Tag Archives: gaming

Dec 03 2014
Leave a comment
A geek moment, Digital, Fun Stuff, gaming, musings

In the beginning

We simply had our imaginations.

Then Thomas T Goldsmith Jr and Estle Ray Mann came along with the first interactive game, the ‘Cathode Ray Tube Amusement Device’, developed in 1947, renowned for their simulation skills and not their wordsmithing, you’ll be glad to know.

Soon after, we saw a burst of simple interactive programs such as; ‘Mouse in the Maze’, ‘Bertie the Brain’ and Alan Turing’s ‘Chess’ capable of computing two way problems but not complex algorithms. This was shortly followed by ‘Spacewar’ in 1962; a two-player game where you try and destroy each other’s starship… arguably the first true video game, it took around 200 hours to code and was done by some students at MIT.

Where am I going with this?

Well, if we fast forward through the Odyssey’s and the varying intergalactic games to the Atari release of ‘Adventure’ in 1980 where we saw text adventure visualised, albeit crudely, in a plethora of dragons, monsters and sword slaying, through to the help of RAM and better joysticks into the world of Sega Dreamcast and NES where imaginary friends like Sonic and the Super Mario Bros helped us through the 90’s and into today, you’ll see my ramblings are leading to a pertinent question…

In a world where we now have technology that scans brain activity to read our minds, technology that creates worlds that don’t exist and technology that maps us to our surrounding climate, how long before we live in our imaginations, in a virtually real world.

Or, what if I’m already living in it and the world we think we live in is actually virtually imagined.

Wait, what…?Living inside my head

Tagged , , , ,
Dec 09 2011
1 Comment
gaming, Uncategorized

Life is just a game

I’ve never been a massive gamer but as a Digital Marketing Expert the concept of gaming connectivity and the way it continues to take our virtual world by storm is exciting.

Traditional consoles have been around for a while and services such as Xbox Live have seen the interaction of users spiral. However, I can’t help but think that if gaming is to reach out to wider audiences (me for example), then developers need to focus on more flexible platforms for the future, a multi-touch tablet perhaps?

Beyond what the game is actually played on though, Content is still King and shall remain so. Games need to continue to be faster, better and more exciting. In addition, just to add a layer of complexity, they also need to be accessible.

The app store model is one of the most straightforward ways of acquiring games straight to the palm of your hand, perhaps this is something that the big players need to consider more.

Imagine that through shorter development periods you could build a gaming release model with phased iterations. Quick download and the ability to compete to get to the next phase openly would surely offer the longevity to consumer engagement those businesses desire. By doing this they would also understand more about the trends of consumers; win, win.

Next gen consoles are due out around 2013-2014 from market leaders Microsoft and Sony. I’m hoping they’ll include something that will finally push me over the edge to becoming a gamer.

I just wonder who will get there first, will I have a PlayStation tablet or an Xbox pad in a year or so’s time?

Tagged , , , , , ,
Jun 16 2010
Leave a comment
3D, A geek moment, Fun Stuff, Interesting stuff

The new X-Box ‘Kinect’

It’s ‘sleeker, smaller and quieter’ and according to the Vice president of Microsoft, the X-Box 360 ‘Kinect’ is the next revolution in gaming.

With 250GB HD and built-in wi-fi the console brings you technologies that allow you to use your voice as a control, plus movement and gestures.  The team at Microsoft have created new partnerships with the likes of ESPN in order to build more intelligent software that recognise you and your opponents to add in more interactive dimensions to the world of gaming.

You might worry that this will be detrimental to the quality you expect to receive as historically we’ve all experienced rich high-definition video but Microsoft promise they’re not moving away from delivering this quality and look to better their three massive blockbusters: Halo, Gears of War and Call of Duty.

One for your wish list to Santa, the ‘Kinect’ is due to hit stores by the end of this year.

Tagged , , , ,