Games have been existing for a long time, but nowadays, everything has to be either high-definition or 3D and very realistic looking. Graphics and details are very important. But why is it that pixel games like Minecraft are so popular? In a time where graphics are the most important element of a game, the ancient games become popular once again.
The evolution from Pong, or the Nintendo NES’ Ninja Turtles to games like Crysis and Forza Motorsport 4 is mindblowing. Every single movement has been prerecorded and edited by hundreds of computers to create those perfectly smooth movements you get when you move your character in a game. Cars have been scanned by dozens of computers and cameras and have been tested for months before releasing.
When I was just a little boy, consoles like Nintendo NES were already quite old, but the games were more than awesome. The graphics weren’t great, but that’s what made the games cool. It made gamers go back to the basic elements of graphical gaming. During the time of Pong, gamers had to be pleased by two bars and a ball that was moving on an enormous screen. Now, televisions of a half inch can display the most smooth, beautiful looking images.
Games have always been an important element in my life. Since I was about 4 years old, I was already playing video games. My first video games were on the original Nintendo Gameboy. Disney’s Aladin and Wario Land: Super Mario Land 3 were the best games EVER. I played those games for hours, but never finished them. They were awesome!
Another important element in my life would be technology. I’ve always been fascinated by technology. And as every gamer knows, gaming technology is way beyond the minds of us, normal people. In the last few years, gaming technology has evolved more than ever. Games became High Definition, controllers became wireless, controllers became … human. Systems like Kinect work with a technology that none of us can explain… The technology behind motion tracking is very complicated and probably Chinese for the normal person, but what it can do is way beyond everyone’s dreams.
Also, televisions have always been a big part of the gaming world. The better the television, the better the game. High Definition made our mouths fall open, but now, with 3D technology, gaming becomes very close to reality. The quality of televisions is an important part of what makes gaming what it is. When I started gaming on a television, I played on an old CRT television. Playing Xbox 360 on an old television, that’s just like playing PS1 on an old television: quality doesn’t exist… When I got myself a flat screen LCD television and I plugged my TV in with an HDMI cable, I was mindblown… LED technology is another element that’s becoming very popular within the gaming world. I’ve always been a fan of the realism in games, but realism starts with what you see. If what you see doesn’t look real, there is no realism.
“Games are just as real as what you can see.”
But when you consider realism to be an important part in the popularity of games, why is it that pixelgames like Minecraft are so popular? I personally don’t like Minecraft, because I think it’s not realistic. But a lot of gamers love it. Why do gamers like pixelgames? Because those games remind them of games from about 20 years ago. Every gamer loved games like Super Wario Land or Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles. They take you back to the basics of gaming.
