CSCI E-1 | Section | Computer Games

History

1936 - The term, "Pinball", is coined for the first time.
1936 - Alan Mathison Turing writes a paper titled, "On Computing Numbers" and describes a hypothetical machine which may one day be able to make decisions based on complex factors; i.e. Artificial Intelligence.
1952 - A.S. Douglas created the first graphical computer game - a version of Tic-Tac-Toe.
1961 - MIT student Steve Russell created "Spacewar", the first interactive game intended for computer use.
1966 - Ralph Baer began researching interactive television sets.
1967 - Baer and his team succeeded in creating an interactive game that can be played on a television screen. They developed a game called "Chase". They also modify a toy gun so it can distinguish spots of light on the screen.
1972 - Pong is born ( http://www.atarimuseum.com/videogames/arcade/arcade-menu/arcade-menu.htm | http://www.pong-story.com/arcade.htm). They call the game "Pong", because "Ping-Pong" is already copyrighted.
1976 - Cartridges Are Born! Fairchild Camera & Instrument releases the first programmable home game console. You can actually insert large cartridges to change the games.
1977 - Atari releases its first cartridge-based product, the Video Computer System (VCS--later known as the Atari 2600) for $249.
1979 - Atari releases Lunar Lander, its first vector graphics game.
1980 - Atari coin-op designer Ed Rottberg creates Battlezone, the first three-dimensional first-person game. Rolling around in a tank on a virtual battlefield, you take out targets in a warlike scenario. The US government later commissions an enhanced version of Battlezone for military training purposes.
1981 - Given an opportunity to convert a large number of unsuccessful Nintendo video arcade games into something that will earn money, Nintendo artist Shigeru Miyamoto creates Donkey Kong. The hero, originally called Jumpman, is a squat carpenter racing to save his girlfriend Pauline from a crazed monkey. Jumpman is later named Mario by Nintendo of America's staff, in honor of his resemblance to their landlord Mario Segali.
1991 - Nintendo releases the $249 Super NES (SNES) in the US. Journalists begin to wonder aloud whether Mario will be enough to convince NES-dedicated parents to make the investment in a new machine.
1994 - The Entertainment Software Rating Board (ESRB) is established to rate video games.
1995 - Sony releases the PlayStation in the United States for $299.
2000 - Microsoft officially announces plans for the Xbox, which they say will be equipped with an Intel 733MHz Pentium III CPU, an Nvidia NV2a 250MHz graphics processor, 64MB of unified RAM, an 8GB hard drive. It is officially released in 2001 for $299.
Most Recently - XBox 360, PS3, Nintendo Wii

Demo

Current Popular Genres

Platform Games: "Platform game is a video game genre characterized by the player having to climb up and down, or jump from and to, platforms and ledges, while fighting enemies and collecting objects required to fully complete the game. A game of the genre is known as a platformer. Often, the player has the ability to gain powers or weapons, called power-ups. Generally, platform games, due to their unrealistic nature, have cartoon-like graphics, and with the recent advent of cel-shaded animation may appear to be hand-drawn; in addition, platformers' character and adversaries are usually legendary creatures (e.g. dragons and goblins) or anthropomorphic animals (e.g. a gorilla who rolls barrels). Platform games originated in the early 1980s and made the transition to 3D in the mid-1990s." -- http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Platform_games
FPS - Doom, Quake, Unreal, Half-Life
RTS - WarCraft, StarCraft, Age of Mythology
RPG - Diablo, Dungeon Siege, Final Fantasy
Sports Games - EA Sports, Madden, Extreme Sports
Betting Games - Card Games, Online Gambling
MMORPG - World of WarCraft

Video Games and Academia

Graphic Design (GPU)
Physics Engines (PPU)
Programming (CPU)
AI (CPU)
Marketing
Thinking critically about video games
Majoring in video games
Video Game Violence
History of Computer Game Design

Video Gaming Industry

Developers
Level Designers
Testers
System Administration
Servers
Clusters
Statistics
Fun Facts

How modern computer games are made

"Every game begins with a story. Often story ideas come from game designers themselves or are pitched by outsiders, but increasingly they are based on other forms of entertainment like popular movies. Other common sources are sequels or spin offs of existing games and simulations of real-world events." -- http://www.pbs.org/kcts/videogamerevolution/inside/how/01.html
Similar to the movie industry, ideas are then storyboarded. That is, ideas are sketched out and sequentially ordered. The storyboard serves as a references throughout the game design and development.
Characters are fleshed out. Sketches are computerized. A wireframe model is created and then fleshed out. ( video)
Programmers code gameplay into the game. 3-D engines are used. Physics engines may also be applied to gameplay. ( video)
"One of the most important aspects of modern game creation is the environment. Subtle touches like reflections in shiny surfaces and varied cloud patterns often go unnoticed by players, but they help create a much more immersive environment. And often such details can propel the story forward: for example, a twig snapping under a character's foot can signal approaching danger. As the power of home computers rapidly increases, game developers are able to create ever more realistic and complex environments. Levels of detail that were unimaginable only a few years ago are now commonplace. It's hard to imagine the game worlds that await us in the future. The majority of 3-D objects created for computer games are made up of polygons. A polygon is an area defined by lines. Each polygon has a set of vertices to define its shape, and it needs information that tells it what to look like. The most commonly used method to transmit this information is "texture mapping. You can think of texture mapping much like wrapping a present. Each side of the box being wrapped is a blank polygon and the "paper" is an image of the texture to be applied. Most video game consoles and computers contain a special chip and dedicated memory that store the special images used for texture mapping and apply them to each polygon on the fly. This allows games to have incredibly detailed 3-D environments that you can interact with in real time." -- http://www.pbs.org/kcts/videogamerevolution/inside/how/04.html ( video)
Sometimes, special issues, such as gender-inclusive game design, are considered.
Once a game is done, there is a lot of TESTING.
- Testing methodology:
  - Usability Research
    - small samples
    - observational studies
    - participants spend time with the game in a number of ways
      - unstructured time for in-game exploration
      - given specific tasks
    - testing measures
      - comments
      - behaviors
      - task time
      - error rates
  - Playtest Research
    - large statistical samples
    - each participant spends some time with the game
    - participants then respond to a highly structured questionnaire
      - genre specific questions
      - game specific questions
      - open ended questions about game quality
  - Reviews
    - advanced copies of the game are provided to industry professionals
- Testing games the Microsoft way:
  - The (Usable) World is Not Enough
  - Beyond Psychological Theory: Getting Data that Improves Games
  - User-Testing Method in Game Design ( part 1, part 2)
  - Making Games More Fun: Tips for Playtesting Games
  - Usability and Games: User-testing Concepts and Case Studies ( part 1, part 2)
When a game is deemed ready for release, the marketing machine goes into full effect. These days, in addition to traditional marketing outlets such as print advertisement, game trailers are released. -- http://www.pbs.org/kcts/videogamerevolution/inside/how/07.html ( video)
The making of Dungeon Siege II

Hardware

CPU
Video Card (GPU)
Co-Processors (PPU)
Sound Card
Speakers
Joysticks
Driving Wheels
How Gaming Systems Work!

Distribution

Brick and Mortar Stores
- Blockbuster
- Electronics Boutique
- etc.
Developer/Publisher Websites
- Microsoft
- LucasArts
- Ubisoft
- etc.
3rd Party Websites
- Download.com
- Gamespot.com
- etc.
Rentals
- GameFly
- GPlay
- etc.
Digital Delivery Clients
- Steam
- Vapour
- GameShadow

Culture and Counter-Culture

"Geek chic refers to the popularity of people who are considered to be geeks, and the subversion and embracing of normally unpopular characteristics such as glasses and interests like comic books and computer games."
- Anybody wanna mint?
- How about a belt?
- Oh my!
- GTA MADE ME DO IT!
Humor in Gaming
- GameDev
- GameSpot
- Penny Arcade
- Slate
Professional Video Gaming
- Forbes.com - Playing Video Games for a Living
- Leagues
  - CAL
  - CPL
  - GGL
  - MLG
- Meet the Frag Dolls
- News Articles
  - CBS Interview - Cyber Athlete 'Fatal1ty'
  - USA Today - Professional video gaming set for TV debut
- Cheats, Walkthroughs, and Levelling
Gaming as social interaction
- The Sims
- World of Warcraft
Games in the movies
- Alien vs. Predator (yes, that Alien and that Predator)
- Tomb Raider
- Dungeon Siege
- Many, many more
Eight Myths about Video Games
Getting into video games
- Download them
- Play them
- Hang out at online gaming forums
- Become a beta tester

Workshop 9: Computer Games

Contact Information

Section Objectives

Demo

History

Demo

Current Popular Genres

Demo

Video Games and Academia

Video Gaming Industry

How modern computer games are made

Hardware

Distribution

Culture and Counter-Culture

Demo

Sources