Remember the old days of playing Pong? Pretty basic things of two paddles one ball and easygoing fun. This was when gaming started to become a thing, a complete far cry from the immersive high-definition worlds we have now in our games.
The gaming industry is rising with no sight of slowing down and we're here to talk about all of it including the AI getting involved in being the gaming's magic touch.
The Humble Beginnings: Pong to Pac-Man
1970 is when it all started with Pong leading the era. A minimalistic yet addictive approach sparked curiosity in so many people to be consumers and equally as many to imagine all the possibilities as developers. This fire led to the 1980s - the golden era of iconic games including Pac-Man and Space Invaders. We might as well call them pixelated perfections that truly challenged the players while also retaining a good amount of simplicity and graphics. These games were in fact so well received that we still have adults and kids alike that enjoy these classic games 40 years down the line in 2024.
The Console Wars: Leveling Up
The 1990s begin the console era! Big players like Nintendo and Sega battled it out on being the premium console choice giving us classics like Super Mario and Sonic the Hedgehog. Graphics were one of the strong points of the console war with games starting to develop character and story backgrounds and gaming itself becoming a household trend. Consoles changed the way we and our families accepted gaming to be a part of our lives going from spending hours in arcades with friends to enjoying Super Mario in your living room with your family.
The Turn of the Millennium: A New Era
2000 is the golden era of the PlayStation and Xbox. Consoles evolved to the point of pushing boundaries far away from what Nintendo and Sega could do with limited technology. Improved graphics, complex stories, and even multiplayer capabilities made gaming a global sensation with Halo and Final Fantasy grabbing shocking levels of notoriety.
The Mobile Revolution: Gaming on the Go
Then comes the mobile revolution. With the rise of smart phones continuously improving at a game-changing level, the gaming industry too did opt for great changes. We were no longer confined to needing a console to play games. Titles like Angry Birds, and Candy Crush were famous for being simplistic yet addictive, similar to the Pong. With games like Pokemon Go, developers started using advanced tech like Augmented Reality to slim the gap between the real world and games.
Today: Immersive Worlds and Esports
As we spoke about AR, these are also the years when VR and AR became a thing. These technologies brought us closer to our games more than ever before and with titles like League of Legends, Dota, Fortnite, and Apex Legends, the gaming scene went into a competitive run awarding millions of dollars to play while also grabbing the attention of millions.
The Future: AI and Beyond
What might be the next level of gaming? Well, with AI and other technologies getting involved it in simpler terms will be "limitless" as to what gaming will be. More importantly, as long-term gamers, we know the sky is what developers aim for, and hardware and software will continue to grow to make ideas come to life.
With AI, imagine NPCs (non-playable characters) having the ability to narrate and respond in ways as natural as a real-life conversation and lead storylines in ways you narrate your character. Unique interactions every single time lead to complex outcomes with complex algorithms all made possible through AI and ML. Involve Natural Language Processing and even let you directly interact with the game through your words and your actions. Possibilities practically are endless!
Virtual and Augmented Reality: The Next Frontier
Next level? All eyes are on Virtual Reality and Augmented Reality! Games are all about being immersive and interactive now and the way to bring your real life into the game is to incorporate VR/AR and AI into the mix for advanced processing. Gamers are for hyper-realistic virtual worlds where you feel like you are the one playing instead of a character you control with a console. Think about fighting aliens and dragons in your living room!
Conclusion: Game On!
Gaming has seen incredible changes in a mere half-a-century run coming from Pong to Iconic Pac-Man to Tekken on PS1 all the way to hyper-realistic driving simulators like Forza and incredible storylines from Red Dead Redemption 2 to Ghost of Tsushima. Games are no longer just games but worlds you escape into when you want to relax or when you seek entertainment.
Whether you're a casual player or a hardcore gamer, there's never been a better time to dive into the world of gaming. Pick a game, pick a console and a whole new world is only one button away.