Exploring the Crucial Role of Computer Science in Video Game Development through 11 Points28/1/2024 The video game industry got a noticeable boost in the last few years due to advanced computer technology and partly due to the pandemic. Nowadays, video games, especially mobile games, have exceeded expectations in popularity. As per the latest report, the game industry may reach up to $314 billion by 2026. Updated computer science and technology have a significant role in this growth.
Recently, you have noticed some unbelievable changes in video game features. Some exciting characteristics have been added like never before, with realistic graphics, virtual and augmented reality, enhanced multiplayer options, facial and voice recognition, gesture control, cloud-based and on-demand games, and many more. Computer science and technology have made the gaming experience more interactive, engaging, and sophisticated. How Has Computer Science Impacted Games? Computer science has impacted the video game industry. We can not even think about our new-age game, which is enabled with 3D effects and advanced graphics and is the most realistic with the help of VR, immersive, and engaging. Implementing data structure, algorithms, computer software, and programming languages, today’s video games are designed and developed. Here are some critical perspectives on how computer science has impacted games:
Recently, game developers have used advanced technology and enhanced graphics to make the game more realistic. The player can experience a real-life feel while playing, and the characters become livelier. Since the 1970s, video game graphics have improved daily from basic to advanced. Computer science facilitated the tools to input enhanced graphics for a better playing experience. Now, you can make custom avatars much closer to real characters. The higher quality of images and minute details can only be developed through enhanced graphics, making the gameplay more entertaining. The enriched graphics mean a brighter, more colorful interface that is more realistic and enjoyable. 2. Virtual and Augmented Reality Virtual Reality(VR) and Augmented Reality(AR) are the two latest technologies used in the game industry to make the players feel like they are inside the game. VR takes you to a different world, and AR keeps you in your current environment. Virtual reality eyeglasses and headsets make you feel like another world. Otherwise, Augmented reality helps you see the game's objects within your surroundings. These two technologies are the game-changer of today’s gaming experience. Now, you can easily understand how computer science has impacted games. In 2012, Facebook considered implementing the latest technology, like Oculus Rift, to utilize VR for playing games with friends and family. Later, in 2016, Facebook owner Mark Zuckerberg decided to invest around $250 million to develop VR technology for games and plan to launch Metaverse. As a result, Facebook made history in its identity with emerging and engaging experiences with people globally only with the help of Computer Science and Technology. 3. Facial and Voice Recognition Computer science has highly impacted the gaming world by implementing facial and voice recognition in video games. The facial recognition feature lets you create your characters and avatars to make your gameplay more personalized. Voice recognition facility allows users to control the game and console over simple voice commands like Alexa in Amazon and Siri in Apple’s iPhone. Visually impaired persons can also play games by voice command. Moreover, facial and voice recognition features make the gaming experience more manageable, convenient, and engaging. 4. Enhanced Multiplayer Games The multiplayer option enables one to play a video game like a team or one on one simultaneously from different places by multiple users. Voice recognition allows each player to interact with each other and decide the game plan to win. In the arcade version of PacMan, one player can up when the other dies. In console-based games like wrestling and racing, two or more players can compete with each other worldwide simultaneously. Overall, an enhanced multiplayer game brings a new world to players globally, made possible only by the latest computer science and technology. 5. Cloud-Based and On-Demand Games Cloud gaming is one type of online game the developer provides from a remote server to access users, like on-demand video streaming. You don’t have to download it on your local computer or device. Just subscribe to the service, and you can play on your system. Moreover, you don’t have to install any supporting hardware on your PC, saving you money. Previously, you had to wait for the release of a new game on the market, and you should have purchased the disc or cassette for that. You had to pay differently for each game. But now the situation has changed. Like when any film or web series releases, you can instantly avail it from your subscription, and cloud games follow the same process. The first cloud game was launched by the G-Cluster company in 2003. After that, throughout this journey, many renowned brands, including Microsoft, Intel, Apple, and Amazon, have contributed to this field. Finally, in September 2020, Amazon released its cloud game “Luna” in the market. Some popular cloud games of recent times are Marvel’s Guardian of the Galaxy, Control, Kingdom Hearts, and Hitman 3. The revolution in Cloud-based and on-demand games has made it possible only through new technology and advanced computer science. 6. Mobile Games The mobile game has become a crazy pastime for new generations. Youngsters can not spend a single day without their smartphones now due to the habit of playing video games. Some of the most popular video games, like PUBG, Pokemon GO, Call of Duty, Battlegrounds Mobile India, Free Fire Max, etc., are played on mobile devices. Mobile gaming has its crucial advantage: you can carry your device anywhere and start playing there. You can play games on the go by train, at break time in your office, in your leisure time at home with your friends and stay anywhere in the world with your smartphone. Mobile gaming technology has also improved remarkably in the last few years, keeping in step with our new generations. The game developer stressed this field to attract and engage more people on board. This has also become possible for enhanced computer science and technology. 7. Gesture Control Gaming One of the latest additions to the game industry is gesture-control gaming. It enables users to control the game without pressing any button. Suppose you are playing a tennis game, and you want to take shots on the right side. Just show your finger to the right side, and it will do. This feature made the gaming experience more engaging, semi-realistic, active, and emerging. In gesture-control gaming, the system just captures your gesture and takes action according to that. Wii Sports is an excellent example of this type of gaming where you can realistically play various sports games like cricket, tennis, football, etc. PlayStation-4 (PS4) of Sony has both gesture control and voice recognition facilities with the help of the PS4 camera. Again, thanks to computer science, which made it possible with the help of 3D cameras. So, we can see how computer science has impacted games. 8. The Evolution of Entertainment and its Ties to Computer Science In the late 1800s, the first electronic game was introduced with the help of a vacuum tube. In the 1940s through 1950s, scientists tried to create a computer to understand human language. After a few years, physical activity simulation games come to the market. Reality simulation in video games comes by implementing computer graphics and making it popular in the next two decades. In the early twentieth century, some more developments happened in the game industry through the advancement of computer science. At that time, this had become a field of study, and researchers concentrated on implementing new things, subjects, designs, representations, and perspectives in video gaming. The video gaming industry started flourishing and expanding gradually as the demand grew. In the last two decades, computer science has dedicated its technology in full strength to the game development process to improve the ultimate gaming experience. 9. Computer Science and Game Design Designing is a crucial part of game development, which is only possible with the help of computer science. Game designers use specific tools like 3D modeling, level designing, etc., to elaborate on the minute details of video games. They draft the whole concepts, storyline, plots, movement phases, and overall game plan of a particular game. The developers make the game live through the required coding and programming inputs. However, game designers craft the whole planning and designing of a game. They explore the concept in multifold facets with their artistic and advanced computer programming skills. Game designers must be creative and fascinating to give the game project a new level for their target audience and users. The most popular game designing tools are Quest, Articy Draft, Construct 3, Game Maker, Stencil, Twine, Google Drive, etc. You can learn fundamental game design knowledge from the famous book, “Art of Game Design: A Book of Lenses.” 10. Computer Science and Game Programming Programming is a crucial part of video game development, only performed by a computer programmer or engineer. Therefore, computer science and game programming have a very close and inexorable relationship. First, the game artist and designer visualizes and pens down the whole concept of a game. Then, they make the site maps, plots, and backgrounds. Afterward, they put the characters and every minute detail and make a flowchart of movements, different levels, and criticality of a game. Finally, it is the responsibility of the game programmer to make it live. A game programmer should have skills in computer programming and software engineering and require specialization in advanced network programming, simulation, virtual reality, audio programming and input, physics, and Artificial intelligence (AI). For some multiplayer games, Database programming knowledge is also required. During the game programming phase, the programmer must communicate the idea with the artist and designer. The programmer’s role includes bug fixing of existing systems and features, implementing a new feature, ensuring proper execution of the overall project, and finally, the maintenance part. To learn more about computer game technology, refer to “The International Journal of Computer Games Technology (IJCGT).” 11. Computer Science and Game Development The game development process includes drafting the concept, designing, programming, testing, and publishing. While developing a game, it is challenging to know whether it will work properly. So, before realizing a game, it is generally tested by the game tester, who makes a prototype to see the overall performance. If it functions accurately as per the expectation, it is published. The act of creating video games is generally done in a game studio. The game designer first creates the whole concept and includes the design and assets of a game. The programmer builds the rest of things with the help of computer programming language, coding, and advanced networking. Therefore, you can say that the development process of a game is teamwork. Only a successful game is produced when everyone performs their part accurately per the workflow. If you want to develop a game quickly at home without coding, you can do it with the help of game engines like Unreal Engine or CryEngine. With these two game engines, you can add sound, 3D graphics, scripting, Physics, and collision detection features to your game. Modern game development is a complex, lengthy, and systematic process that is only possible with the help of advanced computer science. Future Possibilities Computer science has introduced many new things in gaming, like augmented reality, virtual reality, artificial intelligence, advanced graphics, and three-dimensional environments. Yet, we expect more advancement in video games with more features. There are unlimited future possibilities in computer science and, similarly, in the gaming industry. More advanced computer science means more developed games. It can add more options and possibilities for users and game lovers. In the coming days, we can see the magic of computer science and technologies in the video game world. Computer Science Degree and Gaming Industry A computer science degree is a better option for those who want to make their career in the gaming industry. The curriculum teaches you computer software, hardware and networking, coding, and programming languages like C, C++, JAVA, .NET, Python, HTML5, Swift, JavaScript, etc., Graphic designing, and network architecture. This knowledge is enormously helpful in video game development and design careers. There are no mandatory rules in the gaming industry that say you should only have a degree in computer science; any bachelor’s degree will do. But, for a computer science graduate, this field is more appropriate to grab the root and explore. The game development industry has specific posts like Artist, Designer, Programmer, tester, Publisher, and Game Producer. As per your field of interest, you can choose your preferred role. Computer science graduates are highly demanding as video game designers and software engineers. Therefore, you can select any of these academic courses to jump into a gaming career. Estimated Salary:
Video gaming is a fast-growing industry at this time, and computer science is the background hero of this demanding field. Unquestionably, the development of both sectors complements each other. As I have noted and illustrated throughout the article, the answer to the question is clear: how has computer science impacted games? The gaming industry's way of thinking has changed because of the changes in computer science and technology. It has turned around the whole idea of game development. Today, you can not even think about making a game without the help of the latest computer technology. Artificial intelligence, called AI, is also taking a significant role in gaming, just like any other industry. In the next few years, there are so many wonders to come in the video game industry with the help of this giant artisan named AI. On the whole, computer science is like a blessing to game lovers worldwide. As much as we can bring enhanced technology to computer science, we will get more entertaining, enjoyable, exciting, and immersing games in the future. Happy playing! NOTE: This article was published in 'Icy Canada' website. Read the original article here.
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AuthorMy name is Anjan Bandyopadhyay. I am from Durgapur, West Bengal, India. Writing is my passion. I am a poet, writer and blogger. Poetry is my favorite area, but I love to write articles and blogs in various niche. ArchivesCategories |