Past: Playing for the first time online
In 2001, Microsoft entered the console market with the first Xbox. A year later, the group known for the Windows operating system should intervene even more deeply in the history of video games, because the Xbox Live service was launched. In addition, even today, Xbox players can still play online with other Xbox owners. The other platforms are also quickly catching up so that many games are already being played online in the early years of the new millennium.
But not only do consoles dominate the video games market, but PCs are also experiencing a gaming boom. The most elevated and at the same time most hotly discussed games at the time were in the fighting game scene, for example, Tekken 4 or Super Smash Bros. These games in their various versions are still one of the most popular multiplayer games.
Their graphics were really impressive – especially compared to the years before. Another important innovation of the 2000s: Computer-controlled opponents are becoming more intelligent and suddenly don’t behave completely identically every time, but react to your actions in the game with a certain variety. This makes the single-player games much more exciting and unpredictable.
Present: Mobile gaming, virtual reality, and professional e-sports
Of course, the development of the games also adapted to the new possibilities on the market. With smartphones becoming more and more powerful, it was only a matter of time before the first really good games would appear in the stores. Mobile gaming has become indispensable since games like “Streetfighet” or “Bralhalla” also appeared there. Even complex games like “Fortnite” can now be played on smartphones and tablets – together with players from other platforms such as PC, Playstation 4, or Xbox One.
The departure into new worlds also began in this decade. We are of course talking about Virtual Reality (VR). Whether Oculus Rift, HTC Vive, or Playstation VR: In 2016, several virtual reality glasses came onto the market, which enables you to enter virtual worlds. Do you know, for example, Gorn or Blade of sorcery? With these games, you no longer sit in front of the screen but immerse yourself completely in the VR game world. These immersive experiences are among the more recent milestones in video game history, but definitely one of the most impressive, right?
The development that e-sports has undergone is almost as impressive. About 20 years later, there is hardly anything left of the delicate beginnings at the turn of the millennium. E-sports has now become its own branch within the video game industry. Professional e-sports teams such as mousesports and the e-sports wolves of VfL Wolfsburg hold the final rounds of their tournaments in sold-out arenas. Games such as “League of Legends”, “Fortnite”, “Streetfighter”, “Call of Duty” or “Super Smash Bros” not only captivate pro gamers and recreational gamers alike but also load them with live Streaming platforms like Twitch which also regularly attract hundreds of thousands of fans to watch.
Future: Games will get to a new level
So, from the early days of video games to the present day of video games, there have been a lot of pixels and polygons flickering across screens. Each decade has played a very special role in the history of video games and left its own mark on history. As the next big milestone, of course, the graphics and the reality will be cranked up. But also new systems of gaming will arise with the creation of new technologies. For example, the at the moment really popular skin model could be stepped up and elevated to a new special level with the use of an NFT method like the Psyker NFT game, which would lead to real owning of rare skins that can’t be faked and thus real customization.
