Table of Contents
What are video games?
Video games are one of the coolest forms of media out there! Unlike books, movies, or TV shows, video games shape themselves around you. Within the worlds they create, you can make choices, change the story, and shape the narrative. Be it undertaking puzzles, creating your own civilizations, or going on a quest, the choices remain with you. What could be cooler than that?
Video games can be played on a wide variety of electronic devices. Older games, like the first Zelda, Pokémon, or even Tetris needed a console . Now, they’re much more flexible. Computer games offer some of the most fascinating worlds in the industry. Mobile games allow incredible adventures to fit into your pocket or palm.
For many people, video games also mean community! Whether it’s your grandma playing “Words with Friends,” or a “Rocket League” group, video games offer connection. People all over the world bond over common interests, and form relationships that can last a lifetime. Competitive gaming, known as “ Esports ,” was valued at $1.3 billion worldwide in 2022!
The video game industry has changed immensely, and still continues to do so
What will video games look like in the future?
One of the most exciting adaptations of video games is the creation of virtual reality, or augmented reality. The video game is even more immersive than on a console, and the game can become your entire world!
With the advent of mobile and computer games, video games have also become less and less reliant on consoles. Game developers are taking this one step further, and creating entirely cloud-based games. Imagine being able to run incredibly detailed games without heavy hardware!
Artificial intelligence might also be incorporated into video games. By assessing player skills, or identifying a specific player’s interests, games can adapt and change to fit the user in real time. AI could make enemies smarter, or even make non-playable characters more interesting!
Despite the new forms that video games are taking, the central process behind making them remains the same.
How are video games made?
Video games are a form of media that need collaboration across many disciplines.
The first discipline is programming . Programming is at the heart of video games, helping to turn the work of artists into a medium that we can truly interact and engage with. In essence, programming is all about making room for choices. Imagine drawing a flowchart of possibilities. You see a dog. If you pet it, it wags its tail. If you keep walking, you run into a friend. If you run into a friend, then they give you a quest. If they give you a quest, then… well, you see where this is going. Every choice links to another, creating a dizzying array of options. The more flexibility you give a player, the more paths you have to create.
Programming also helps make the world of a video game feel truly real. The manner in which characters move, or the way light filters in through trees in a forest, or what happens when you throw a rock, are all processes built by programmers. It can be a surprisingly challenging task to mimic the physics of real life in a video game, let alone create a world in which the physics is different.
As much as programming makes video games a science, art is what makes video games fun. Why do we want to dive into a world? Why do we want to stay in that world?
Storyboarding is a tool commonly used by visual artists to create a narrative. Before programming, it often helps to imagine and plan the game’s story, as well as how the game might look. Sketches are created in a sequence that often includes certain key scenes. Level designs and the ways characters interact might also be planned out. Storyboarding also helps put the game developers in the player’s shoes. Where is the player standing in the scene? Do they view the character from behind, or do they embody the character? What actions might the character need to take? A visual roadmap can help guide the game development team, which can often be dozens or even hundreds of people!
Newer fields of studies have blossomed around video games. “Ludology”, named after the old-school board game of Ludo, is the study of games and the act of playing them. It often delves into history and culture. As long as humans have existed, we’ve been inviting each other to play!
Ludologists also want to understand why humans like to create rules for games. Why is a game with some rules more fun than a game with none at all?
“Narratology” is the study of games as primarily a storytelling medium. This perspective rejects that rules and interaction are what make a game, and suggest that human experiences and sharing them are what draws people in.
Think about your favorite video game. What is the art style like? It’s often interesting to compare the current game with the original storyboards, if these are available. Every time you press a button and make a choice, ponder upon the various outcomes that had to be coded in!
Video games are an evolving form of media, and their ability to incorporate art and science will make it a very exciting field in the years to come.
Flesch Kincaid Grade Level: 65.2
Flesch Kincaid Reading Ease: 7.3
Glossary
Console: A small electronic device for playing video games
Esports: A form of competition for playing video games
Programming: Providing a video game with coded instructions for the automatic performance of a task
Contributors
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