MAJORING IN VIDEO GAMES As the video game industry grows it needs more workers Schools have created programs to keep up with the demand Many colleges now offer majors in video game design Students learn about programming the history of video games and new technologies They can design their own games and play them in class These university programs are a place for students to bring their own games to life The player flies the ship around an asteroid field She hears the rumble of the engines If she accidentally steers the ship too close to an asteroid she can hear the screech of metal as the ship crashes Everything seems so real But it isn’t real The player is immersed in a virtual reality VR video game In the real world she has a VR helmet strapped to her head She uses a controller to guide her ship as she plays the game The VR helmet blocks out the rest of the world The game feels like it is
Graphics in early video games such as Spacewar were extremely simple compared to today’s games Blocks and lines represented spaceships and lasers actually happening The player is fully immersed in the game as a fearless fighter pilot An alarm sounds in the game The radar on her ship has picked up an enemy It’s time to take care of the rebels THE ROAD HERE The very first video game tournament was in 1972 The video game was Spacewar Players attacked each other with spaceships The graphics were not very good by today’s standards The spaceships looked like blocky triangles There were no background graphics It was just white ships on a black screen
Video games have come a long way since Spacewar As technology advances the game industry creates cool new ways to play In 1980 the computer game Battlezone was the first to use three-dimensional 3D graphics Those graphics were still blocky Over the years new consoles had more and more power Game graphics improved and looked more realistic By 2018 video games had advanced much further They can look like animated movies brought to life The graphics in video games such as Mass Effect Destiny and The Legend of Zelda Breath of the Wild are jaw-dropping HARDWARE AND SOFTWARE Advances in video game technology happen because of hardware and software Hardware refers to the physical parts that make games possible such as computers gaming consoles and mobile devices It also includes parts such as controllers and screens Graphics cards have become more advanced They display information as images on a screen New TVs can show games in
Games of the late 2010s such as The Legend of Zelda Breath of the Wild have incredible levels of detail including grass that blows in the wind ultra high-definition UHD These TVs provide sharp images and dazzling colors Software is the set of instructions the computer or console follows Designers artists and programmers all come together to create a game’s software Designers make maps and levels Artists draw characters and scenery Programmers make sure all the elements
