11 Games of the Future
11 Games of the Future
 module overview…
1. Why Games?
 Spacewar! (1962)
 importance of studying games
 defining games
 Wittgenstein’s family resemblances
 DOOM II (1994)
 Civilization II (1996)
 Samorost 2 (2005)
2. Ban These Evil Games
 Manhunt (2003)
 moral panics
 rhetoric of the Daily Mail
4. Homo Ludens
 Huizinga
 centrality of play to human society/civilization
 magic circle
 lusory attitude
 Michael Douglas in The Game (1997)
5. Pleasure, Pain and Play
 Fishy (2003)
 aesthetics (pleasure) of play
 reward (Poole)
 flow (Csikszentmihalyi)
 iteration (Atkins)
6. Unnatural Selection
 Max de Vries, Sony
 game development
 game success
 Heavenly Sword (2007)
 games pitch
8. Digital Games and Learning
 John Knight
 digital games and learning
 constructivism
 exploratory learning
 PeaceMaker (2007)
9. Sex, Lies and Videogames
 Ewan Kirkland, BCUC
 representation of female avatars
 gendered narratives
 gendered gameplay
 narratologists and ludologists
 Grand Theft Auto (1997-)
 Canis Canem Edit (2006)
10. How to Cheat
 types of player
 relation to magic circle
 digital game cheating
 Pac-Man (1980)
 DeKoven’s new philosophy of game-playing
Summary
 many different theoretical approaches
 games from across history of the medium
 different aspects of playing the game
 games as a distinct medium and cultural form
 the future of the medium…
Any Questions?
Predicting the Future
 Chris Crawford
 top game designer
 Atari in early 1980s
 boom time for games
 many successful games:
 Eastern Front (1981)
 Balance of Power (1985)
The Art of Computer Game Design
 The Art of Computer Game Design (1982)
 serious look at digital games:
 definitions, why play, genres, etc
 still good 20 years on
 available free online (link on module website)
The Future of Computer Games
 final chapter: ‘The Future of Computer Games’
 final paragraph…
 (NB 1982)
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Are We There Yet?
 game shops and book shops?
 game shops and music shops (HMV, Virgin)?
 software superstars, music stars, actors?
 game promotions = like films and CDs?
 are we there yet? not quite
Games of the Future
 earlier in the chapter:
 claims for the future of games
 Crawford’s four points…
1. Fad of Fixture?
 early 1980s boom: go on forever?
 past success no indication of the future
 “Bigger critters than Atari have bitten the dust”
 Atari bankrupt 1984
 today’s boom
 more people playing, increasing sales
 set to continue? who knows
2. Technological Extrapolation
 ever better hardware?
 future = supercomputers, amazing graphics, etc
 technology not the limitation, but artistic immaturity
 gameplay is what counts
 low spec games are still fine: Pac-man, Civilization II
 today = new generation consoles:
 Xbox 360 (Microsoft), PS3 (Sony)
 increasingly realistic and immersive games?
 beware!
3. The Nature of Change
 two future tendencies in the games market:
 mass market: homogeneity
 formulaic successful games that sell
 today: sequels, e.g. Tomb Raider VII
 clones, rip-offs, genres
 creative independents: heterogeneity
 individual developers will produce little gems
 like independent films
 Samorost, Seiklus, Sissyfight 2000, Zombiepox, Façade
4. An Art Form
 games will be recognised as a serious art form
 minority “games-artists” will produce innovative games
 an analogy for today and tomorrow…
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 games will mature…eventually
Any Questions?
The Future of Digital Games
 Tom’s four predictions for future gaming
 Marshall McLuhan:
“Never predict anything that hasn’t already happened”
 based on current trends and innovations…
1. New Hardware
 more power = more realism
 more interesting = new kinds of hardware
 EyeToy (2003)
1. New Hardware
 Nintendo Wii Controller (2006)
 TV remote = wider appeal?
 motion sensors:
sword
light sabre
baseball bat
musical instrument
orchestral baton
dentist’s drill
 future = new kinds
of hardware
2. New Uses
 games put to new uses
 beyond entertainment and learning
 e.g. Fizzees (Physical Electronic Energisers)
 virtual pet for kids = keep them healthy, etc
 wrist device
 user must act healthy:
 measures heart rate, speed, etc
 pet thrives with your own activity and exercise
 Serious Games Initiative:
health, education, simulation, training
 future = new uses for games
3. Professional Gaming
 several annual professional competitions
 national teams and individuals compete
 Counter-Strike, Quake 4, Fear
 next month: CPL (Cyberathlete Professional League)
World Tour (Italy, Sweden, USA, Australia and Brazil)
 total prizes: $500,000
 Grand Prize Final: $300,000
3. Professional Gamers
 some players are professionals
 Final Boss (Halo 2 team) contract: $1 million
 Tom ‘Tsquared’ Taylor (solo) contract: $250,000
 spectators: at event and online from home
 sci-fi blockbuster meets sporting event?
 future = more professionals, more spectating
4. Players as Designers
 players contributing game content
 gamer as designer (DeKoven)
 e.g. Will Wright, creator of The Sims (2000)
 Spore (forthcoming 2007)
 bacterium > fish > reptile > mammal > self-conscious >
civilization > space colonization
 designers create game environment
 players provide content: other creatures
4. Players as Designers
 LittleBigPlanet (Sony PS3, forthcoming):
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Module Evaluation Forms
 Module Evaluation Form (official)
 Module Evaluation Form (specific)
Further Reading
 The Future of Digital Games:
Crawford (1982, Ch7); Poole (2000, Ch10).
Websites
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Fizzees: http://www.nestafuturelab.org/showcase/fizzees/fizzees.htm#projectarticle
CPL: http://www.thecpl.com/
Spore: http://www.pqhp.com/cmp/gdctv/
Spore: http://spore.ea.com/
LittleBigPlanet: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=nuoOosTdFiY&mode=related&search=
LittleBigPlanet: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=MuoRp32W5l0
LittleBigPlanet: http://www.gametrailers.com/player.php?id=17579&type=mov