Anxiously Awaiting

I like video games. Ever since I nagged my Dad to death for that $80 Chrono Trigger cart I was destined to be a gamer. Video games are glorified in our society, and somewhat in the Computer Science field. Everywhere I turned in my undergraduate classes there was always that kid who wanted to be a game developer. That courageous geek may or may not have any idea of sweatshop like mentality of large game houses, but that ultimately didn’t matter. The allure of designing the next big blockbuster MMO, RPG, or FPS has so much gravity that it often clouds one’s ability to make rational judgements.

Over the years the gaming industry has become a core part of American culture. Whether your a Warcrack addict, a wannabe rockstar, or you love fragging your friends in Quake, gaming culture leaves no mind uncaptivated. Advances in technology have honed our ability to generate realistic 3D models and enhance our gaming experience. The advent of the internet, and then the application of social networking to games has created a subculture that is permanant and possibly more interconnected than “IRL” social networks.

Inside the game culture there appears to be an interesting rift. When among avid gamers, you may even find yourself asked the question: “Which are you?” Your friend is of course referring to the current division of gaming into console gamers and PC gamers. I would like to explore the charateristics of each type of gaming, and possibly come up with an answer to the controversial question: “Which is better?”

So, let us begin by outlining the three characteristics common to both worlds.

1. Hardware: Every game has to run on a platform. Here I will be exploring concepts like ease of development, capabilities, cost to power ratios, and other interesting metrics.

2. Experience: Quite possibly the most important part of a game is the experience. Here I will talk about the advantages and disadvantages of mice versus controllers, interaction techniques, and limitations set on each system.

3. Social Factors: The social implications of both systems are significant. There have been several research studies on the effects of social networks in gaming. I’ll explore the pros and cons of both systems given these parameters.

Those three should be enough for us to crown our winner of the gaming arena. Stay tuned!