The 80's was a decade of growth for computer games. Home consoles started to become available such as the Commodore 64 and the ZX spectrum. At the beginning of the decade, the first truely 3D games were created using sprite based technology, the first of which being Battlezone (1980).
One of the most iconic games of this era was Pac-Man (1979) which went on to become the first game character to gain mainstream popularity as a character. I do not remember the first time I played this, but it is so widely recognised that I doubt there are many people out there in western society who do not instantly know how to play.
During this period, many genres of games were created that still remain today and still influence the way that games are created. Also network gaming became possible and precursors to multiplayer games like quake started to appear (Mazewar, Spasim).
In around 1985, the console market was revived after a considerable crash. This was achieved when the Nintendo Entertainment System (or Famicom) was released along with the classic platformer "Super Mario Bros". This is one of the earliest games that I have played and it is obviously one of the most famous games ever created. I think that the great thing about Mario is that the formula has not really changed since it started, it has just been improved upon and he is still popular today. The simple idea of trying to reach a goal whilst overcoming difficult obstacles is such a challenging idea it drives me to complete the levels and try something harder on the next.
In 1986 "The Legend of Zelda" was relased for the NES. This began my favourite series of games. This game was revolutionary for its sence of adventure and discovery, the player could explore the world in any order he wished gaining weaponry as he went. After playing this game as a port on the GBA, i can see a whole range of things that are wrong with it, but it was the starting point for a great storyline and formula that continues to excite me more than any other series to this day.
The NES was the first console to use a "gamepad" in replacement of a joystick or keyboard. The "D-pad" then became standard amongst consoles. I think that Nintendo are always coming up with innovative ideas for gaming like this and are constantly pushing the boundaries of how we play.
In 1989 the Gameboy was released. Created by the same people who made the "game and watch" systems, the Gameboy came with the classic puzzle game Tetris. The Gameboy continued to dominate the handheld games market with its succesors until only recently.
In the 90's arcade games became fewer and the home console market started to take over. Consoles around at the begining of the 90's included the Sega Megadrive (1989) which sparked competition from Nintendo's new console The Super Nintendo Entertainment System (SNES) in 1991. This to many was the start of the "console wars".
1994-95 saw the rise of the Sony Playstation and the Sega Saturn. The Playstation dominated the market throughout the 90's. In 1996, Nintendo released the Nintendo 64 and alongside it, Mario 64 and Goldeneye: two games which would majorly influence both the platforming and first-person shooter genres in the future. The 90's saw such great games as Metal Gear Solid, Final Fantasy VII and Zelda Ocarina of Time which are all considered some of the best games of all time.
1999 saw the beginning of the end for Sega consoles when the Dreamcast was released. Although the console hosted some great games, Sega realised that they were no longer able to competitively stay within the console market. However, they did continue to make games and are now making games across all platforms.
My Personal Experience of Games in the 90's
When I was about 4 (in 1993) I remember playing Sonic the Hedgehog at a friends house and this was my first real experience of computer games. Following this I remember constantly begging my parents to get me a computer for Christmas even though I knew we could not afford one. Up until I was about 12 (2001) my main experience of games was playing them with friends at their houses. My most treasured memories of games at this time were playing Zelda- A Link to the Past, Street Fighter, and Sonic the Hedgehog. It was always great to be able to go out and play until we were exausted and then come in and relax in front of games.
When I was 12 I got my first home console. For my birthday I received a Nintendo 64 with Goldeneye and found great pleasure in beating my sister's boyfriend at the multiplayer whenever he was round: my sister was not so impressed. I then discovered Zelda: OOT and that's when my passion for games started. This fantastic world was there for me to discover and I genuinely felt like the "hero of time". I then found myself saving up lunch money everyday to buy the sequel, Zelda: Majora's Mask, and it did not dissapoint one bit.
I found a love of multiplayer when Super Smash Bros first came out on the N64. I would often have 3 other friends over to play this as well as F Zero X, another one of my favourite multiplayer games. Games also offered a way for me to spend time with my sister: we would often come home after school and have a game of F Zero together. We would realy enjoy just laughing and joking together.
I also owned a Game Boy Pocket, although I can not remember when I bought it. I spent most of my time playing the Mario games on it as well as Pokemon (as most children my age were). Mostly, my experience of games has been a social one. I do not enjoy playing a game unless I have someone to show it to or go through it with. I would often run across the road to see my best friend and share what I had discovered but if he did not like the game, I often found that the lack of competition soon made it a lot less interesting.
No comments:
Post a Comment