The Power Behind The Games - Game Platforms

This next post will serve as a quick brush up on what a gaming platform is, just like we had a quick recap on what a genre is in an earlier post. Your probably wondering at this minute why is he taking the time to explain what a gaming platform is, after all it is the 21st century and we all know what a gaming platform is, right? Again this post will be short and sweet then for all the experienced folk but those who need to brush up on their knowledge, listen up.

The origins of video games can be dated back to the late 1940s but with the first recognisable home console being introduced into the industry in 1972. This console was known as the Magnavox Odyssey developed by Ralph Baer, since then there have been many consoles created, below is a picture of the Magnavox Odyssey.

In conjunction with the above information, gaming platforms are needed to run video games off making them playable to the users. Without these platforms you would be able to buy games but not play them, which is pointless really. Gaming platforms can cover home consoles, handheld devices (Nintendo DS, Playstation Vita, etc) and mobile devices (iPhone & tablets). Over time these gaming platforms have become very advanced due to technical advancements and hardware improvements. Such advancements with these platforms have allowed games today to currently achieve life-like visuals compared to what the hardware was like back in the 1980s and 1990s, with these platforms still currently advancing due to that technology is always evolving. Below is a screenshot showing the graphical improvements of games particularly character visuals overtime due to the advancement of the hardware/platforms and game engines they have been running off. (Note the image below of the visual evolution of the video game character Lara Croft only goes so far and not to the most recent games, but again it gives a brief insight of how graphics have changed in games). 

This concludes the post and information on gaming platforms with my next posts showing how companies utilises marketing strategies for their games and overall public company image. Finally let me thank you all for reading, your support and time. Phew, until next time then.

Ref Image Source (1) Platforms: httpwww.goxmg.comwp-contentuploads201112history-of-gaming.jpg 

Ref Image Source (2) Magnavox Odyssey: http://www.pong-story.com/odyssey.htm 

Ref Image Source (3) Tomb Raider: http://laracroft.wikia.com/wiki/Lara_Croft