Two vertical lines acting as bats and a squarish ball bouncing around were the precursor of modern day digital games. Since then, games have gone a long way with life-like orcs, mythical characters, cartoon characters, futuristic vehicles and a myriad of other objects all challenging the gamer towards unlocking the hidden goals behind the game.
The interaction too made giant leaps, moving rapidly from all sorts of keyboards to joysticks and covering also different life-like gadgets such as steering wheels. However, in recent years, the interaction arena got even fiercer after Nintendo successfully launched the Wii Moto, their powerful wireless controller capable of replicating on the screen the user's movements in free space.
Microsoft promises to take this interaction battle a step further by creating a games console without a physical controller, through the launch of project Natal whereby the whole body of the gamer becomes the controller. Through the simple use of a camera, the system is capable of detecting the movements of the user and mapping them onto the screen.
The scale of the device too went through rapid changes: personal computers used for games have been replaced with powerful gaming consoles such as the PS3, the XBOX 360 or the Nintendo Wii. These allow users to play both on their own but also in groups, bringing together gamers who are either in the same room or those geographically distant. Proximity became a thing of the past thanks to the internet.
However, another important market is the mobile consoles (PSP, Nintendo DS, etc) whereby users can play their favourite games anywhere by carrying their console with them in their pockets. A competitor to these small consoles is without doubt the mobile phone, a device which is found in everyone's pocket and which is slowly becoming more powerful in terms of graphics, processing power and with the inclusion of new features (such as GPS, camera, accelerometer, etc) which open new gaming possibilities.
Notwithstanding this revolution and irrespective of whether it is a simple space invaders game or a game based around the blockbuster movie Avatar, the basic component of every game is a computer programme. Even though some computer languages are better suited than others at creating games, if you know a programming language, the learning curve to learn another one is very gentle and certainly within reach of most programmers. So what are you waiting to start developing computer games?
If software development is not your thing don't get the impression that computer games fall only within the realm of computer programmers. Far from it, famous games have reached such a level of sophistication that the production team has more similarity to a team in Hollywood than in Silicon Valley. Serious games need scriptwriters, photographers, directors, graphic artists and the list can go on. So really and truly, in the digital games industry, there's space for everyone, it's just a matter of taking the plunge.
The gaming industry in Malta is still in its embryonic stage, however several initiatives are currently underway. If you would like to know more, the first University-Business Thematic Forum on Digital Games Production in Malta is being held tomorrow at the Chamber of Commerce in Valletta. To register, please go to www.nche.gov.mt.
Dr Dingli is a lecturer at the Department of Intelligent Computer Systems within the Faculty of ICT at the University of Malta.