Ever since gaming took off as a new media of entertainment visioneers have defined it as a form of art. Although the thesis have gained many supporters throughout, it isn’t until today when big gaming companies are starting to realize the importance of video games and effect they have over its wide audience.
As the course of gaming history progresses we can notice not one, but many titles (both AAA and indie) that can be called ‘a true masterpiece.’ It is not said that until today there weren’t any video games that have redefined the way we perceive gaming, but that the next gen gaming era we are entering will be one of the most exciting. The three main reasons for this are the moment games begun to tell a story, the moment indie games broke out and the moment in which the hardware became fast enough for games to pass the uncanny valley.
Let us tell you a story!
Even the good old Super Mario Bros. had a story. Plus, many adventure games in the 90s were made with the sole purpose of telling a story. However, it wasn’t until the first game in the Myst franchise when people begun to perceive gaming as a whole new media of entertainment. It wasn’t just shoot, jump, ride or click. People were actually driven into the story and were able to seeminglessly dive into a whole another world, while playing a game. Myst, developed by brothers Robyn and Rand Miller, was released in 1993. Inspired by the power of books the game became a hit and a true genre defining experience. It was the first time a game was created with the sole idea to tell a story and the first time the general public saw the potential in gaming as a true art form. Myst is not the only game that made it possible for games to blend the gameplay with the story, Final Fantasy VI and VII, Half Life, Prince of Persia and many more are also on the list, but this is a story for another time.
Mine more, craft more!
Those of you who love gaming probably are aware that indie games have existed long before Minecraft. However, it wasn’t until the success of the block based mining games until the gaming media begun looking at indie games in a different light. As the industry developed big gaming companies were rushing to make the most true-to-life game graphics, yet a game considered ugly by most attracted a wider audience than most of the AAA titles available at the time. This is when the gaming media realized that not only graphics, but aesthetics and fidelity are also an important piece of the puzzle. Moreover, indie developers realized that the market may be tough, but that doesn’t mean they don’t have a chance against big companies. Last year we saw amazing indie games that offered something new and incredible such as Papers, Please, The Stanley Parable, Device 6 and more.
Power, I need power!
The last and one of the most important pieces of the puzzle that makes next-gen games possible is the hardware. As technology is developing faster every day, developers are able to make their dreams come true with less effort and players are able to enjoy more beautiful and content rich worlds. With new engines being built that are able to take the most out of the hardware, games are at the verge of passing the uncanny valley.
Next-gen gaming will be a whole new era and games such as The Last of Us and Grand Theft Auto V were just the games that we needed to end the last gen gaming with. Via a mere glance at the near future we are able to see games, such as Get Even or Project Cars, that blur the lines between the real and the virtual world. We are not only entering a next-gen gaming era where the graphical fidelity and aesthetics of the game will make us question everything, but a time when the story of the game is not just a cutscene or a text quickly flashing between levels, but rather a part of the whole gaming experience.
It is a great time to live and be a gamer! What do you think was the most important step that brought us closer to next-gen gaming? What next-gen game are you most excited about?
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