Take
a look at any list of upcoming titles to be released for the Xbox (among
other consoles) and you could be forgiven for muttering the words, “There
has never been a better time to be a gamer.” While these words are true
to a certain extent, in reality there really has “never been a better
time to be a gamer” whether the year was 2005 or 1995.

Over the years, we’ve seen the games industry evolve in a way that we
could never have imagined.

When my gaming career commenced back in 1986 with a Commodore 64, the thought
of connecting with other players from around the world to get together for a
game of football was a concept that my primitive (read, young!) mind
never considered. Racing games either consisted of a blocky behind-the-car view
or a pair of hands clutching the steering wheel. In some instances, we were
lucky to get more than two circuits on which to race. Any hopes of customising
our virtual cars were simply a distant dream. All this may seem crude by today’s
standard, but at the time it was the pinnacle of entertainment.

As the years went by and we progressed through the 1990’s, machines with
greater power (generally Sega consoles for me) found their way into
our homes and provided a similar form of entertainment, only this time superior
graphics and a greater choice of controllers made it possible to authentically
re-create that nostalgic arcade feeling.

So now we arrive here, embracing 2005 and we have at our disposal the facilities
to compete with fellow international gamers at an unprecedented level. Hotly
anticipated titles such as Halo 2 (now available) and Forza Motorsport (due
out April 2005) are sure to raise the standard by yet another level, and will
no doubt set new benchmarks for their respective genres. However, I find myself
wondering what could be next for the games industry…

Take a look at the following pictures illustrating the stark differences in
gaming quality between 1983 and 2005.

Pole Position - Released in 1983
Pole Position – Released in 1983

Forza Motorsport - To Be Released in April 2005
Forza Motorsport – To Be Released in April 2005

It seems that we’ve done it all. Time after time, we have defeated the
Nazis or saved the galaxy from an alien threat. Our cars have been modified
as much as possible in order to take on the rest of the world. We can now enter
intense online competitions with services like Microsoft’s XSN Sports
network, but where do we go from here?

The technology will always improve and I’m sure we shall reach the stage
where massive online battles become even more, err, massive. Star Wars: Battlefront
may provide a glimpse of what is to come for Xbox Live with support for 24 players,
and maybe within the next decade the servers will be able to hold a lot more
players with a lot less lag.

While we may have the ability to engage in massive battles with players from
all over the world, how many times will we do this before the appeal wanes?
How many times can we save the galaxy or recreate World War II before we begin
to crave something truly fresh and original?

So, will that fresh and unique element to gaming be found… or is this
as good as it gets?

Discuss this article in our forums.

Editorial by: Agent
Smith

Filed under: Editorials

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