Video games, and the gaming industry, went through many changes over the last two decades but new technologies continue to revolutionize the gaming industry even faster before.
Let’s take a look at some of the things that changed the gaming industry.
1. Portable gaming consoles
From the first Gameboy to the Playstation Vita, portable gaming consoles allowed gamers to play their favorite games anywhere.
Portable gaming consoles helped some gaming franchises become popular world wide, and the development of the technology continue to offer an experience similar to traditional gaming consoles.
2. Controller with analog sticks
The fact that the joystock became smaller and they got included in games controllers, which until then only contained buttons, improved the gamers’ control options, once they were implemented in Nintendo N64 and this control method is still popular today, more than 15 years since it’s debut.
3. Mods
Some of the world’s biggest games developers such as Epic, Valve and Crytek still offer the mods compatibility today, as they played an important role in the history of video games.
With a good mod, a game can be easily transformed into something else. You can add new characters as well as multi-player support.
4. Nintendo Wii
With a special contribution to the expansion of the video games market, Nintendo Wii was purchased by parents, grandparents and hardcore gamers and it brought touch controls to games.
5. Blu-Ray
Increasing the storage capacity of optic drives removed the need of stopping the game in order to move on to the next disk.
6. Steam
The “Steam Engine” made a huge contribution to the gaming industry but Valve will forever remain in history thanks to the Steam digital distribution platform, which revolutionized the way developers and gamers interact.
7. Minecraft
The Lego concept was transformed into a perfect gaming experience by Minecraft. The open sandbox game offers players the chance of exploring the limits of their imagination, creating a new world from cubes.
The simplicity of the Java based game attracts intermediate and advanced users.
8. Indie games revolution
Indie games are becoming more popular since what matters most for developers is the commercial aspect of the business. Independent developers can create more personal games, games we can easily tag as works of art. We remember Limbo, Flower and Braid, games that offer a unique visual experience but also an excellent gameplay.
9. First person shooter games for gaming consoles
The migration for first person shooter games on PC was a great move and FPS games especially created for gaming consoles are some of the market’s most successful titles.
10. Xbox Live
Xbox Live revolutionized the social elements of video games, and extra content can satisfy even the most demanding gamers.
Playstation Network introduced some new features, but Xbox Live will remain the pioneer of this segment of the gaming industry.
Do you know other things that helped shape the gaming industry as we know it today ?
Let us know in the comments below.
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