2000s to Present

Here we are in the 21^st century, the future, and games have exceeded our expectations. The 2000s saw the release of the 7^th and now 8^th gen consoles, with revolutionary platforms like the Nintendo wii, xbox 360 and ps3.

The 2000s saw the huge success of ‘blockbuster’ games, big, loud, high budget game franchises like Halo or Call of Duty, and the market was dominated by large companies, EA, Blizzard, Epic Games and Bethesda to name a few. There seemed to be no market for smaller budget indie games any more, and ‘casual gaming’ became more difficult to pursue.

The quality of 3D graphics in games has taken a huge jump from the 90s. In 98 Unreal engine 1 came out, compare the screenshot from Unreal tournament to the remake of the train station from Half Life 2 in Unreal Engine 4.

Indie games have become a significant part of what makes up the games industry nowadays. Many interesting and experimental titles have been released, being created by a team of maybe 3 or 4. Some really cool ones I have played recently are Braid, Hotline Miami and FTL. Indie games are a real breath of fresh air from the somewhat stale titles being churned out from larger companies. The indie game market feels very distant from the mainstream games industry. The larger companies seem to make games of typical and recycled formats, while indie game companies are making games for themselves.

(FTL, a game that allows you to manage your own space ship and explore uncharted regions of space.)

Smart phones have really influenced the games industry, and now most people considered ‘casual gamers’ can play a plethora of puzzle and arcade style games on their phones.I think mobile gaming has become such a huge phenomenon because it is so accessible to the players AND the developers.

Mobile versions of larger franchises exist, and in a way, phones have started to take the place of more specialised portable gaming devices like the PSP and Nintendo DS. Being able to jump into a simple and addictive game at the push of a button on the train home seems to be more attractive in today’s society than lugging a separate gaming device with you.

(the Game-Boy advance is now bigger than some smart phones, but it's clunky and classic design holds some of it's charm.)

The games industry has changed rapidly, and has shifted from a slow moving niche industry to one that’s presence is felt worldwide. There are so many directions the industry could travel in, with exciting new technology being funded like the Oculus rift, and with cloud gaming having becoming a reality in recent years, the sky really is the limit.