While video-game systems are used solely for gaming, games are only one of the many uses for computers. In computer games, players can use a keyboard to type in commands or a mouse to move a cursor around the screen, or sometimes both. Many computer games also allow the use of a joystick or game controller.
Computer games were first developed in the mid-1970s, when computer scientists started to create text adventure games to be played over networks of computers at universities and research institutions. These games challenged players to reach a goal or perform a certain task, such as finding a magical jewel. At each stop along the way, the games described a situation and required the player to respond by typing in an action. Each action introduced a new situation to which the player had to react. One of the earliest such games was called Zork.
Beginning in the late 1970s, Zork and similar games were adapted for use on personal computers, which were just gaining popularity. As technology improved, programmers began to incorporate graphics into adventure games. Because relatively few people owned home computers, however, the market for computer games grew slowly until the mid-1980s. Then, more dynamic games such as Choplifter, a helicopter-adventure game produced by Broderbund, helped fuel rising sales of computers. In 1982 Microsoft Corporation released Flight Simulator, which allows players to mimic the experience of flying an aeroplane.
As the power of personal computers increased in the 1980s, more sophisticated games were developed. Some of the companies that produced the most popular games were Sierra On-Line, Electronic Arts, and Strategic Simulations, Inc. (SSI). A series of so-called Sim games, produced by Maxis, enabled players to create and manage cities (SimCity), biological systems (SimEarth), and other organizational structures. In the process, players learned about the relationships between the elements of the system. For example, in SimCity a player might increase the tax rate to raise money only to find that people move out of the city, thus decreasing the number of taxpayers and possibly offsetting the increase in revenue. An educational mystery game called Where in the World Is Carmen Sandiego?, by Broderbund, was introduced in the 1980s and aimed at children. The game tests players’ reasoning ability and general knowledge by requiring them to track down an elusive master criminal by compiling clues found around the world.
Computer games continued to gain popularity in the 1990s, with the introduction of more powerful and versatile personal computers and the growing use of computers in schools and homes. With the development of CD-ROM technology, games also integrated more graphics, sounds, and videos, making them more engaging for consumers. The most successful games of the 1990s included Doom (by Id Software) and Myst (by Broderbund). Doom is a violent action game in which the player is a marine charged with fighting evil creatures. In Myst, a player wanders through a fictional island world, attempting to solve puzzles and figure out clues. The game’s appeal comes from the process of exploration and discovery.
Many of the most recent games, often referred to as interactive films, employ live actors and some of the techniques of film-making. With the growth of the Internet in the mid-1990s, multiplayer gaming also became popular. In games played over the Internet—such as Ultima Online by Electronic Arts—dozens, hundreds, or even thousands of people can play a game at the same time. Players wander through a fictional world meeting not only computer-generated characters but also characters controlled by other players. By the end of the 1990s the future for new computer games seemed limitless.
Computer games were first developed in the mid-1970s, when computer scientists started to create text adventure games to be played over networks of computers at universities and research institutions. These games challenged players to reach a goal or perform a certain task, such as finding a magical jewel. At each stop along the way, the games described a situation and required the player to respond by typing in an action. Each action introduced a new situation to which the player had to react. One of the earliest such games was called Zork.
Beginning in the late 1970s, Zork and similar games were adapted for use on personal computers, which were just gaining popularity. As technology improved, programmers began to incorporate graphics into adventure games. Because relatively few people owned home computers, however, the market for computer games grew slowly until the mid-1980s. Then, more dynamic games such as Choplifter, a helicopter-adventure game produced by Broderbund, helped fuel rising sales of computers. In 1982 Microsoft Corporation released Flight Simulator, which allows players to mimic the experience of flying an aeroplane.
As the power of personal computers increased in the 1980s, more sophisticated games were developed. Some of the companies that produced the most popular games were Sierra On-Line, Electronic Arts, and Strategic Simulations, Inc. (SSI). A series of so-called Sim games, produced by Maxis, enabled players to create and manage cities (SimCity), biological systems (SimEarth), and other organizational structures. In the process, players learned about the relationships between the elements of the system. For example, in SimCity a player might increase the tax rate to raise money only to find that people move out of the city, thus decreasing the number of taxpayers and possibly offsetting the increase in revenue. An educational mystery game called Where in the World Is Carmen Sandiego?, by Broderbund, was introduced in the 1980s and aimed at children. The game tests players’ reasoning ability and general knowledge by requiring them to track down an elusive master criminal by compiling clues found around the world.
Computer games continued to gain popularity in the 1990s, with the introduction of more powerful and versatile personal computers and the growing use of computers in schools and homes. With the development of CD-ROM technology, games also integrated more graphics, sounds, and videos, making them more engaging for consumers. The most successful games of the 1990s included Doom (by Id Software) and Myst (by Broderbund). Doom is a violent action game in which the player is a marine charged with fighting evil creatures. In Myst, a player wanders through a fictional island world, attempting to solve puzzles and figure out clues. The game’s appeal comes from the process of exploration and discovery.
Many of the most recent games, often referred to as interactive films, employ live actors and some of the techniques of film-making. With the growth of the Internet in the mid-1990s, multiplayer gaming also became popular. In games played over the Internet—such as Ultima Online by Electronic Arts—dozens, hundreds, or even thousands of people can play a game at the same time. Players wander through a fictional world meeting not only computer-generated characters but also characters controlled by other players. By the end of the 1990s the future for new computer games seemed limitless.
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