The first video game that was known to many people was the game OXO. It was released in 1952 and was the forerunner of today's well-known "Tic Tac Toe". The game was played against the computer. Before the game started, you could choose whether you wanted to play with the X or the O character. Now the player had to try to place three of their symbols in a row without the AI being able to interrupt the row with the other symbol. The player who first managed to place three of their symbols in a row on the playing field was the winner of the game. OXO was created as part of a promotion and, due to the high technical requirements, could usually only be played at universities that had the necessary equipment.
In 1958, the first multiplayer video game was designed, which was called "Tennis for Two". This game could be played on a small device that could be controlled using buttons. Similar to table tennis, the aim was to move a block in such a way that the moving ball could not leave the screen. This game was also initially played against the computer and could only be played at universities and similar institutions.
In the 1970s, the first mass-produced video game appeared, making it accessible to the general public. The game Pong adopted the game mechanics of "Tennis for Two" but could be played on coin-operated machines. As the 70s progressed, companies such as Atari emerged and developed video games that could be played at home in the comfort of your own four walls. In 1979, Atari achieved a breakthrough with their game "Space Invaders". This simple game can still be found on the market today in a modified form. The player usually has to try to shoot down as many enemies as possible with his character by moving his figure back and forth on a horizontal plane.
Around 1980, the mass-produced home computer emerged, which had a lasting impact on video games. From this moment onwards, there were two different types of video game. On the one hand, there was the classic console game and on the other, more and more games were developed for the home computer. This led to a parallel development that has continued to this day. In the meantime, various gaming cultures have developed around the respective devices, which share a love of video games but have very different technical requirements. One major advantage of computer gaming is backwards compatibility. With a modern computer, you can still play games from the last 20 years, whereas with a console you can usually only enjoy those titles that were produced specifically for that console.
After a major collapse in the games industry around 1983, which was mainly due to the market being flooded with low-quality games, Nintendo managed to establish itself, first in Japan and later in America and Europe. With games such as Super Mario Bros and the NES, Nintendo managed to usher in the gaming market and a new era of video games. The first handheld consoles such as the Game Boy and the Atari Lynx came onto the market at the beginning of 1990, making video games even more convenient, exciting and popular. Over time, other manufacturers followed suit and consoles such as the Playstation 2, the Xbox and the Gamecube came onto the market.
In the first decade of the new century, the gaming market changed dramatically. Consoles arrived that made the game almost realistic. In 2005, the Xbox 360, the Playstation 3 and the Wii came onto the market. These consoles attracted gamers with unprecedented HD graphics and the unmistakable gaming experience that came with it. Then came the Nintendo DS, the first handheld console with a touchscreen, which also brought about a number of changes.
The last truly fundamental development that has emerged in recent years is the development of the mass-produced smartphone. Mobile devices, which have become an integral part of our everyday lives, have become a popular platform for developers to expand their product range. There are now around 2 million games for our daily companions. Even gambling can now be enjoyed on the smartphone. If you are interested, why not take a look at Crusino Casino? Here you can find out which casinos offer free spins on registration. Statistics show that almost one in four Germans now regularly plays on their smartphone. This means that mobile phones have long since left traditional consoles and computers behind as video gaming devices.
As you can see, like pretty much every area of leisure activity, video gaming has changed dramatically in recent years. What started out on small, underpowered devices and was only accessible to those who had access to the necessary equipment has since developed into a huge industry that generated a turnover of 1.17 billion euros in 2020 alone. At least one console can now be found in every third household and this type of leisure activity is particularly popular with young people. Several million titles have already been released, which can be categorised into a wide variety of genres. The graphics of new video games are becoming ever more sophisticated, which also increases the demands on the technology. It is no longer even necessary to go to the nearest games shop to buy a new game; the latest games can now be purchased, downloaded and played directly via platforms such as Steam. However, this requires a large amount of storage space. In recent years, an alternative has emerged that attempts to circumvent this problem and move video gaming entirely to the internet. In the following, we will show you what cloud gaming is, what future opportunities it has and what changes it will bring to the games industry.
Cloud gaming hardly differs from traditional video games, both in terms of the graphical possibilities and the gaming experience. Ultimately, the whole process remains the same, but is greatly simplified. As a player, you find a game that you are interested in and decide you want to play it. Now there are various ways in which you can proceed. You can either go to a video game shop, buy the game locally or order the game online. However, this involves a lot of effort and waiting time for both the supplier and you as the buyer. Another option already mentioned would be to use platforms such as Steam and purchase and download the game online. In the future, however, you will probably also have another option to fall back on: Cloud gaming. If you have the right hardware, you can easily access the game of your choice over the internet for a fee. You don't have to download anything and, in theory, you don't even need free storage capacity on your device. The game runs on an external server, so to speak, which receives your commands and inputs, converts them and sends sound and video signals to your computer. This allows you to enjoy a full gaming experience without having to install or download any software.
Cloud gaming is the most user-friendly way to play a video game to date. You don't have to go through a middleman or wait for your file to download when you want to try out a new game. All you have to do is connect your device to the Internet, make a small payment and you can start enjoying your game straight away. Another advantage is that, in theory, you don't even need a lot of storage capacity to enjoy a new game. This even eliminates the well-known hardware requirement. So you don't need the latest computer or the best graphics card to be able to play new games. Simply put, you don't have to worry about system requirements, driver updates, compatibility issues or upcoming updates. The cloud gaming provider takes care of all this tedious maintenance for you. Another point that will certainly be noticeable in daily use is the enormous time saving that cloud gaming brings with it. As the provider always keeps the game up to date and instals all updates on the data centres, you are spared the long wait in the event of an update and installation.
Of course, there are also some disadvantages to streaming video games. Probably the biggest disadvantage compared to conventional video games is the dependence on an internet connection. As the game is streamed entirely over the internet, this could be accompanied by stutters and annoying delays if the internet connection is not very stable. So before you switch completely to cloud gaming, you should make sure that your internet connection is good and stable. The higher the data transfer rate of your internet connection, the more likely you are to have a smooth and problem-free gaming experience. Another disadvantage is the limited period of use. With cloud gaming, you do not buy a game for life, but instead purchase a time-limited usage licence. This means that you pay small amounts of money at regular intervals in order to remain an authorised user. However, there is often no guarantee that the title will remain part of the offer forever. So if the provider decides to remove your favourite game from the portfolio, there is little you can do about it.
Another disadvantage is that there may well be minor restrictions to the gaming experience. However, these are also clearly communicated by most providers. For example, most offers are currently still limited to 1080p graphics, which could be a thorn in the side of more demanding players. In addition, slight delays are to be expected between user input and game actions. Although providers are doing their best to minimise such delays, it is unlikely that this can be completely eliminated.