Extrapolating the Near Future of Gaming 196
Sci-fi author Charlie Stross gave a keynote address at the recent LOGIN 2009 conference about what we can reasonably expect from games and game-related technology over the next 10 to 20 years. He takes a realistic look at the limitations we'll face with regard to processing power and bandwidth, and goes on to talk about how augmented reality software and aging gamers will affect future titles. Quoting:
"But the sixty-something gamers of 2020 are not the same as the sixty-somethings you know today. They're you, only twenty years older. By then, you'll have a forty year history of gaming; you won't take kindly to being patronised, or given in-game tasks calibrated for today's sixty-somethings. The codgergamers of 2030 will be comfortable with the narrative flow of games. They're much more likely to be bored by trite plotting and cliched dialog than todays gamers. They're going to need less twitchy user interfaces — ones compatible with aging reflexes and presbyopic eyes — but better plot, character, and narrative development. And they're going to be playing on these exotic gizmos descended from the iPhone and its clones: gadgets that don't so much provide access to the internet as smear the internet all over the meatspace world around their owners."
Sci-fi? (Score:5, Informative)
I think he would probably prefer the term SF.
Sci-fi is Hollywood entertainment with explosions, technobabble, and spaceships that make rumbling sounds as they travel through space. SF (speculative fiction) is something that might contain a bit of actual intelligence hidden inside.
Re:Have a look at the age pyramide (Score:5, Informative)
If you haven't heard of a game called Braid, I'd recommend it to anyone.
The main creator has a very strong view on gaming ethics, things like achievements shouldn't really exist.
People will endure a long time of unenjoyable playtime just to get an achievement, the creator of Braid thinks players should just be having fun at every moment of the game just from game mechanics.
Another great game I'd recommend is World of Goo, everyone that I've introduced to it has fell in love with it.
Re:Enough with this "plot" nonsense (Score:3, Informative)
I don't know if you are including text-based games, but if you are, google "interactive fiction" and go to some of the links. I couldn't find a good starter link (ifarchive.org and http://www.ifwiki.org/index.php/FAQ [ifwiki.org] are a bit unwieldy for a starter, IMHO), but if you search around you can find info about text adventures and ones that are still being developed (and tools to develop your own that will play on essentially every personal computer ever made).
Charlie's blog (Score:3, Informative)
Obviously he's a sci fi author (Score:1, Informative)
Plot? Character? Narrative development? WTF? These are games. Guitar Hero needs none of the above to be totally entertaining, and the product of the decade.
Obviously to a writer, the writing is the big thing game developers should work on. He's missing the big picture.
Pointing Stick (Score:2, Informative)
This: http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Pointing_stick [wikipedia.org]
Also this: http://xkcd.com/243/ [xkcd.com]
Have fun.