The importance of art style and colour: a personal enquiry

I have always been interesting in the choice of a games art style and why they used specific colours in-game; therefore I have decided to explore the use of these things in some of my favourite games. Looking in depth about the colour choices and the psychology behind them; the way that colours and drawing style can evoke different emotions within a game is truly astonishing and I wish to share my knowledge on this subject with you. 

The colours in a game are very important to the overall mood of the game; if you use dark colours it is more likely to make the atmosphere more scary and eerie, if bright colours are used it makes it seem more cheery and upbeat and if neutral pastel colours are used it makes a very calm and peaceful surrounding. Colours can make a person feel so many different emotions and this is obvious when used in a game environment. The main types of colour schemes used in games are; complementary colours which are opposite on the colour wheel, analogous colours which are colours next to each other on the wheel and monochromatic colours which are the different shades of one colour.

One of my favourite art styles is the work of Telltale games; in their games The Walking Dead and The Wolf Among Us they use a beautiful cel shaded 3D modelled scheme with perfectly thought out colours and lighting. The use of cel shading in The Wolf Among Us brings a gritty cartoon feel to the game; this means it can be serious and childlike when needed. The style also gives it a unique look and brings depth to the already created fictional world. The game also gives off a film noire feel through its storyline, camera angles and art style this makes the player feel more drawn to the game and more compelled to play it. The Wolf Among Us uses many different colours to create their dark moody environments for example this image uses the complementary colours purple and yellow to create a wary alleyway scene. 

The purple in this image represents inferiority and the yellow anxiety, the characters in this image are unsure of the outcome of a potential fight in an alleyway but they know it isn't going to end well. Another good example is the uses of analogous colours in this next picture;

The pinks and reds used in this scene are connoting courage, weakness and 'fight or flight'; these colours have been cleverly used to show the power of the character but to also show that the other characters are going to retaliate but one of the sides isn't going to be as strong; this is due to the pink being a demasuculising colour and it being a sign of weakness, this paired with the red which is a powerful aggressive colour means that the two colours (characters) will clash.

The next game on my list has been called art rather than a video game; Journey is honestly one of the best looking games of all time. The cartoony look to the game gives it a light hearted feel however the game has extremely well thought out colour schemes. The game uses no speech or text therefore the environments, characters and music need to portray the mood and storyline of the game; each different part of the game has different colour schemes the darker the colours get the more dangerous and scary the section is meant to be. Journey uses many colour schemes to create their beautiful environments; one of the most powerful being a monochromatic scene. 

In this image the use of orange tones create a calming and beautiful atmosphere, the colours are desaturated so they are not over powering. The use of orange gives a sense of comfort, security and warmth; the browns bringing tranquillity, earthiness and support to the environment. Journey also uses complementary colour schemes;

In this image the heavenly pastel pink and green create a soft and light feeling atmosphere; the added white connotes purity and beauty making the scene. The pink is used to create Physical tranquillity and the green harmony and peace; these colours will make the player feel calm and relaxed whilst exploring the beautiful landscape. Another good example is the use of analogous colours;

The purples create a reclusive scene with the blues making it feel cold; however the lighter blue sections are used to show intelligence and help guide you through the level. It is obvious to see why journey has been referred to as art rather than a game; the colours used with its beautiful art style produce a fantastic dynamic art experience. 

The importance of art style and colour choices is evident in Don't Stave which uses a 2D cut-out dark cartoon style; the drawings are very Burtonesque and therefore give off a gothic vibe adding to the games overall cutesy but gloomy style. The colours in this game are fairly realistic there is no over powering colours everything is quite desaturated and dark giving off that overall gothic theme. Don't Stave uses a very muted colour scheme; the colours used are realistic and are normally seen in everyday life; for example blue, green and yellow is often seen in nature.

The analogous colours used throughout the game create a cartoony but realistic world; the colours being washed out and grey work perfectly with the whole gothic Tim Burton style of drawing. The browns and greens used make the scene very earthy and stable the yellow adds another layer of Optimism and fear. Without these colour choices the game could have a completely different mood; for example if bright colours were used it would make the game cheery and not seem as gloomy and dark which would detract from the overall game play.

The game Hotline Miami is also an amazing example of a successful 2D game with an interesting art style. Hotline Miami's art was influenced by the 80's and games of its time; the use of bright neon colours and music work so well together and create an upbeat game atmosphere which gets the player in the mood to smash some heads in (in-game of course). Hotline Miami is a perfect example of how even low resolution 2D games can still be as good as any 3D realistic game. Hotline Miami doesn't really have a set colour scheme, they use bright wacky colours that clash to create a trippy looking world; the use of the swaying scenes helps create this atmosphere.

The bright neon colours in-game denote the 80's due to the use of the same colours in this era. The overall use of the pinks and reds connote emasculation and aggression which help the player get in the mood; becoming an angry mask wearing killer. Clashing colours can mean lots of different things but it mainly shows confusion and anxiety, this fits the overall trippy feel to the game and the storyline. 

A great example of how art style can influence the market is Angry Birds; they took a pre-existing game and threw some pretty colours, cute characters and interactive sound effects on it and it has been downloaded over 42 million times; just showing us how important art is to games and how colour choices and draw a player in. Angry birds has mainly used analogous colours to create a bright, happy and childish atmosphere. 

 

The green is used to show balance and also boredom, the bright colours used on the pigs makes your eyes drawn to them making them the main target. The yellow used on the bird is used to show confidence and power; this makes the bird seem more dominant than the green pigs. The bright colours typically draw in players and the addictive game-play makes them stay, however if they game didn't have the appealing art style then the player wouldn't stick around for long; the overall alluring art style and colour make the game and without it I don't believe it would have sold more than 100 copies. 

Don’t Starve and Hotline Miami also show that 2D games are not dead, it is usually thought that 2D games are inferior to 3D games but I believe that this is completely incorrect; just because we don’t see them on next-gen does not mean that any realistic looking 3D game is better. 2D’s classic characteristics will never be outdated and no matter how elaborate 3D games become; 2D will always be at the heart of the 3D and is evident in the games we know and love today.

After delving into the world of art style and the psychology of colour it is clear to me how important these aspects are to video games. In games such as Angry Birds it is apparent that without the art style and colour schemes that game would have not sold even half as much as it did. Journey would not be seen as a piece of art and The Wolf Among Us wouldn’t be as unique and eye catching and hotline Miami would just be another top down fighting game; without their art styles these games would be boring and generic. Overall we can see that 2D games and 3D games are equal; we look at games such a journey and the power of the colours used are incredible the way that these colours can create dense atmospheres and mood along with telling a story is astonishing, it is now obvious to me how important these aspects are to creating a brilliant video game. After looking at all of the colour schemes in these games it is truly amazing how just a few colours, shades and tones can make you feel different emotions and moods. By utilising colours psychological meanings you can create incredible atmospheres like all of the games above.  To make a good game you need to think about the style and colours you use.

References:

Justin Towell. (2012). Why 2D will never die. Available: http://www.gamesradar.com/why-2d-will-never-die/. Last accessed 25/04/2014.

Martin Toney. (2013). The Wolf Among Us Wiki: Everything you need to know about the game. Available: Justin Towell. (2012). Why 2D will never die. Available: http://www.gamesradar.com/why-2d-will-never-die/. Last accessed 25/04/2014.. Last accessed 25/04/2014.

THE BOOK. Available: http://theartofjourney.com/. Last accessed 25/04/2014.

http://uk.ign.com/. (2013). AN APPETIZING, LONELY FEAST.. Available: http://uk.ign.com/articles/2013/05/02/dont-starve-review. Last accessed 25/04/2014.

Tom Bramwell. (2012). Hotline Miami review. Available: http://www.eurogamer.net/articles/2012-10-23-hotline-miami-review. Last accessed 25/04/2014.

Teo. (2010). Angry Birds Hits 42 Million Free and Paid downloads. Available: http://www.symbian-freak.com/news/010/12/angry_birds_hits_42_million_free_and_paid_downloads.htm. Last accessed 25/04/2014.

Angela Wright. (2008-14). Psychological Properties Of Colours.Available: http://www.colour-affects.co.uk/psychological-properties-of-colours. Last accessed 25/04/2014.

The importance of art style and colour: part two

In the first part of this blog I talked about how some of my favourite games where successful; this was due to their unique art styles and colours. Within this post I will continue to explore these games looking more at the colours used and how this effects a players emotions and mood.

The colours in a game are very important to the overall mood of the game; if you use dark colours it is more likely to make the atmosphere more scary and eerie, if bright colours are used it makes it seem more cheery and upbeat and if neutral pastel colours are used it makes a very calm and peaceful surrounding. Colours can make a person feel so many different emotions and this is obvious when used in a game environment.

The Wolf Among Us uses many different colours to create their dark moody environments for example this image uses the complementary colours purple and yellow to create a wary alleyway scene. 

The purple in this image represents inferiority and the yellow anxiety, the characters in this image are unsure of the outcome of a potential fight in an alleyway but they know it isn't going to go well. 

Journey uses many colour schemes to create their beautiful environments; One of the most powerful being a monochromatic scene. 

In this image the use of orange tones create a calming and beautiful atmosphere, the colours are desaturated so they are not over powering. The use of orange gives a sense of comfort, security and warmth; the browns bringing tranquillity, earthiness and support to the environment. 

Don't Stave uses a very muted desaturated colour scheme; the colours used are realistic and are normally seen in everyday life; for example blue, green and yellow is often seen in nature. 

The analogous colours used throughout the game create a cartoony but realistic world; the colours being muted work perfectly with the whole gothic Tim Burton style of drawing.

Hotline Miami doesn't really have a set colour scheme, they use bright wacky colours that clash to create a trippy looking world; the use of the swaying scenes helps create this atmosphere.

The bright neon colours in-game denote the 80's due to the use of the same colours in this era. The overall use of the pinks and reds connote emasculation and aggression which help the player get in the mood; ready to smash some heads in.

Angry birds has used analogous colours to create a bright, happy and childish atmosphere. 

The green is used to show balance and also boredom, the bright colours used on the pigs makes your eyes drawn to them making them the main target. The yellow used on the bird is used to show confidence and power; this makes the bird seem more dominant than the green pigs. 

After looking at all of the colour schemes in these games it is truly amazing how just a few colours, shades and tones can make you feel different emotions and moods. The way that red can make you feel strength and anger and how blue can make you feel cold and intelligent is astonishing. By utilising colours psychological meanings you can create incredible atmospheres like the ones I have shown above. 

The importance of art style and colour: part one

I have always been interested in art and especially art within video games; the way that colours and drawing style can evoke different emotions within a game. The psychology behind this is something that I wish to look further into; also the way that games have changed from 2D to 3D and whether this means 2D games are inferior to 3D games. To start off this exploration into the world of art style I will talk about some of the games I feel are a good example of great art style.

One of my favourite art styles is the work of Telltale games; in their games The Walking Dead and The Wolf Among Us they use a beautiful cel shaded 3D modelled scheme with perfectly thought out colours and lighting. The use of cel shading in The Wolf Among Us brings a gritty cartoon feel to the game; this means it can be serious and childlike when needed. The style also gives it a unique look and brings depth to the already created fictional world. The game also gives off a film noire feel through its storyline, camera angles and art style this makes the player feel more drawn to the game and more compelled to play it.

The next game on my list has been called art rather than a video game; Journey is honestly one of the best looking games of all time. The cartoony look to the game gives it a light hearted feel however the game has extremely well thought out colour schemes. The game uses no speech or text therefore the environments, characters and music need to portray the mood and storyline of the game; each different part of the game has different colour schemes the darker the colours get the more dangerous and scary the section is meant to be. 

Another interesting game is Don't Stave which uses a 2D cut-out dark cartoon style; the drawings are very Burtonesque and therefore give off a gothic vibe adding to the games overall cutesy but gloomy style. The colours in this game are fairly realistic there is no over powering colours everything is quite desaturated and dark giving off that overall gothic theme. 

The game Hotline Miami is also an amazing example of a successful 2D game with an interesting art style. Hotline Miami's art was influenced by the 80's and games of its time; the use of bright neon colours and music work so well together and create an upbeat game atmosphere which gets the player in the mood to smash some heads in (in-game of course). Hotline Miami is a perfect example of how even low resolution 2D games can still be as good as any 3D realistic game.

A great example of how art style can influence the market is Angry Birds; they took a pre-existing game and threw some pretty colours, cute characters and interactive sound effects on it and it has sold Billions; just showing us how important art is to games and how colour choices and draw a player in.

Overall we can see that 2D games and 3D games are equal; we look at games such a journey and the power of the colours used are incredible the way that these colours can create dense atmospheres and mood along with telling a story is astonishing, it is now obvious to me how important these aspects are to creating a brilliant video game. 

Feedback reflection

I recently revived my feedback from my critical studies tutors and I was a little disappointed with my evaluation so I have decided to reflect on the areas I am doing bad in and see where I can improve from now. I got adequate across the board which is better than inadequate but I'm aiming for excellent's! 

The main issue for my bad results were my lack of blog tasks; I am working on rectifying this at the moment, I have worked through:

The history of video games: 1950-1970, 1980-1990 and 2000 to present day and have my personal enquiry tasks next to finish; which I am planning to write on art style in games throughout the years.

I was also told to change the page background to make my posts easier to read, therefore I have changed over to a milder neutral scheme, which is more suited to me.

I need to work on my analytical skills; this is shown in my roadmap post, I have not shown how I can improve my skills and attributes. I feel like I could get better at analysing by writing more posts about myself and how I can advance; picking at every little weakness and how I can develop these. 

I need to set goals and create timelines for myself; If I write action plans with time-based realistic goals and outcomes I can help show my development and see how I can push myself to become better at certain things. I can create these plans easily by using visual design, critical studies, game production and personal tasks and creating time managed goals which I can write in a blog, and then recap to see where I have gone wrong and where I have succeeded. 

I should plan all of my blogs in word first so that I can make sure all of my posts are relevant. This will also help in making use they are not rushed, too long and boring or are me ranting about a recent event. 

When it comes to research I should look into journals, books and magazines rather than just relying on the internet. If I plan ahead I will have enough time to scan though text in books and journals to gather information that isn't generic and just found on Wikipedia.

I also need to write blogs about things I am interested in and are relevant to the course; in my own time. For example write about artist, new games, films, books/comics and consoles/PC's. This would help me with my analytical skills and my overall knowledge of important subjects. By writing about something I am interested in it will also help me write engagingly, it will be less boring and have more of my personality in the writing. 

I feel that my attendance isn't bad however I missed a few seminars at the beginning of the year and I need to make sure I continue going to all of the critical studies lessons whether they are optional or not; they are all beneficial and important. I also need to work on my engagement in lessons by talking more, answering questions, asking questions and starting discussions. 

I personally feel that I need to improve on my professionalism, I have not done a good job of showing my strengths. I have talked about personal information too much such as depression and breakdowns; these things are not terrible to talk about but I need to make sure that the main focus is on how I can overcome these things and how I can improve.

If I follow all of these steps and produce regular posts on relevant subjects I should be able to get the grade that I want at the end of the day.

Cheerio for now.

History of video games: 2000’s to present day

We have truly come a long way from the cathode ray tube in 1947, to the arcade games of the 80’s and now the wondrous consoles we have today. I am going to talk you through the console timeline adding in a few of my favourite games of all time, to show how much we as a market and industry have developed over the 64 years of video gaming.

At the start of the 6^th generation in 2000 the PlayStation 2 was released. The PS2 soon became the best-selling console selling more than 155 million units. Due to its success it was manufactured into several different smaller and lighter models; known as “Slimline” models. The PS2 software was distributed on CD-ROM and DVD-ROMs, this meant it could also play audio CD’s and DVD films; the PS2 also featured backtracking abilities which meant that you could play PS1 games on the newer PS2 console. In the 6^th generation there were four main consoles fighting for the top spot; Sony’s PlayStation 2, Sega’s Dreamcast, Microsoft’s Xbox and Nintendo’s GameCube.

A year after the PS2 was released Nintendo gave us the GameCube; one of my favourite consoles of all time. It used mini DVD format for its primary storage and memory cards for game saves; this mini optical disc drive meant that it was not compatible with regular CD’s and DVD’s, however this didn’t matter to Nintendo because it was all about the gaming. Despite not having CD and DVD compatibility Nintendo did make additional add-ons for the GameCube; they introduced the first console to support online gaming and connectivity to the GameBoy Advance, which let players access hidden in game features using the GameBoy Advance as another screen and controller.

The best game of all time and literally the entirety of my childhood; The Legend of Zelda: Wind Waker. Released in 2002 on the GameCube, this game is the tenth in The Legend of Zelda series; the action adventure game was so successful it has been recently remade in HD for Nintendo’s Wii U. Unlike the older games Wind Waker uses cel shading graphics and a toon style, this was fairly controversial when in production but I feel like it was a great choice and it really captivated me when I was younger. My favourite thing about this game besides the wonderful bright colours and music is the use of side quests they are normally seen in all Zelda games however this game was so large that if you got stressed with the main mission you can go off and take pictures or play with some chickens (Cucco’s).

In 2001 at the same time the GameCube was released a computer company decided that they were going make a console and thus the Xbox was produced and distributed by none other than Microsoft. This was Microsoft first venture into the gaming console market; the Xbox featured Xbox Live which for a fee meant that you could access the internet and play online with others and download new content. Initially in 1998 four engineers from Microsoft decided they wanted to make a games console; they used parts from Dell laptops and constructed prototypes; this was how the Xbox originally came about.

Finally the 7^th generation has come and Sega is out of the picture; this is where the three way fight for the top stop begins; between Sony, Nintendo and Microsoft. In 2005 the first console of this generation is released; Microsoft’s Xbox 360. The main difference between this console and its successor is the power and graphics; it is a revamped improved version. In 2006 Nintendo and Sony both release their consoles; the Playstation3 and the Wii.

The PS3 was the most powerful of consoles in the 7^th generation meaning that the games were better looking and on one disc unlike the Xbox. The PS3 was the first console to used Blu-ray discs for its games; they also featured a free online service called the PlayStation network which meant that you could download games and add ons; you can also use the internet, play online and watch movies and TV on apps like Netflix. It also has connectivity with PlayStation Portable and PlayStation Vita.

The Wii was created for more interactive gameplay, I has two motion controllers with a sensor bar to follows the player’s movements.  Nintendo created the Wii for a larger demographic than the PS3 and the Xbox360; it supports lower visuals but more interaction; it is aimed at multiple players rather than one. The Wii features games like the Wii fit aimed at young women, Mario games for children to adults and shooting games for teenage boys; by having this wide of a target audience it makes the Wii very desirable and suitable for a family home.

After these consoles came out there was a massive gap until the next generation of consoles were released, I like to call it the gap of good games. My favourite games company Rockstar thrived during this time; their most famous series being the Grand Theft Auto, the first one came out on the PS1 and have just released the 11^th in the series; my personal favourite is GTA: Vice City. They also released a beautiful game called Red Dead Redemption set in western times, it featured amazing game play, a great open world experience, a truly amazing storyline, perfect online gameplay, beautiful graphics and truly fantastic music. This game even had an extension game with zombies, I mean what more do you want in a game? But my all-time favourite has got to be L.A. Noire; its dark gritty noire storyline set in the 1940’s is just up my street. It features a detective called Cole Phelps and you work though different cases making your way up the LAPD (Los Angeles Police Department) table and working for different departments. The main reason that L.A. Noire was so perfect for me was the realism; L.A. Noire features a newly developed technology used for film and now video gaming called motion scan. Motion scan used 32 cameras to capture the actors every movement and expression which is then transferred to in game animation.

Another notable game was The Last of Us; made for the PS3 is won 67 awards and is seen as one of the best games created. The Last of Us is truly beautiful to look at, it was made to show how good a game can be on the 7^th generation of consoles; this made it obvious to people how amazing the next generation of games would be compared to The Last of Us.

After the long gap of good games the 8^th generation started with Nintendo releasing the Wii U. The Wii U introduced a new control with a 6.2” touch screen that changes how people interacts with their games. The Wii U is also compatible with Wii the new pro controllers, the classic controllers, Nunchuk and Wii balance board; nearly all of the Wii software and accessories can be used with the new Wii U. Unlike the Wii the Wii U supports up to 1080p HD graphics, this is the same as the PS3 and Xbox 360 even though it is seen as the 8^th generation it is outdated compared to the PS4 and Xbox One; this was the same with the Wii.

The PlayStation 4 was released in 2013 and is vastly superior to it successor the PS3; it has a greater gaming rig with an 8-core AMD Jaguar CPU, along with an 800MHz AMD Radeon GPU and a 8GB of GDDR5 RAM. Compared to the PS3 which has a single core chip, 550MHz GPU and 256MB of DDR3 RAM, the speed maybe fast on the PS3 but with one single core processor and relatively tiny amount of RAM it is nothing compared to the PS4.

The Xbox One has seen a huge change compared to the Xbox 360; it now has an 8-core AMD when the Xbox 360 had a Xenos processor with 3 separate cores, nowhere near the same amount of power as the Xbox One. The Xbox One now has 8GB of RAM and 500GB internal memory compared to 512MB of RAM and 250GB on the Xbox 360. However due to the Xbox One’s mandatory installs they storage will fill up quickly. This is the current generation of consoles and they are still fighting for the top spot and it is still too soon to see which console will win overall.

However the PC is a dark horse in this battle of the consoles; it is a versatile type of console, the more money you spend on the console the better it will play games. The PC and be extremely powerful far better than the Xbox One or PS4, PC also has a massive following of dedicated users. One of the main game distributers for the PC is Steam; Steam is an online shopping site and app for PC gamers which allows you to buy and play games of their choice. Steam was created by Valve the same people that brought you the brilliant game Portal; Steam was finally made available to the public in 2003 for PC Window users in 2010 it was made available to Mac users. Steam was created so that PC gamers could get good deals and support indie game developers with games like Don’t Starve. The Steam community as expanded to beyond billions and now they are developing their own console called the Steam Box which would bring steam deals and great new content to the console market.

Another notable advancement throughout the last couple years is a device called the Oculus Rift, which is a virtual reality device which mounts two displays on your head like a large pair of ski goggles. The rift uses new technology which allows 360 head tracking, meaning that you can look seamlessly around a game environment like you would in real life. This device tracks every movement creating a natural and realistic gaming experience. I believe we will start to see more products like this one on the market to bring gaming into the future with virtual reality.

Overall we can see a drastic improvement throughout the past decade, the major advancements in the power of consoles has made the games truly beautiful and innovative. I predict that in the next decade we will be dominated by PC’s and phones more than consoles; I also feel that the PC and console will combine with virtual gaming software to create an amazing realistic gaming experience.

References:

Michael Poh. Evolution Of Home Video Game Consoles: 1967 – 2011.Available: http://www.hongkiat.com/blog/evolution-of-home-video-game-consoles-1967-2011/. Last accessed 21/04/2014.

Sony Computer Entertainment Inc. (2011). PLAYSTATION®2 SALES REACH 150 MILLION UNITS WORLDWIDE. Available: http://www.scei.co.jp/corporate/release/110214_e.html. Last accessed 21/04/2014.

Sony Computer Entertainment Inc. PlayStation®3 Features.Available: http://us.playstation.com/ps3/features/ps_multimedia.html. Last accessed 21/04/2014.

Kevin P. Casey . (2006). Nintendo hopes Wii spells wiinner. Available: http://usatoday30.usatoday.com/tech/gaming/2006-08-14-nintendo-qa_x.htm. Last accessed 21/04/2014.

Timothy D. Brown. (2003). The Legend of Zelda: The Wind Waker. Available: http://web.archive.org/web/20040327192232/http:/www.nlgaming.com/nl/asp/id_566/nl/reviewDisp.htm. Last accessed 21/04/2014.

Nintendo. Wii U Technical Specs. Available: http://www.nintendo.com/wiiu/features/tech-specs/. Last accessed 21/04/2014.

Stuart Andrews. (2014). Wii U review. Available: http://www.trustedreviews.com/wii-u_Games_review. Last accessed 21/04/2014.

Matt Egan. (2013). PlayStation 4 vs PlayStation 3 comparison review: buy a PS4 or save money and get a PS3?. Available: http://www.pcadvisor.co.uk/reviews/game/3491517/ps4-vs-ps3-console-comparison-review/. Last accessed 21/04/2014.

Stuart Miles. (2013). Xbox 360 vs Xbox One: What's the difference?.Available: http://www.pocket-lint.com/news/121190-xbox-360-vs-xbox-one-what-s-the-difference. Last accessed 21/04/2014.

Oculus VR. NEXT-GEN VIRTUAL REALITY. Available: http://www.oculusvr.com/rift/. Last accessed 21/04/2014.

The History of video games: 1980-1990

The 80’s were in my option is the best era ever; I mean just look at that hair and the music; my god it is superior to anything now days (https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=YhWE0we4FaQ&feature=kp this song has got to be one of my top ten)

The 80’s were also a time for video games; the demand for them was on the up and the business was going well, the arcades were crammed and everything looked steady. At the start of the 80’s the second generation of gaming was going well and in 1980 the legendary Pacman was released.

Pac-Man was originally an arcade game produced by Namco but due to the popularity it has been remade time and time again for multiple consoles and mobile devices. It even got its own 3D game in 1999 on the PS1 for its 20^th anniversary. To finish talking about Pac-Man I will share with you a quote from one of my favourite films; “Did you know that the original name for Pac-Man was Puck-Man? You'd think it was because he looks like a hockey puck but it actually comes from the Japanese phrase 'Paku-Paku,' which means to flap one's mouth open and closed. They changed it because they thought Puck-Man would be too easy to vandalize, you know, like people could just scratch off the P and turn it into an F or whatever.” (Scott Pilgrim Vs. the World - 2010).

Continuing from Pacman just a year later other famous games such as Donkey Kong and Frogger were produced; this meant that arcade games was at its peak but this was all about the change. In 1983 the third generation of gaming came about thanks to Nintendo releasing the Famicom home gaming console. other consoles were released but failed to pick up a good audience Nintendo is where gaming at home starts. However due to the rise in popularity of consoles many small companies started creating there own making the market over supplied. This then lead to the great video game crash; there was too many consoles using the same software, there was nothing unique and initiative. 

Due to the unstable console market the PC market started to strive; computers 

such as the Apple and Commodore 64 were now affordable for families. This was great for computer games because of families buying these because they were multi-purpose, you could use them for games and prepare yourself for a job in the future. The home consoles such as the Atari 2600, Intelivision and ColecoVison were the ones to take the worst of it; this disaster led to the end of Atari. Their game E.T. the Extra-Terrestrial released at this time has gone down in history as one of the worst commercial failures in video gaming and one of the worst games ever released. Such a failure left Atari bankrupt, this meant that the reign of the US was now over and Japan took over with Nintendo on top. As for Atari's several million unsold E.T. games they got shipped off to a landfill loosing them a heap of money. 

After the great crash Nintendo decided to reboot their Famicom by making the NES (Nintendo entertainment system) this then became the best selling console of its time. Nintendo redesigned the old console into the NES so that people wouldn't associate it with the video game crash. This brought consoles back on to the market and gave it more interest; in 1985 the well known and loved game Super Mario Bros. is born. 

It sold 19 million copies and revived the video game market; the platform game features an Italian plumber named Mario saving his beloved Princess Peach from Bowser the antagonist. The game features many bright colours and magic mushrooms, it is commonly linked to the use of narcotics; never the less it is still one of the best child friendly games of all time, with many sequels to come through out the years. 

Nintendo continues to lead the video game industry; in 1986 another famous and well loved video game series begins. The legend of Zelda is published by Nintendo this game has a similar goal to Super Mario however it is a fantasy style action adventure game; the protagonist Link has to save his Princess Zelda from the evil king Ganondof, sound familiar? Just kidding the legend of Zelda has a massive story behind it involving the power of a relic called the triforce. The storyline and game timeline are not an easy thing to get your head around but as long as you don't call Link Zelda you won't have fan girls sending you death threats. 

In around about 1988 the fourth generation of gaming came about introducing the Sega Mega Drive. Sega tried to fight Nintendo for the top spot however Nintendo had another trick up their sleeve and released the Gameboy just a year later; the Gameboy is a 8-bit handheld gaming device. The Gameboy was a massive success even though it had a lot of competition from other consoles at the time. Nintendo had truly hit a home run and continued to make magnificent consoles, in 1990 the SNES (Super Nintendo entertainment system) was released; it had the power to run the first set of 3D games such as Starfox, even though the graphics were crude this lead the way for 3D games. 

Then boom the fifth generation of games came along and Sony brought the PlayStation to the market in 1994. The PS1 competed with the N64 from Nintendo released in 1996 and the Sega Saturn released in 1994. These consoles continued to produce 3D games following from the SNES. 

These consoles could run 3D graphics featuring beautiful blocky boobs in the Tomb Raider games.

In 1996 Sony made Crash Bandicoot, their version of Sega's sonic the hedgehog and Nintendo's Mario. They decided to make Crash an animal that people were not accustomed to; mimicking Sonic's success. (Crash showing Nintendo who's boss  https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=mTi5EaocGaY).

In summary the 80's started out with arcade dominance then moved to Nintendo with the Famicom, the great crash then wiped out Atari and the PC rose to dominance. Nintendo came back and made the NES bringing them to the top of the video game industry they continued their reign up to the end of the 90's fighting Sony and Sega for dominance. The main difference through this time was the transition of 2D games to 3D games, the advancement of video games in just over two decades was astonishing and it pathed the way for the games we know and love today. Finally I will leave you with another amazing song from the 80's featuring Pac-Man https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=brVsGL4cPzE.

References:
Online Education. Video game timeline. Available: http://www.onlineeducation.net/videogame_timeline. Last accessed 19/04/2014.

Nadia Oxford. (2011). Ten Facts about the Great Video Game Crash of '83. Available: http://uk.ign.com/articles/2011/09/21/ten-facts-about-the-great-video-game-crash-of-83. Last accessed 19/04/2014.