Video Games: Where Are They Going?
Created | Updated Apr 20, 2006
To understand where they are going you first need to know a brief history of video games.
Most people thought video games started with pong but, no, they started with a little thing called the brown box. Then, for the next couple of years, arcade machines dominated the market. But home consoles started to get more and more powerful until you could get games on your console that were as good as, or better than, arcade versions of the same game. Then the arcade wells started to dry up but, at the same time, poor quality games started to flood the home market. People started to say video games were just a fad.
But then a little console appeared called the family com - more popularly called the NES or Nintendo in anywhere but Japan. With quality games and pretty good graphics it rejuvenated the video-gaming market. Then Sony, the new kid on the block, came out with the PS1 - after Nintendo stepped out of its deal - and showed home consoles to the CD. After the 64 all games became CD based.
Microsoft recently came out with the XBox 360 and everything has gone HD which means that games will be longer and harder to make. The PS3 coming out soon will have an estimated price tag of $500-$800. Here are a few possibilities for the future of video games.
- Graphics will get so good and that games will be so long that they will be 100-200 dollars. Only rich people will be able to afford them and the common man will weep for his games. Portable gaming might prolong the life of reasonably priced games but there would be no PSP 500 if you know what I'm saying.
- Prices will rise so high that no one, or very few people, will buy the games and video games will disappear for ever. This would cut out half my life and I would be found on my bed cuddling my copy of Halo 3.
- We will somehow find a way to make games cheaper and they will be around forever. Please let it be three!
All in all if any of these things happen it will not happen for at least 20 years - if not more. And if things go the portable route then that wouldn't be too bad. I couldn't wait to see the Gameboy advanced sp micro mini EP (extra portable) turbo Extreme (using X - and turbo would be back in style) special edition (even though they're all the same.)
