History of Game Design

Arising as a prominent branch of game development in the 1970s after the huge success of arcade video games, game designers as we know them today were tasked with designing the bulk of content for the game, including the rules, storyline, characters and overall appeal. Today, game designing is a multi-million dollar industry that's only expected to grow larger as technology advances. Take a look at the timeline below to see how the industry has evolved and expanded over the years.

1952 - Willy Higinbotham creates what is commonly referred to as "the first video game." Similar to table tennis, this 2 person game was played on an oscilloscope.

1961 - A MIT student, Steve Russell, creates the first interactive game, Spacewars, played on mainframe computers.

1971 - Computer Space, developed by Nolan Bushnell and Ted Dabney (founders of Atari), becomes the first video arcade game released. Although it was instantly popular, many people found the game too difficult.

1972 - Realizing the potential of video games, Magnavox released Odyssey, the first home video gaming system. Most notably though, Atari is founded and quickly recognized as the leader in the video game industry. Their first released game, Pong, was wildly successful and soon became available as a home version.

1974 - Steve Jobs, one of Atari's technicians and later a circuit board creator, presented an idea to the Atari founders for a personal computer system. Because funds were tied up in other projects, Bushnell referred a venture capitalist to Jobs for funding support. That personal computer, of course, was the beginning of Apple.

1975 - The first computer game hits the markets. Gunfight used a microprocessor instead of hardwired circuits.

1977 - Retailing at $249.95, a large chunk of money at the time, the Atari 2600 game console is released.

1978 - Adding another level of competition and appeal to video games, Space Invaders hits arcades as the first game to track and display high scores. Soon after, the game Asteroids took it a step further and allowed three letter initials to be stored with top scores.

1980 - The first 3D game, Battlezone, is created. The game caught the eye of the US Government, who later modified it for training exercises. Due to the advancing complexity of games, companies begin to form teams to specifically address design. Game designers and programmers soon became separate, distinct careers.

1981 - The gaming industry proves its prominence with the first dedicated periodical, Electronic Games.

1985 - Developed by a Russian programmer, Tetris is released for arcades, video game consoles, as well as home computers.

1989 - Game Boys, handheld gaming devices made by Nintendo, hit the market to much avail. Later in the year, Sega releases the Genesis game console.

1994 - The Entertainment Software Rating Board is created due to concerns about violence in games and the marketing tactics used. Games now receive a rating displayed on the packaging.

1995 - Sony releases the PlayStation in the U.S. By 1997, 20 million units had been sold.

1996 - Arcades switch their focus from traditional video games to the more popular physical riding games, such as skiing, and car/bike racing.

1998 - The Sega Dreamcast is released, one of Sega's last pulls to stay in the market.

2000 - Sony's PlayStation 2 is released. The 500,000 initial units sell out instantly at $300 apiece. The same year, The Sims surpasses Myst as the best selling PC game. Game designers now work in teams of dozens to quickly create the complex games being sold.

2001 - "Next Generation" gaming systems are introduced. The Microsoft Xbox and Nintendo GameCube are not only more interactive for the user, but also easier to develop games for. Shortly after the release of these products, Sega announces it will no longer produce hardware.

2004 - The Nintendo DS is released as a purposefully portable system. Sony follows a year later with their portable version, the Sony PSP.

2006 - The Nintendo Wii revolutionizes the market with its controller system, designed to mimic actual physical movements such as swinging a tennis racket or throwing a bowling ball. During the same year, the PlayStation 3 is released as the most sophisticated (and expensive) console.

2007 - Apple releases the iPhone, creating an entirely new device in which to play games.

2008 - The App Store is introduced. With a diverse array of functionalities, games quickly become the most popular and lucrative "apps." Game designing and developing for Smartphone applications becomes a large niche. In a successful effort to get people of all ages involved and excited about the Wii, Nintendo releases the Wii Fit game. By the next year, Wii Sports surpasses Super Mario Bros as the bestselling video game with over 40 million units sold.

2011 - Projected to grow an additional 30% by 2016, the gaming industry produces sales of over 18 billion per year. Colleges and degrees specifically for game design and production are becoming increasingly advanced and popular.

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Getting Into the World of Game Design

With everyone playing video games these days, have you ever wondered how they're designed, who designs them, and what's really involved in creating a video game? One way to get a sense of how this all comes together is at game design school.

So much goes into gaming these days. You have to consider many elements such as graphics, plot, narrative, content and characters. It's very similar to the structure of a film or TV show, as some games feature different levels and plot twists. You also have to have a knack for working with computers, probably the most important tool to be found at game design schools.

Video games have changed since they were first developed. One of the very first video games was called the Cathode Ray Tube Amusement Device, which was developed by two scientists in 1947. It was a very crude invention that some could say was a prototype for Space Invaders. It was typical that most of the very first video games were primarily designed by scientists and technicians, and weren't for public consumption. However, technology improved, and video games were first made publicly available in the early 1970s, where they were considered revolutionary and state of the art. We're talking about games along the lines of Pong here, which is basically a variation of Tennis; not entirely thrilling when looked at today, but back then it was the rage.

You'll probably face some issues along the way, such as there being a great attention to detail, including writing code to get a game to look just the way you want it. It's important not to be discouraged at first; it never comes easy and you may find yourself going through a variety of different versions before you get the game design that you think will work.

If you're planning on attending a game design school, you want to make sure that it has a good reputation. While it's easy to the basic gist of programming, you may want to attend a game design school to learn how to work the kinks and glitches that you may come across with any programming issues. That's where the professors come in. It's important that the professors have a keen knowledge of the industry and are well versed in programming and design. It's not an easy skill to learn, so you want the best if you decide to attend game design school.

Video games take a great deal of time to produce. They involve storyboarding, similar to film production and a great deal of design capabilities. One of the first things I learned in game design school is that you have to be innovative. Many video games offer a lot of the same ideas, so originality is a plus if you choose to design something, but you won't be alone. While coming up with an idea for a game may be easy enough, you'll more than likely have to work with a team who handles different functions. That's one of the benefits of game design schools, for they allow individuals to work together, develop ideas and explore their potential.

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