Computer games are one of the
most successful industries at the moment, with the developments in technology
meaning games are more advanced than ever, and can now be played wherever you
are, whether on a portable games console or even your smartphone. Because of
this, it is so important for computer games manufacturers to stay on top of the
trends to keep people interested and make sure their newest game is likely to
make its mark amongst the gaming community.
To keep people interested, the
gaming industry has to constantly keep their games new and offer something no
one has ever offered before, meaning the different types and formats of games
is widely varied and constantly adapting. One of the greatest gaming
phenomenons in recent years was the Grand Theft Auto franchise, which managed
to make headlines as well as becoming one of the most popular games series’
ever. Grand Theft Auto was unique in that it allowed not only a level of
real-world violence and activities that other games had tried to steer clear of
before, but also did so in a digitally reproduced real world, allowing people
to head out in towns they knew and do things they would never do in real life.
In Grand Theft Auto, you went on missions, stealing cars, shooting people and
beating up others for information - the kind of thing those who don’t want to
spend a great deal of time in prison will avoid! Right down to the fact that
you could play different stations on the radio in your car, the game was
completely realistic and allowed for exploration of various locations and a
chance to leave the everyday stresses of your life for a while.
However, once people got used to
this type of game play it was time to move on, which is where a new type of
video game play was introduced. Suddenly the market was full of physical games,
which could recognise what you were doing and translate it onto the screen. New
games controllers such as the Nintendo Wii would let you go for a run, play
tennis or even dance to your favourite tracks and find yourself up on the
screen doing exactly what you were doing in the real world. It was as close to
virtual reality for the masses as we had ever come and has created something of
a craze, which is still popular now.
Finally, and most recently, the
introduction of smartphones to day to day life has allowed games manufacturers
to put their games into a much smaller scale and provide versions people can
play wherever they are. These games go back to the classic operations of early
video games, but are no less stunning visually than any game you could get for
a larger console.
There are so many variations of
games out there at the moment, it is impossible to tell what will happen next,
but as technology improves there is no doubt that the games industry is likely
to reinvent the wheel time and time again in pursuit of more custom.
