auto and Die Hard, the PlayStation hyped, advertised and pirated it’s way to the position of king of consoles. The N64, released in 1997 brought us GoldenEye. The next step was then taken with the release of GoldenEye. A new playability level was reached. The graphics were silky smooth, the gameplay slick and… well it was James Bond!
The Dreamcast opened up a new window for the great lumbering giant of gaming to fall through. The Dreamcast of course brought us internet gaming. Yeah I know this was already available on PCs but it was a first for consoles. Unfortunately Sega have now spluttered and died. So, the final step that gaming is going to take will be completed with the release of the Xbox and the GameCube.
At this point I believe that gaming can’t get any better. The periphilon will have been reached. Gaming will go into its golden stage. The graphics will look stunningly realistic and won’t be able to be improved. So, after gaming has reached its pinnacle, where the hell is it going to go next?
Well that question is one I have been pondering for a long time and I have come up with only two answers. Virtual Reality, this can be the only way that gaming can get any BETTER. The feeling of actually being there, being in game physically DOING the puzzle, swimming through the lake…etc. This is one way or the other is slightly more interesting. Or haywire. Bizarre…. Call it what the hell you want. The other answer I came up with is slightly better than reality. Actual role-play. The scenery could be made or projected, the enemies would be played by people or employers of the company who are running the game. And you could take the title role. Costume and everything, sword shield… everything. Obviously I’m describing how an adventure game would be. Shoot em ups would be twice as fun. Exactly the same, scenery enemies but with paintball guns. How fun would that be? Legging it around pretending to be James Bond with a paintball gun, catching Trevelyn and Jaws. Strategy games would be much ore fun this way round. Imagine commanding a team of SWAT soldiers. Having maps and paintball guns, trying to work your way into a building. It would be bloody brilliant!
Also this way, new genres could be introduced. Decent war games could be played. With proper scenarios. Played in woodland with certain obstacles and tasks. It would be superb!
Obviously not all game genres could be played like this though. Racing games would be impossible, as would puzzlers. But I think that this is a small price to pay for… well, for what? Reality gaming I suppose it would be called.
Phew! It took a long time to write that! But don’t just *think* about the thoughts that I have provoked (well, I hope I’ve provoked) I would really like to know your thoughts on this
RBS