A history of computers, part two

Despite the fact that the Cathode ray tube amusement device is considered the first video game, it would still a long time before anything that remotely resembled a modern games console would come into fruition. Over the following ten to fifteen years other similar developments in video games would come and go, however most of these were experimental, and like the CRT amusement device would never be fully marketed as games consoles or sold to the public. None of these games were even close to what we understand by the concept of video games today.

The start of the 70's saw a breakthrough in gaming with the development of coin operated games machines, later to be known as Arcade games. Computer Space, released by Nutting Associates, was one of the first of these and also the worlds first mass produced and commercially sold video game. It truly was the landmark in what was to become the golden age of arcade gaming. Computer space was later followed my Pong, released in 1972 by Atari, who would later become a big player in the games industry of that period.

The future is now...

Around the same time as Pong the worlds first commercially available home video game console was also released, named the Magnavox Odyssey. I think it is important to mention that this is the time when real video game history begins, consoles in general are starting to take shape and become closer in semblance to the consoles that we know and use the modern era. They are being played on television sets and monitors. The Magnavox Odyssey featured a basic console with two wired controllers, practically the same format for consoles of today.

"You couldn't beat me on COD though"

With the increasing popularity and demand for household consoles the age of arcade gaming came to halt in the early 1980's. In 1983 Sega debuted there first console, the sg-1000 and Nintendo entered with the Nintendo Famicon (later to become the NES) the biggest selling console of its time. People began staying at home to play video games with friends and family, there was just no need to go to the arcade anymore, and with time arcade machines gave way to the new consoles on the block.

This transitional period from arcade machines to home entertainment consoles didn't even matter, as by the end of 1983 something known as the "Great video game crash of 83'" began to take place. The industry went into a deep recession which led to the bankruptcy of then major console companies and almost completely wiped out the industry. The reasons for this were due to over saturation of consoles in the market. Dozens of consoles, too much quantity and not enough quality was being put out, and consumers were losing confidence in the the quality of the games. Atari, the fastest growing company at the time was divided, and were forced to dump millions of unsold games and consoles onto landfill site in New Mexico.

(I only chose this photo for nice values/composition)

 Another reason for the crash was the advancing development of computers. Consoles were dedicated gaming machines, but computers could play games as well as other functions. While most modern consoles are now dedicated for games, the less sophisticated technology and comparably simple games of the 1980's meant that a dedicated games console was seemingly needless when compared to a multifunctional computer.

The great video game crash only lasted around two years. It was the international success of Nintendo's NES (Nintendo entertainment system) that became extremely popular and re-ignited peoples confidence in video game consoles, soon becoming the most popular video game console of its time. Many still popular Nintendo titles such as the Legend of Zelda were first released on this console. Throughout the rest of the later 1980's very fewer but much more solid consoles were released such as Sega's Mega Drive which debuted Sonic the Hedgehogs first release in 1991.

All hail the savior.

 The beginning of the 90's saw the rise of a new kind of gaming, handheld consoles began to emerge with the first Nintendo Gameboy being released in 1989. Handheld games consoles had existed before this time, as early as 1977, but they were full of hardware problems and very linear, usually only containing one or a handful of inbuilt games. The gameboy was the first of its kind to use individual game cartridges and in 1996 saw the release of the first Pokémon game. Other handhelds came and went, but none held out competition like the Gameboy, and Nintendo released the Gameboy colour in 1998.

It's not actually a boy

The 1990's also saw another revolutionary hit in gaming. The original PlayStation was released by Sony in 1994, and although not the first console to run a 3D game introduced a plethora of 3D games to the mass gaming audience. It was also the first console to begin using CD-ROMs to store games instead of cartridges, a format that would eventually be used throughout the entire industry and today. Welcome to the future!

  

References -
Computer Space - http://technologizer.com/2011/12/11/computer-space-and-the-dawn-of-the-arcade-video-game/

Magnavox Odyssey - http://classicgaming.gamespy.com/View.php?view=Articles.Detail&id=396

Handhelds - http://www.engadget.com/2006/03/03/a-brief-history-of-handheld-video-games/

Playstation - http://classicgames.about.com/od/consoleandhandheldgames/p/History-Of-The-Sony-Playsation-Kick-Starting-The-Disc-Revolution.htm
 http://www.guinnessworldrecords.com/records-8000/first-3d-console-game/

Great video game crash of 83' - http://uk.ign.com/articles/2011/09/21/ten-facts-about-the-great-video-game-crash-of-83

A history of computers, part one

When did video games begin? This is quite a debatable question, depending on what you consider a video game to be. The likes of pong and Computer Space from the early 70's are a far throw from the games we play today. Huge advancements in technology over the last 40 years have paved the way for far more visually and technologically sophisticated games. Modern games don't simply consist of a small challenge involving two blocks and square anymore; they tell stories, engage the player on an emotional level. Some games even present the player with some kind of moral dilemma, forcing them to make their own decisions. But firstly, I'm going to step far back from here. What and where did all of this develop from? and how did the dawn of the earliest computers lead to the creation of the games console?

       

The Difference Engine is an enormous mechanical calculator invented by Charles Babbage and is thought to be the worlds first automated computing engine. Babbage designed his difference engine around the year 1849, however the first working machine was only completed in the year 1991 by the London Science Museum, some 140 years after it was designed. Right now, this has practically nothing in relation with video games, however this invention marks the starting point in history for the development of all automated computing machines to come.

Something else that interests me about the Difference engine is the fact that this is a mechanical computer, powered by hand using gears and levers and invented years before any electronically based computer. It interests me to think about how much of a difference this machine could have made to modern computing had it been possible to construct at the time of its design.  

Babbage's Steampunk calculator thingy

Video game consoles obviously have their roots more closely in programmable digital computers. The earliest of this kind is the Zuse Z3, created in 1941 during WWII by civil engineer and computing pioneer Konrad Zuse. Zuse created this computer as way to show that complicated arithmetic problems could be solved via a working machine, and the Z3 was used by the German Aircraft Research Institute to perform analysis and gather numerical information on wing flutter. While this is still very distant from a games console or modern computer the Zuse Z3 is worth a mention as it is considered to be the earliest fully functional programmable digital computer.

Look everybody, the Zuse Z3

Some of the biggest technological advancements have typically occurred during times of war. The last 100 years has seen marginal advances in technology in all things from aircraft to computers, especially during the periods of WWI and II. Another pioneering wartime computer was the Colossus, invented in 1943 by Tommy Flowers. This time, it was the British who used this computer in order to crack and decode encrypted German messages during WWII.

While impressive at the time, its quite clear that computers were exceptionally linear and were usually only invented to carry out a single function. Its hard to believe that now, only 70 years on, we are in excess of small handheld devices and laptops that are infinitely more powerful.

The Colossus Mark 1

In 1939 modern computer giant Hewlett-Packard had created their first product, the HP200A which was an audio oscillator, something that produces a single frequency or sound and is used for testing sound equipment. At the time of its invention HP was not an established company, the first few HP200A's were built in Dave Packard's own garage behind his house, however this simple and linear machine provided the foundation for the company to grow into one of the largest computer equipment manufacturers in the world.

HP Audio Oscillator

The 1940's through to 50's saw many more developments in computing. International Business Machines, (IBM) who had been developing tables and equipment for computing since the early 1900's created the SSEC in 1948. This machine was used for calculating the positions of the moon and planets but only operated for a total of four years as it became quickly outdated by more ever growing technology.

1947 saw the invention of the Cathode ray tube amusement device by Thomas Goldsmith Jr and Estle Ray mann. This was a missile simulator, inspired by radar displays of world war 2. The cathode ray beam represented a crosshair, which appeared as a dot on the screen. Like most devices of the time, it used analog circuitry to allow the player to control the position of the crosshair over a plane in order to fire within a set time limit. In the broadest sense, the Cathode Ray tube amusement device is arguably the worlds first video game.

Cathode ray tube amusement device

Summer studies

Figured I should probably post some work by now. Before I came to Leicester I had a pretty productive gap year working on my fundamentals and digital painting. I knew I would be bogged down with other things to do once I came here, so I didn't want to let up on the chance to work on my skills alone for a whole 12 months.

Here's some relatively recent studies from over summer, references taken from mjranum-stock and characterdesigns.com.

I think if you want to be a concept artist badly enough you can't look at it like any standard 'job'. Its got to be something you really want to do. If you're emotionally invested in your work then you'll probably be more inclined to keep progressing yourself. I crave drawing, so I do a lot of it, although if I'm really honest with myself probably not as much as I know I could be doing, especially now that I'm at university. There's always some degree of resistance.

Anyway, here's some more studies. Composition and value studies from old masters. There's Zorn, Bouguereau, Sargent and a Frazetta in there :) These were done on a small scale, probably no longer than 20 minutes each.

...and more figure work, focusing on values and rendering. The references are from mjranum-stock on Deviantart.

I'll go with this for now. Loads more studies and personal work to put up here but I'll probably stream it out gradually in the next few weeks rather than drop everything into a single post.
Cheers!

Introduction

Hey! I guess I'll start my blog with a brief introduction regarding myself and my background. If you didn't gather from the blog title already, my name is Joe! I'm from a town called Leigh which is based in Manchester, England, however I am currently residing in Leicester where I am studying Game Art Design at De Montfort University.

To be honest I'm not much of a gamer, although I've had a passion for drawing probably for as long as I've been able to hold a pencil. My long term goal is to eventually land a career in the games industry as a concept artist designing characters, creatures, environments and maybe even painting full illustrations for marketing and covers, which is all quite typical of someone who might like games and art. While 2D art is where my main interests lie, I fully understand that to remain relevant and survive as an artist in the games industry one must also have proficient knowledge in 3D modelling, which I am currently learning. Realistically, I doubt I'll be able to enter the industry as a concept artist to begin with, so I chose to study on this course as it focuses not solely on 2D or 3D but on becoming a better and more proficient games artist all round. For this reason, and with all the industry links available, I see this course as a really viable way to get my foot in the door.
 
Over the next three years I'll be using this blog to record all of my achievements, failures and creative endeavors during my time studying at De Montfort. So, please feel free to follow along and watch as I hack and slash my way through hours of torment and sacrifice to achieve my goals. Who knows? with a little luck and a lot of hard work I might even land myself a job! :)