The subject of this report is to analyse the impact of multimedia on the computer games industry, the primary focus will be based on how multimedia was used during the early days of the computer games market, and it's constant evolution to the games we see today. .
2.0 Introduction.
Computer games in general have come a long way since I was a child, but they have always incorporated interactive multimedia. From the beginning, computer games major design paradigm has always been on graphics, sound and interactivity. Let's take the example of Atari's early "Pong- game, which I can vaguely remember playing with my cousin in the 1980's. The game allowed players to control a graphical ping-pong paddle with the use of controls shaped like dials. The installation was easy, and the interface was clear and sharp without complicated menus or features. Since then, several technical innovations have changed the face of multimedia, and the following sections will highlight those changes in more detail.
3.0 Computer Games Past and Present: The Shift in Multimedia Focus.
3.1 Computer Games Based on the Laser Disc Format.
The advent of laser disc games in the early 1980's introduced a new visually stimulating multimedia environment for gamers to immerse themselves in. Largely appealing to the arcade industry, this medium allowed someone for example to be drawn into a 3D world, where they would control a human or alien character through a journey, quest or battle. Industry examples of laser disc games include "Cobra Command- created by Data East in 1984 and "FireFox- created by Atari in 1983. Screenshots from both games can be seen below, note how the multimedia graphics and animation vary remarkably from one game to the next. For instance "Cobra Command- is a heavily animation reliant game, almost carton like in its creation. Where as FireFox has a more simulation feel to the game-play and the graphics is concentrating on providing a more realistic experience via real world landscape and aircraft etc.
