Unit 8 Assignment 1
Social trends in computer gaming
P1
The social trends of computer games consist of multiple factors such as popular genres like action
games, adventure games, battle royal games and FPS games which are all very popular amongst the
gaming community. The demographic of the gamers tends to be from the ages of 18-24 according to
earnest.com, the gender statistics are that males consist of 52% of game players in the US whilst the
females are 48% according to dailydot.com. There are multiple different categories of gamers such
as casual gamers and they can be described as people who play video games as a hobby and still
have other things they do in their spare time and use gaming only as a recreational activity and
immersive gamers are players that play in a realistic open-world that are made with advanced
graphics to hook the player and this is usually accomplished through devices like VR headsets and
these types of gamers want the experience of actually being within the game itself rather than just
playing it. There are different types of ways to produce games for example indie games are games
that are created by an individual or a small team that consist of 2-10 people and they are called free
due to the developers making the game resources or collecting it from free sources and an example
of an indie game is Minecraft.
The term multiplayer is any game that lets more than one player play the game and it tends to be
played over the internet or it can be played on LAN. The multiplayer games connect players to each
other through a multiplayer server that lists all the online games and lets players join a game or
make a new game for people to join. The main game servers are handled by the developers and
some games offer users to make and handle private servers. The number of players who can connect
to a server can differ, but most games allow from 5-50 players at once but some types of multiplayer
games that are called mass multiplayer online games can allow thousands. AI in the context in
gaming is referring to responsive and adaptive video game experiences and this is usually made via
the non-playable characters that interact with the environment and the players.
The use of AI in gaming is for the purpose of improving a player’s experience and its imperative for
developers to give gaming experiences to various devices and AI allows developers to provide
players with immersive game experiences on different types of devices from computer to console.
Emerging technology is a term generally used to describe a new technology, but it may also refer to
the continuing development of an existing technology. The examples of emerging technologies in
computer gaming are virtual reality which is an immersive experience that navigates the user to a
new world, augmented reality is comparable to virtual reality, but it augments the surroundings in
the real world and the emerging technologies are having an impact on the gaming world and
allowing it to be more immersive and realistic. Game developers also use AI to make NPCs that can
respond to players in a realistic way and this makes the gaming experience more realistic and
immersive which makes the gameplay more enjoyable.
The security of integrates services and multiplayer environments is very crucial for keeping personal
data of users secure and protected from potential threats. An example of this can be seen with
google play as they state that they implement rigorous security testing to the apps prior to them
being available on the platform. The reasoning behind this is to ensure that there aren’t any
vulnerabilities within the app that can be exploited and therefore negatively impact the users. They
also implement scans to 125 billion apps every day to ensure that there aren’t any vulnerabilities
,that can be exploited and to make sure things are running smoothly. This also provides reassurance
to the users that Google play are implementing measures to mitigate the security threats for the
users. Another example of a platform that implements security for their apps is the app store and
they do this by verifying that programmes are free of known viruses and haven't been tampered
with and they offer multiple layers of protection. Further security measures compel apps to carefully
moderate their access to user data. The assistance of these security measures has allowed for
hundreds of thousands of apps for iOS, iPadOS, and macOS to be produced by thousands of
developers while maintaining the integrity of the operating system. Additionally, customers don't
need to worry excessively about viruses, malware, or unauthorised attacks when using these apps
on their Apple devices.
P2
Explain how current and emerging technologies impact computer games
design and development.
Technologies used in computer gaming
In recent years, the design and development of computer games have been significantly influenced
by current and emerging technologies. I'll go over some of the most noteworthy technologies and
how they affect the game companies in my response. The following are examples of current and
emerging technologies:
Virtual Reality
In recent years, virtual reality technology has completely changed gaming by giving gamers an
increasingly realistic and immersive experience. The games created for VR can benefit from the
abilities of the technology to create a more engaging and intriguing environment. The examples of
games that utilize VR technology to offer players a distinctive experience include Beat Saber, Half-
Life: Alyx, and Job Simulator.
Augmented reality
Another cutting-edge technology that has affected game design and production is augmented reality
(AR). AR technology is used in games like Pokemon Go and Ingress Prime to provide players a more
involved and immersive experience. Games that can be played in the real world thanks to
augmented reality (AR) technology bring an extra level of intrigue and involvement to the
experience.
Cloud gaming
Another technology that is changing the world of gaming is cloud gaming. It doesnt require any
overpriced hardware equipment and it enables players to play games whenever they want. Cloud
gaming systems have been more popular in recent years with services like Google Stadia, Microsoft
,xCloud, and Amazon Luna. Cloud gaming technology has the ability to open up gaming to a larger
audience by enabling players to play games on virtually any device with an internet connection.
Artificial intelligence
Game creation and design are being impacted by AI technology. The players can face more
sophisticated and difficult opponents thanks to AI technology, which enhances the whole gaming
experience. AI technology is used in video games like The Last of Us Part II and Uncharted 4: A Thief's
End to produce more realistic and difficult gameplay.
Benefits and limitations of different platform options for the development of computer games:
Personal Computers
Advantages:
The advantages of using specific platform options such as windows for the development of computer
games are that windows is the most popular operating system for desktop computers and has long
been the platform of choice for game development. The Development of games that run on
windows is simple because of the abundance of game engines and development tools made
particularly for the operating system. Furthermore, windows is designed with superb gaming
performance in mind. DirectX, a set of Windows-only APIs for building high-performance graphics
and multimedia applications, is available to game developers. Visual Studio's Integrated
Development Environment and the Windows SDK are only a couple of the many development tools
that Windows offers to game creators. For developing and debugging games, these tools offer a rich
feature set, including instruments for performance profiling and memory optimization.
Disadvantages:
The limitations of using windows for computer game development are windows has only limited
compatibility for other platforms including macOS, Linux, and gaming consoles. Also, its mainly
designed for PC gaming and the games ability to use sophisticated visual technologies like Vulkan
and OpenGL may be constrained by Windows' lack of support for these technologies. It also offers
restricted memory management options, which can make it challenging for game developers to
optimise memory utilisation in their games.
Furthermore, windows is known to have security flaws which may have an impact on the
development of games and things like malware can seriously impede the development of games and
result in data loss. This can result in catastrophic legal implications for the company that are
developing the games and the expense of licencing software tools like the Visual Studio
development environment, can make creating games on Windows very costly. Additionally, it has
only limited compatibility for other platforms including macOS, Linux, and gaming consoles.
Windows is mainly designed for PC gaming and the games ability to use sophisticated visual
technologies like Vulkan and OpenGL may be constrained by Windows' lack of support for these
technologies. Windows also offers restricted memory management options, which can make it
challenging for game developers to optimise memory utilisation in their games.
, Consoles
Advantages:
The benefits of developing games on consoles is due to the common hardware configurations of
consoles enabling game creators to tailor their titles for particular system requirements. This may
result in improved functionality and more reliable gameplay. They also provide an opportunity to
reach more people as console gamers have a big audience compared to other platforms which
results in more sales and revenue for game developers. The example of this can be seen on the
PlayStation console as the PlayStation gaming platform has a sizable and devoted fan audience,
which results in high sales and income for game creators. The extensive library of exclusive titles
available on PlayStation systems can help a game stand out from rivals and foster strong brand
loyalty. In addition to this, they are renowned for having strong hardware, which enables more
sophisticated graphics and gameplay features. Sony offers PlayStation games strong development
support, providing access to information, forums, and development tools. The popularity of the
PlayStation systems in many different nations can raise sales and bring in more money for game
creators.
Disadvantages:
The limitations for developing games for ps4 consoles are it's hardware restrictions such as
restricted memory and processing capacity, that may limit the range of games that may be created
on it. The hardware features, such as the touchpad on the controller, might be difficult to use, which
can restrict the types of games you can play. The PlayStation 4 has a limited amount of backward
compatibility with earlier PlayStation systems, which can make it challenging for game developers to
construct remastered versions of older games or sequels that expand on those earlier works. Sony
has a stringent approval procedure for games created on the PlayStation 4, which might lead to
delays and restrict game developers' creative freedom.
Mobile devices
Throughout the years, as smartphones and tablets have grown in popularity, mobile gaming has
grown significantly due to high demand and because different mobile devices have varied screen
sizes, hardware requirements, operating systems, creating games for them can be difficult. For the
creation of mobile games, a variety of game engines are available including Cocos2D, Unreal Engine,
and Unity. These engines offer pre-built tools and libraries that make it simple to create mobile
games. A different strategy is needed when creating games for mobile devices compared to those
for PCs or gaming consoles.
Advantages:
The advantages of developing games for mobile devices has are a huge audience can now play
mobile games due to the global popularity of mobile devices. The developers of the games have a
fantastic opportunity to connect with more people and perhaps boost their income. Compared to
other platforms like consoles, creating games for mobile devices can be very inexpensive. The
independent game creators can now more easily produce high-calibre games du to the availability of
numerous free development tools and game engines. The distribution of games to a global audience
is made simple for creators by app marketplaces like Google Play and the App Store that can host
