How Have Gaming Platforms Evolved in the Years
In the years there have been many gaming platforms, and some of them were more popular than others.
A few examples for platforms would be:
* IBM PCjr (1983)
* Atari 5200 (1982)
* Philips CD-i (1991)
The list can go on and on as more new platforms came about. Each platform has had its own unique features that defined itself from the others, such as what games it was compatible with or how it could play those games. As mentioned before some had better luck than others but overall each had its positives and negatives to consider when using them at home or for business purposes. Since this is an “Introduction to Technology” class we will not be discussing the negatives of each platform, but instead just how they have changed from their original design to what we use today.
One of the platforms that I would like to discuss is the Nintendo Entertainment System or NES for short. This gaming system was a very popular choice in 1985 and helped shape the way video games are played today. With one being able to play games with family and friends at home on a television set instead of in arcades like other systems allowed it allowed more people who did not usually go to arcades (mainly children) to enjoy playing games such as Donkey Kong and other such arcade classics that were ported over onto this gaming system. Soon after its release, there was controversy surrounding violent video game content which prompted then President of the United States, Ronald Regan, to call for a study on how much violence was in video games. This lead to the release of many different kinds of video game ratings which still apply today.
Another platform that I would like to discuss is Microsoft’s Xbox gaming system which was released in 2001. It has had great success through its life span and now there are several generations (Xbox 1, Xbox 360) with many televisions now offering “Smart TV” capabilities where everything you own including your console can be accessed from one place. One feature that made this console stand out among the others at the time was its ability to connect online even before it became standard practice for all consoles to do so. Other than better graphics and faster speed compared to other consoles it offered many different games such as Halo and Forza Motorsport which were the most popular.
Another gaming platform is Sony’s Playstation 2 also released in 2001. This console was one of the most successful gaming platforms up to that time, selling around 100 million units worldwide. Its graphics capabilities at the time made competing with this system very difficult for even Microsoft’s Xbox because it could do much more than just play video games on a television set. It had the ability to read CDs and DVDs which opened a whole new world of possibilities to what a home entertainment system could do while using only one device instead of separate ones like systems before it was required. The PS2 was not without its problems however as 2001-2004 or so were known as the “plastic years” and it was not uncommon for these consoles to break due to the cheaply made components used.
Boost Casino. One more gaming platform that I want to discuss is Boost gaming which was released in 2020. Like the other online platforms, it became more than just a place for video games but also allowed for people to bet inside the game itself. All of this is possible only due to how much technology has advanced over time.
Other than Nintendo, Xbox, and PlayStation none of these platforms have been around long enough or had such an impact on how we play games at home today. As gaming becomes more advanced and technology even further it is very likely that there will be bigger changes than what we have seen in the past few decades. So where do you think gaming will go from here? What kind of platforms might we see in the future?
One last thing before I finish: Have any of you ever owned or played a game on any of the platforms mentioned above? If so which one and what was your experience like with it?