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DIGM 465: Overview of Gaming Prof. Paul Diefenbach TA: Patrick Kemp

DIGM 465: Overview of Gaming Prof. Paul Diefenbach TA: Patrick Kemp. gam´ing    Pronunciation: gām´ĭng Noun - the act of playing for stakes in the hope of winning Is winning important? Gaming – entertainment containing “ gameplay ” .

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DIGM 465: Overview of Gaming Prof. Paul Diefenbach TA: Patrick Kemp

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  1. DIGM 465:Overview of GamingProf. Paul DiefenbachTA: Patrick Kemp gam´ing   Pronunciation: gām´ĭngNoun - the act of playing for stakes in the hope of winning • Is winning important? Gaming – entertainment containing “gameplay”. Gameplay - One or more causally linked series of challenges in a simulated environment.

  2. Introduction Design of digital games and interactive media from concept to production. Gaming: Art vs. Technology • Entertainment + technology component • Interactive media requires engineering Syllabus Review • Questionaire • Gaming Overview

  3. A Brief History of Gaming • Tic-Tac-Toe ’52 – first CRT • Tennis-for-two ’58 – pong on o-scope • Space War ’61 – 1st widely dist. • Atari’s Pong ’72 – 1st popular arcade • Wump , Adventure ’72 – 1st text adventures • Death Race ’76 – 1st controversial • Atari 2600 ’77 – 1st cartridge console • Zork ’77 – 1st commercially successful text adventure • Space Wars ’78 – 1st vector arcade • Space Invaders ‘78 – 1st high score • MUD ’79 – 1st multi-user adventure • Pac-Man ’80 – most popular arcade

  4. William A. HiginbothamFather of Video Games? • Brookhaven National Labs – 1958

  5. William A. HiginbothamTennis for Two • 3 weeks to build • Debuts Oct. 1958

  6. Tech Model Railroad ClubSciFi Nerd Inventors? • MIT club -1961 • Discussing E.E. "Doc" Smith’s “Lensman” • Demo for new DEC PDP-1 ($120k)

  7. Tech Model Railroad ClubSpacewar! • Led by Steve Russel • 1962 OpenHouse debut • Demo for new DEC PDP-1 • Copies spread over ARPAnet

  8. Ralph BaerConsole Industry Visionary • 1951 - Loral TV engineer • “Build best tv set in world” • Why not include interactive games? • 1966 – Sanders Associates • 1968 – first patent • No takers till 1971

  9. Ralph BaerMagnavox Odyssey • Introduced 1972: $100 • B&W, no sound • two sizes of color mylar overlays • six plug-in game cards, a pack of playing cards, poker chips, play money, a scorecard (as the machine itself can not calculate or display any scores) and a pair of dice • 100,000 copies, $100M licensing fees

  10. Nolan BushnellVideo Arcade Visionary • 1962 University of Utah student • Spacewar! exposure • 1965 Salt Lake City carnival • 1970 invents “Computer Space” • W/Ted Dabney • Bought by Arcade-game manufacturer Nutting Associates – makes 1500 • 1972 - Leaves over money dispute and w/Dabney starts a new company…….

  11. AtariPong is Born! • Term from Japanese game “Go” • 1972 - Al Alcorn hired • Given simple tennis game assignment as learning exercise • Bally passes on game • Atari markets game itself • test-marketed in “Andy Capps” bar for 2 weeks • 1976 Sold to Warner - $28M • 1977 Introduces Atari Video Computer System (2600)for $250

  12. Vector vs. RasterSpacewar! revisited • Cinematronics - 1977 • “Space Wars” • Vector graphics • method of drawing sharp geometric shapes with straight lines • Earliest form ofpolygon graphics

  13. Golden Age • 1978 - Space Invaders • High score triggers coin shortages • Spurs home console market • 1980 - Pac Man • 600k various arcade versions • Battlezone – first 3D game • Donkey Kong – “Mario” branding • 1982- arcade videogame industry makes 3x $ of the movie biz • double number of videogame arcades than there were in 1980. • 1982 – consoles $1B • 1983 – consoles $3.2B

  14. Crash • Console crash – 1983-84 • Atari 2600 Pac-Man, ET • Too many products, too many companies • Failed company games discounted • Commodore 64 – 22M sold • Surviving companies can’t compete leading to high inventories. • Atari loses $356M in 1983 • Arcade gaming down some 40% • estimated that up to 1/2 arcades close this year. • Saved by laserdisk? “Dragon’s Lair” by Don Bluth

  15. A Brief History of Gaming • Nintendo ’85 – revived industry • Game Boy ‘89 – 1st popular handheld • Doom ’93, DKC ’94 – 1st popular 3D FPS • Playstation, Nintento 64, Sega – battle of format • EverQuest, Lineage – successful MMORPG • PlayStation 2 ‘00– 1st DVD, dynamic 3D • Nokia N-Gage ‘03 – 1st multi-function handheld • 2006: Xbox 360, Playstation III, Nintendo Revolution • 2006: Fight Night Round 3 – today’s State of the Art

  16. Traditional Gaming • Display • TV, monitor • Controller • Joystick, gamepad, wheel, etc. • Console • PC, PS2, Gameboy, etc. • Graphics • Vector, sprites, 3D • Logic • Rules, storyline, levels

  17. Categories • Console • PC • Arcade • Online • Handheld • Location-Based Entertainment • Gambling • Non-Entertainment

  18. Non-entertainment • Education • Business – teaching fiscal, economic and trading skills. • Military uses simulation-based games • Health/medical sector • doctors who spent at least three hours a week playing video games made about 37 percent fewer mistakes in laparoscopic surgery and performed the task 27 percent faster . • Marketing: • GM & wild tangent in Computer Graphics magazine.

  19. Game Categories • Action • FPS • 3rd person • Fighting • Hybrid Action/Adventure • Adventure • Graphics Adventures • Fantasy Role-Playing (FRP,RPG, MMORPG) • Simulation • Vehicle • Construction/Management • Sports • Strategy • Other: Puzzles & Casual, Educational, etc.

  20. Game Industry Customer Retailer Distributor Publisher Developer Subcontractor

  21. Customer • Pays $20-70 for 20-40hrs entertainment ($1-$2/hr) • Under 18: 34% PC, 45% console • 90% adult purchased • Average 2004: 28 y.o., (27 female) • Now 30 y.o., (28 female) • 43% female • Casual vs. Hardcore

  22. Retailer • Wholesale ~50% MSRP • actual price 10-50% above wholesale • Mail Order • General Merchandise • Software • Other: online, bundling, etc.

  23. Distributor Distributors are Middlemen • Warehouse • Sales Staff • Fulfillment

  24. Publisher Software Owners • Funds Development • Advertises • Name branding • Financial control • Contracts developers • In house, external

  25. Developers Creative team that creates game • Most companies < 200 people • Lives contract to contract • 10-50 people per title • Receives advance and royalty • Programmers, writers, artists, modelers, animators, musicians, sound engineers, researchers, etc.

  26. Business and Design Issues • Technical • Non-intrusive user interfaces • Information overload • Standards • Resources:  location dependent DB • Public acceptance • Privacy concerns/legal • Social behavior • Business Model • Oligopoly vs. open source • Minimize costs : Repositories • Non-gaming games

  27. Idea to Gold • Idea • Pre-production • Small staff overseen by Publisher-assigned producer • Fleshed out Design Doc. & Demo • Project Planning • Production • Fully Staffed • Testing • Alpha, Beta • Configuration • QA • Content ratings, Licensing, etc. • Manufacturing – “going gold”

  28. Idea to Gold

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