Television
For this final section, i will be covering what Television has to offer for gaming, and whether or not it has a major role in video games or not. Television is possibly the least influential platforms when it comes to playing video games, however i will explain this by going through the features and limitations television has when it comes to video games. However unlike the previous sections, i will not be creating a timeline. The reason for this is because very little has actually happened with television and gaming in the last 50 years. Aside from the fact that television is required to play consoles, there is very little content available in regards to playing video games with a TV alone.
Features:
As mentioned, the game market for television is very niche. However this does not mean it is non existent. Interactive TV Gaming is something where the viewer can interact with whatever is on screen via their remote control, and this has evolved into having proper games available through a satellite box such as Sky. An example of this is through pressing the red button when prompted by a channel, which may bring up a menu to select games or information. These games are often very simple and low budget, something which is simply used to pass the time during adverts. The television is often watchable behind the game being played, depending on the channel; and game. popular games include beehive bedlam, or battleships.
There is another example of how television has effected gaming however, and this is through cross platforms. What i mean by this is the interaction between television shows, and console video games. While this is not a very common format, there are examples of games which link up to a TV show, and these two aspects directly effect each other in aesthetics or plots. An example of this is the Syfy show Defiance, and the game by the same name. The game Defiance is a third person shooter, in which the player navigates through the desolation of Earth after a huge war with numerous alien species. The game is now free to play, and is playable on the PC, PlayStation, and Xbox. The game prides itself on its ever evolving universe, and the content within the game directly corresponds with what is happening on the television show, and how the show effects the game play. The show is obviously based within the same story, but revolves around specific characters. By connecting the two formats of gaming and television, it entices fans to not only watch the show, but to also play the game, and vice versa, to gt a lot more immersion in the story and universe. So as you can see, the television format does have something to offer for video games. If it can be done effectively, television can help greatly in the immersion of story, and can also help in the popularity of both the game and show, creating a more symbiotic relationship.
The last aspect to TV gaming i will cover is a fairly new format which has only just reached popularity. This is the media streaming device. This is a device that plugs into the HDMI port on a TV, which once plugged in allows external devices such as iPhones, Macs, Windows laptops etc to connect to the TV. This then allows the TV to access programs such as video streaming services like Netflix or YouTube, but it also allows games to be played from the device onto the big screen. An example of such a device is the Chromecast. This device is developed by the web browser Chrome, and allows all of the above to work on the TV. While gaming is still more of an afterthought for this device, it still serves as a good way to play mobile games such as Angry Birds on the TV, which is a better alternative to the normal games available on TV. Th reason games work better with devises such as the Chromecast is because instead of relying on the TV satellites and processors, it works off of the wireless connected external device, eg. the iPhone or computer. This small device essentially turns an ordinary TV into a smart TV for a small price of around £30.
Limitations:
Televisions priority is viewing, and always will be. As such, gaming is not even a remote focus on this format. As such gaming feels more like it has been forced onto this format to make a quick profit. As such, there are many limitations, as the format just isn't designed to house gaming. For starters, the games found on TV are done via satellite, and this means the data transfer is long between interactions. This means that games cant be over complicated, they cant feature too much mechanics, and are usually very slow paced to keep functioning. As such, it is clear that gaming should be kept to the console, not the TV, and although there is promise for cross platform gaming, that is probably the limit to gaming for Television. Even with the new smart TVs being released which offer more and more features, they simply aren't cut out for gaming.
Features:
As mentioned, the game market for television is very niche. However this does not mean it is non existent. Interactive TV Gaming is something where the viewer can interact with whatever is on screen via their remote control, and this has evolved into having proper games available through a satellite box such as Sky. An example of this is through pressing the red button when prompted by a channel, which may bring up a menu to select games or information. These games are often very simple and low budget, something which is simply used to pass the time during adverts. The television is often watchable behind the game being played, depending on the channel; and game. popular games include beehive bedlam, or battleships.
There is another example of how television has effected gaming however, and this is through cross platforms. What i mean by this is the interaction between television shows, and console video games. While this is not a very common format, there are examples of games which link up to a TV show, and these two aspects directly effect each other in aesthetics or plots. An example of this is the Syfy show Defiance, and the game by the same name. The game Defiance is a third person shooter, in which the player navigates through the desolation of Earth after a huge war with numerous alien species. The game is now free to play, and is playable on the PC, PlayStation, and Xbox. The game prides itself on its ever evolving universe, and the content within the game directly corresponds with what is happening on the television show, and how the show effects the game play. The show is obviously based within the same story, but revolves around specific characters. By connecting the two formats of gaming and television, it entices fans to not only watch the show, but to also play the game, and vice versa, to gt a lot more immersion in the story and universe. So as you can see, the television format does have something to offer for video games. If it can be done effectively, television can help greatly in the immersion of story, and can also help in the popularity of both the game and show, creating a more symbiotic relationship.
The last aspect to TV gaming i will cover is a fairly new format which has only just reached popularity. This is the media streaming device. This is a device that plugs into the HDMI port on a TV, which once plugged in allows external devices such as iPhones, Macs, Windows laptops etc to connect to the TV. This then allows the TV to access programs such as video streaming services like Netflix or YouTube, but it also allows games to be played from the device onto the big screen. An example of such a device is the Chromecast. This device is developed by the web browser Chrome, and allows all of the above to work on the TV. While gaming is still more of an afterthought for this device, it still serves as a good way to play mobile games such as Angry Birds on the TV, which is a better alternative to the normal games available on TV. Th reason games work better with devises such as the Chromecast is because instead of relying on the TV satellites and processors, it works off of the wireless connected external device, eg. the iPhone or computer. This small device essentially turns an ordinary TV into a smart TV for a small price of around £30.
Limitations:
Televisions priority is viewing, and always will be. As such, gaming is not even a remote focus on this format. As such gaming feels more like it has been forced onto this format to make a quick profit. As such, there are many limitations, as the format just isn't designed to house gaming. For starters, the games found on TV are done via satellite, and this means the data transfer is long between interactions. This means that games cant be over complicated, they cant feature too much mechanics, and are usually very slow paced to keep functioning. As such, it is clear that gaming should be kept to the console, not the TV, and although there is promise for cross platform gaming, that is probably the limit to gaming for Television. Even with the new smart TVs being released which offer more and more features, they simply aren't cut out for gaming.
Definition:
Gaming within the television platform is not exactly popular, especially with the newly evolved platform of mobile gaming, as it means people can now play many high scale games while also watching TV. However this does not mean that there isn't games available to people. These games are very low budget and also very simple due to the fact that TV requires little processing power to function, and so the processing that TV games have to work on are very limited. This is why games such as Beehive Bedlam are simple 2D vector games, and actually follow the trends of the simple arcade games, being repetitive and simple due to the limitation in processing power.
Gaming within the television platform is not exactly popular, especially with the newly evolved platform of mobile gaming, as it means people can now play many high scale games while also watching TV. However this does not mean that there isn't games available to people. These games are very low budget and also very simple due to the fact that TV requires little processing power to function, and so the processing that TV games have to work on are very limited. This is why games such as Beehive Bedlam are simple 2D vector games, and actually follow the trends of the simple arcade games, being repetitive and simple due to the limitation in processing power.
Conclusion
So throughout this research into the different genre formats, the features and limitations of each, it is clear to see that although technology has evolved at a rapid speed in the last 50 years, there are still many flaws and limits to what we have, and that there is still a long way to go until the video game industry has reached its peak and potential. We can see that although there are limitations in what we have right now, the game industry is still immensely popular and shows no sign of slowing down. There are still platforms which are still relatively untouched when compared to the history of development of video game tech such as arcade machines and consoles, and these new platforms such as mobile apps and virtual reality may one day become the dominant platform for video game players. Until then it is up to not just game developers, but also the players, to help research and adapt this market for the greater good.