What Lies Ahead?

Think back to your earliest memories of playing video games. Unless you're still a youngster, chances are you remember playing the NES or SNES, maybe even ancient hardware like the Magnavox Odyssey or one of the original Atari systems. Games were simple back then, and the video game industry in it's infancy. It didn't take much to entertain players back in the 70s and 80s. Slap two white lines on either side of the television screen and have a small ball ricochet back and forth and you've got endless fun. Or even better make a yellow circle move through a maze "eating" smaller white dots, while dodging pink and red blobs. Perhaps to the amazement of some kids today, it was actually quite enjoyable.

But my how time's have changed! Now we have massively multiplayer online role playing games, first person shooters that can land you in any mission of WWI or WWII or take you to distant halos in the universe. It's not only the games, but the technology. Now we have thousands of polygons on a screen at once, physics and particle engines, orchestrated background music, realistic sound and lighting effects, and graphics so amazing that you can see bullets of sweat roll down your basketball player's face. It takes quite a lot of work to make a video game good enough to satisfy modern day players. As technology increases so do the demands of video gamers, but with today's near photo-realistic graphics and life-like motion control what lies ahead on the horizon that will entice the gamers of tomorrow and better yet, will video games even last until then?

As I foresee it, in the near future the video game industry is headed in one of two directions. Up or down. Simple conclusion eh? The up, is that games continue to get more engaging, more realistic, and simply, more fun. The down is that the industry becomes stagnant, developers and publishers alike keep churning out the same stuff over and over. Sequels upon sequels, games that are barely different from what we've already played hundreds of times, and a major lack of creativity and innovation. Eventually, people will get tired or the same old crap, and if nothing is done the industry will retract and video games will become a thing of the past.

Luckily for us there is a company out there that is determined to make sure that this doesn't happen. They are the front runners of innovation, the leaders in expanding the video game audience, and the martyrs of realistic immersion. I'm sure if you think hard enough you can guess who I am talking about. Yes Nintendo, creators of the console with the funny name and the handheld with two screens. I believe it is thanks to them, that the video game industry is not currently starting to slide downwards.

Just imagine if there was no Wii, just the GameCube 2, PS3, and Xbox360. Updated versions of the same old systems we already had, with updated games that we've already played. Do you really think that given these options that consumers who hadn't purchased a system during the last generation would purchase one of the new ones? Or how many more analog controlled, R-trigger firing, WWII FPS' could you take until they just got boring? There's only so much prettier graphics can do, it takes innovation and a deeper sense of immersion to keep people interested.

We've seen this theory meet great success with the Wii. With the Wii Remote and Nunchuk playing your favorite video games are now more realistic than ever, and with the upcoming Wii Balance Board, it's only going to get better, but Nintendo must realize that these things are not enough. They must continue innovating and continue to make games more fun to play, because eventually, motion control may get repetitive and boring. But then what will keep us interested?

It could be something that casual and hardcore players alike have imagined and dreamed about. Virtual reality. Before you call me crazy take a second to think about this. When you played The Legend of Zelda for the first time, did you ever imagine that some day you'd actually be able to swing your controller and Link would swing his sword? Or how about when you were amazed by the updated visuals from the NES to the SNES? Did you ever fathom that maybe someday every game would be in totally realistic 3D? With each new technological breakthrough and boundary broken we're getting one step closer to total video game immersion that could be possible with virtual reality, but that's only one possibility. Maybe in the future there will be an entire Wii Suit. Your guess is as good as mine.

Only one thing is for sure. We'll never get there if every new generation all we get is better graphics and faster processors. Could there be another video game crash ahead? That will depend on the innovation of the console manufacturers and on you, the consumer. Because the manufacturers, publishers, and developers alike are all trying to get your money and if you demand innovation, creativity, and immersion then there will be manufacturers, publishers, and developers who will listen and take action and video games will continue to get even better.

What lies ahead none of us may know, but as long as we don't sit by and accept a lack of innovation then the horizon looks pretty bright for the video game industry.