The aim of video games, as a means of leisure, has always been to entertain the user, from its beginnings to our days this maxim has OutRun, but both in the content and in the appearance these have evolved at leaps and bounds, fueled among other things by the rapid development of different technologies. Video games have changed so much that it is increasingly difficult for us to relate pioneering games to the great productions that are being released today. We give you a review of the technological changes that have preceded such evolution, from the Mystic Pong to the pure realism of Crisis (game more powerful graphically today).
Everything changed forever when William Higginbotham created Tennis for Two on an oscilloscope. From there, Electronic Games ceased to be simple experiments or proof of concept, and they turned more strongly towards entertainment. New hardware and new languages resulted in a dramatic increase in the quality of the games, which was mainly reflected through the graphics. The video we will share below shows us how far we have come in visual and physical.
From simple lines representing a tennis court to the 4K video. From two blocks moving on its vertical axis to complete scenarios with realistic destruction and real-time physical effects. Try to remember the first time you played a video game. Remember his Graphics, his colors, and compare it to what exists now. I came to, enjoy the last phase of the Atari 2600, with River Raid, Pitfall, Volleyball and Boxing (both of the series “”RealSports””), and then I moved to Commodore 64, enjoying the Giana Sisters, Microprose Soccer, Pole Position, Out Run, Pitstop 2, and more. Today, all these games are within our reach thanks to emulators, run on systems with chilling processing power, but the truth is that we need that power. Why? Just watch this video to understand:
Yes, it is impossible for such a list to be perfect, simply because it is impossible to mention all the games. However, we see a good selection among the pioneers (Spacewar, Computer Space, Pong), the first 3D attempts with perspective tricks and wireframe (Battlezone), the adoption of polygons (Winning Run, Hard Drivinโ), the advancement in physics, greater emphasis on speed (Sonic Adventure), and finally an explosion in quality with titles that brought the computers of the time to their knees (Doom 3, F. E. A. R., Crisis). The consoles are well represented with Gears of War and Ryse: Son of Rome, as well as the multiplayer genre with Battlefield 1.
Now, it’s no coincidence that the last two games are exclusive to the PlayStation 4. Beyond the similarities between the hardware of state-of-the-art consoles and the enormous potential of high-end computers, we cannot deny that Horizon Zero Dawn and God of War are works of art. The good news? There are even better things on the horizon.