Homework- video games

The physicist William Higinbotham invented the first video games in Brookhaven National Laboratory in Upton (New York) in 1958. It was a game played on an oscilloscope and was similar to table tennis. In 1972 a more advanced version of this game called 'Pong' (as in ping pong) was created. Video games have evolved considerably since this time. They are now played on specific gaming stations, personal computers (PC), full sized gaming machines often found in arcades and many other ways. Below is an image of one of the original video games called 'Pong':

Video games are games that allow one or more people to interact for entertainment purposes via a type of computer system. Examples would be on systems such as games consoles including Sony PlayStations, Microsoft Xboxes, and Nintendo Wii etc. All of these gaming stations need to use televisions to allow the participant to see what they are doing in the game; if they did not then they would not be able see or hear what they were doing. Therefore these game stations rely on television (analogue or digital) for their devices to be used. Below is an example of a games console:

Many institutions have their own games consoles which play these video games; examples include Microsoft, Sony and Nintendo. These companies are in competition with each other to attract the most business even though all of their products are quite similar. For example the Sony Playstation2 and the Microsoft Xbox. They both play DVDs and have the same games for each however they may be the same games but they can only be played on the system it is made for. These institutions are starting to make these games consoles so that they can have two or more technologies in the device. This is called convergence. An example of this would be the Sony PlayStation3, which allows online gaming through its system and the PSP, which can connect wirelessly to an Internet network. The PSP is one of many examples of miniturisation in video games which is starting to take off as well as in other media technologies. A picture of a Sony PSP:

Miniturisation is the process of technology getting smaller becoming more portable and storing increasing amounts of information. This process of miniturisation is also helping the portability of video games as the more compact they are the more portable they will become in some respects. Other examples of portability in video games are the PSP and the Nintendo DS. This system allows you to wirelessly play games that can potentially be played on gaming stations that are not wireless if the game had come out for both of the stations. Here is a picture a Nintendo DS:

Connectivity has a big part to play in the world of gaming/video games especially as many games are played online on personal computers (PC). Examples are World of Warcraft (WOW) and Second Life, these are both virtual worlds played on the computer. These two games are also good examples of interactivity in gaming. Here is an example of a virtual world:

Connectivity is becoming more important to video games as some institutions have decided to add the Internet to their game stations. An example of this is the Sony PlayStation3, which allows participants to game online. All video games are interactive as what the participant does affects the outcome of what happens on the game however some are more advanced than others for example the ones I have stated and the Nintendo Wii, which is a gaming system which allows the game to take place when the person moves their body but mainly hands in a certain way when holding the remote that they must strap around their wrist. Below is an image of a Nintendo Wii:

Task 1-Defining key words

Portability: Allows information and data to be transferred from different places in hardware and software easily through using another system or device. Forms of portable devices include USB sticks and floppy discs which allow information from one computer to be transferred onto another computer by moving the files. Convergence: This is the coming together of two or more technologies in the same device. An example of this is a mobile phone, it allows you to play games and also allows you to go on the Internet. Interactivity: It allows people to communicate and interact with other people live via computer technologies, for example webcams and microphones. These are a great help for long distance conversations and sending messages immediately to another person. It is used in the business world for video conferences and even between relatives who live far apart and want to communicate with each other. This is able to happen because of the access to the Internet that most people globally have access to. Compatibility: There are two types of compatibility forward and backward compatibility. Forward compatibility is when a system allows later versions of itself to work on it. Backward compatibility is when a system allows older versions of itself to be used on its system. For example a Sony PlayStation 3 allowing Sony PlayStation 2 games to be played on its system. Storage: It allows the connection to other devices allowing them to share infromation. Is a technological device that also allows files to be stored on itself, they can be a variety of different sizes and have different amounts of capacity. For example USB sticks, floppy discs, CD ROMs etc. Miniaturisation: It is the process of technology getting smaller and having the potential to store more information and increase the device's portability. An example of this is the Imac air, which i sa extremely compact laptop created by the institution Apple. Another example is the Sony PSP it is like an ordinary Sony PlayStation2 but is portable and much smaller not needing the aid of a television to make the images of the game visable as they have their own screen. Digital: Digital is the way in which data of all typesd is stored using the binary code of 0 and 1. It is what replacing analogue in things such as televisions, very soon there will be no analogue televisions as they will all have been replaced by digital televisions as they are said to be of a better quality. This is called the 'digital switch-over'. However there are some problems in areas in the UK where the signal is not the best so the picture will go pixelated and block out the visual and audio features for a few seconds. Digital systems use discrete, discontinuous values to represent information for input, processing, transmission and storage. In contrast to this analogue systems use a continuous range of values to represent information. Although digital representations are discrete the information shown can be either discrete (numbers, letters and icon). Or it can also be continuous (sounds, images, and other measurements of continuous systems). Connectivity: It is the communication between two or more computer systems. These systems are usually connected by the Internet, which is a very infamous way of linking up computers but more local ways are established. Synergy: It is the way media institutions try to use their various products to sell their other products. For example if you buy an Apple Ipod then you can get your music for it from Apple Itunes and get this software loaded up onto your Apple Imac.