Some of the first recognisably popular video game systems were the Commodore 64, the Apple 2 and the ZX Spectrum and it was on the back of these consoles and arcade games that the video games industry really began. I remember I had a Spectrum when I was young and although I played it quite a bit I didn't really think of games as serious entertainment.
With more power to display visuals, lots of independent developers started to make games. It was here during the 80's that EA has it's origins. Around this time, genres also started defining themselves. One of the old genres not so apparent these days were the text adventures. A lot of games at the time were text adventures which many people still agree were some of the best games out there.
On the arcade front there were games such as street fighter and Pac-man. It was also during this period that the Nintentdo's flagship character Mario was created. Mario lead Nintendo into the hearts of many gamers. This comes from the time when on the back of personal computers coming into the home, games were mainly a single player affair.
With the boom in the sheer amount of video game consoles and titles being produced there were bound to be some drawbacks. Far too many consoles/computers were now out there and many low quality games were being produced which ultimately lead to the bankruptcy of several companies at that point in time. There was an overly dense market with a lack of interest on the consumers part. This lasted around 2 years and it was with the Nintendo NES that things started to pick up again. In fact in 1989 the Nintendo Gameboy was released which was the start of handheld gaming as we know it today.
It was at the end of the 80's that the controller stated to change as well from a joystick to more of a game pad form. Hot on the heels of the 80's the 90's really marked the transformation of games into the recognisable format that we currently know. Game visuals got a massive overhaul by leaving pixel graphics behind and adopting full 3D. Arcade machines gradually began to lessen in popularity due to home consoles becoming more common and for the first time games begun to be taken seriously as a form of entertainment in terms of sales and popularity. Although unfortunately even to this day there are those that question it as a form of entertainment (and art for that matter).
The 90's were home to one of the most influential games ever made - Doom. This game single handedly created an entire genre of games and inspired many more. It was so innovative and exciting at the time. It's sequel even more so as it was able
to polish an already legendary game. By the end of this decade most current genres of game had been defined. In 1997 final fantasy 7 was released and to this day remains one of the benchmarks by which all RPG's are measured against. Other notable games during this period are; Goldeneye, Legend of Zelda: Ocarina of Time and Mario 64 which anyone who considers themselves gamers should have played.
Early on in the decade systems such as the Sega Megadrive enjoyed large popularity with games such as Sonic the Hedgehog. Mid-way through the decade Playstation was released which I consider to be the start of modern games, due to controller layout, CD's and 3D graphics. By the time all these changes had taken place games now had clearly grown up from their early origins. They went from being simple pixel based games to fully 3D games with many new game play elements and techniques designed to immerse the player in the game. They were simply becoming a more articulate means of entertainment.
As games became more complex my interest in them grew. For me, this point in gaming was more exciting than the current. Currently new games are coming out, but are relying on solid game play, graphics and story to get people to buy them instead of pure innovation or pushing the boundaries. Of course games are still trying new things, but the contrast is no where near what it once was. I think when i grew
up what really excited me was the increasing freedom in games. The decreasing linearity was immensely exciting as games continued to increase in scope. I think this period contained a lot of 'firsts' for games. Such as Doom's first person view, GTA switching to third person, Half-life's long intro and games like Tony Hawks' combo system successfully creating new game play mechanics. If you ask me there aren't a lot of new 'firsts' in games at the moment. In terms of the way we play games there are loads but that's a topic for a different time. Content in games however seems to be treading worn ground and we seem to be trying to better the past instead of creating new concepts to redefine the future.
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