While games have been part of human culture for centuries, the history of digital games really only spans the last 50 years or so. People can still remember playing PONG and thinking it was a revolution. In terms of games that have been available in the average home, the time scale is even shorter.
In that short time, we’ve already seen some huge changes and eras where things seemed to quickly shift and alter. Suddenly everybody may seem to be playing the same types of games or a new trend comes along with a genre of games becoming bigger than it has been previously – these have created eras and defining spells in gaming.
The First-Ever Consoles
The latter period of the 1980s and early 1990s marked what was probably the first golden age of consoles. Nintendo and Sega rose to prominence and became the talk of the gaming world (and were the hottest products around). Nintendo Entertainment System (NES) and some early SEGA consoles changed home gaming and brought some huge franchises too. Lots of characters invented at this time are still seen in modern versions of games.
This era was defined by simple gameplay. These weren’t the ultrarealistic games we see today and had LoFi graphics and 8-bit music. Anything that these games lacked in realism or modern technical sophistication, they definitely made up for in creativity and fun. Gamers played a lot of different styles of games and the fact they could play in their own homes changed everything.
The Rise of Online Casino Games
Casino games have shown their staying power. One of the first major transitions in digital gaming came with the introduction of online casino games in the mid-1990s. Games that had been played in person for centuries were suddenly on modern devices.
Physical casinos were the only places where people could engage in games of chance once upon a time, but with the development of the internet and secure online payment systems, casino games began making their way to digital platforms.
Online slot games are played very commonly in many parts of the world and there is a big audience for casino gaming but this was the first time when playing real money slots was really possible over the internet. Eventually, the evolution of this technology brought us things like gaming
Online casino games didn’t just mirror their real-world counterparts – they also introduced a number of innovations and continue to do this today. People are regularly making new themed slots and new types of interactive gameplay that couldn’t exist in physical form (we now have features like mini-games that wouldn’t have been possible in early slots). This era signified not only a shift in how casino games were played but also the start of a much larger transformation in how people engaged with digital games altogether.
Lots of casino games also focus on table games – gaming that has been around for hundreds of years before making its way to the digital age. More content can be shared now and people watch other people’s play to gain new techniques and see what strategies others are using:
The Power of PC – Simulations
Around the same time that console gaming was exploding in popularity, the rise of PC gaming brought about its own little revolution. Personal computers were becoming more affordable in the 1990s (even if RAM costs were off the scale) and developers began creating complex games that offered deeper gameplay mechanics than consoles could handle at the time – things like in-game economies and other simulation and strategy staples.
Real-time strategy (RTS) and simulation were popular. Sims games and Civilization (one of the top sim games of all time) captivated players with their intricate designs and long-term strategic challenges as no two games were ever the same. A new ability to mod games also gave rise to a new community of players who could alter gameplay experiences, extending the lifespan of many popular titles – mods are still popular today and there is a big community for this alteration of big titles.
The MMO Boom: A New Social Era
MMOs brought a new social aspect to gaming that was revolutionary in its time. This ambitious new form of gaming started in the late 1990s with EverQuest, but really came to prominence in the 2000s with the monumental success of World of Warcraft. MMOs allow players to engage with each other in massive virtual worlds and are still popular for that reason. WoW is still the top MMO for player count according to lots of resources.
The Current Age: Battle Royales and Streaming
Trends defining today’s gaming are definitely clear – the most recent gaming trend that has captured the public’s attention is the battle royale genre built up by games like Fortnite and PUBG. Battle royales combine elements of survival games with large-scale multiplayer combat.
Concepts for these games are simple; loads of players are dropped into a large map and must compete to be the last one standing. This fast-paced gameplay has changed everything. Fortnite is clever in that the development team continues to add new features and things like side quests with characters (Davy Jones is a recent one).
Equally transformative is the rise of game streaming, where platforms like Twitch and YouTube allow players to broadcast their gameplay to millions of viewers. Some gamers have even turned streaming into a career!
Conclusion
Gaming is always changing but people tend to remember certain eras and times when they may have been playing certain games. The console eras help to define time periods, but so do computer games and other technological advancements.