Computer Games Today

It is without a doubt that most youngsters today, notably the boys and even adult men, are hooked to computer games. Whether played online or on a video game console, they spend several hours each day playing their favorite action filled games. With the advancement in technology, these computer games have indeed gone a long way from just being simple graphics and gameplay in their early years.

The trend

Nowadays, the online multiplayer games, or specifically called multiplayer online function playing game (MMORPG), are the most popular around the world. While the older PC games were played by only a single individual, the latest types of games allow a big number of players to play together regardless of their location. With no geographical limitations, these games have really attracted millions of online gaming addicts, both young and old. A major factor in the growing popularity of these online games is the increasing adoption of broadband internet connection by consumers.

So far, among the most important video games of all time are the Spacewar (1962), Star Raiders (1979), Zork (1980), Tetris (1985), SimCity (1989), Super Mario Bros. 3 (1990), Civilization I/II (1991), Doom (1993), Warcraft series (1994) and Sensible World of Soccer (1994). This is according to an American committee of five members headed by Henry Lowood, curator of the History of Science and Technology collections at Stanford University. Lowood and his four members presented their list at the annual Game Developers Conference in San Francisco.

The most popular games

The computer games market worldwide is valued at more than $30 billion. However, with the stiff competition posed by gaming consoles such as the Playstation 3, the Xbox and Nintendo Wii, costs in developing newer PC games are going up. By 2009, worldwide sales of software for these advanced consoles are expected to reach $13.9 billion.

Below are some of the most widely played computer games that have gained their own set of regular players despite the addition of newer versions. 

Counterstrike (CS)

This game, developed as a Half-Life modification, remains a very popular first-person shooter type which has been expanded into a series. As of February 2007, GameSpy says Counterstrike is the most played Half-Life mod. Originally named Half-Life: Counter-Strike, this game now boasts of an online version. However, as of February 2008, the online version is available only in South Korea in open beta test.

Grand Theft Auto (GTA)

Microsoft’s GTA IV is on top of the list of most played Xbox Live titles. The director of product management for Xbox 360 and Xbox Live, Aaron Greenberg, says the unique feature of this game is its mass appeal which will surely exceed the success of XBL’s Call of Duty 4 and Halo 3. He firmly believes GTA IV will be a best selling game this 2008 despite the fact that players in this game are not first-shooters.

Microsoft has also revealed that the Xbox 360 version of GTA IV is outselling the PS3 version in the U.S. and U.K. by a two-to-one margin. On its first day launch, sales of the Xbox 360 version of this game in the U.K. were 335,000 as against the 274,000 of the PS3 version based on Chart Track’s figures. A Microsoft official said approximately one million GTA IV users went online with the game on Xbox live on its first day alone. Additionally, two million achievements were recorded in the first day of the game’s release while 1.5 million cross-game invites took place.

World of Warcraft

This is the most popular massive multi player online role playing game launched by Blizzard Entertainment in 2004. Exceeding nine million users during its summer launch, the World of Warcraft is, by far, the biggest virtual gaming world on the world wide web. Gaming enthusiasts usually pay a subscription to play this game after which they can pick various character races and types and then team up with other players to gain power, wealth and experience.

Call of Duty

Released in October 2003, Call of Duty is a first-person shooter video game which simulates the warfare of the second world war. The war here is based on the perspective of American, British and Soviet soldiers. It has become a popular game and has, in fact, led to several sequels. The latest version is the Call of Duty 5 released in December 2007. Today, there are six multiplayer game modes that include Behind Enemy Lines, Team Deathmatch, Retrieval, Search and Destroy and Headquarters.

Call of Duty was dubbed game of the year in 2004 by the Academy of Interactive Arts & Sciences. It was also named computer game of the year and computer first person action game of the year. 

Halo 3

Microsoft developed this game and released it in September 2007 with good reception from gaming fans. In its first week of release in the market, the Halo 3 video game available only on the Xbox 360 game console earned sales of $300 million. Prior to its release, sales had already reached $1 million.

The future

An issue concerning computer games today pertains to the lesser roles by women or the absence of women. After the popularity of Lara Croft in the Tomb Raider, females have been put to the backseat playing only secondary or support roles to the male action characters. But with an increased awareness on this  issue, many women are pushing for the development of computer games with principal female role models to benefit the women segment of society.

There’s no stopping the popularity of these computer games. There may be new ones that will pop up in the near future but for sure, the most played ones will always keep its followers. Game developers from around the world won’t definitely run out of ideas to keep young gamers glued to their computers while playing their favorite games.

The U.S. is no longer the only resource for these inventive minds but other thriving countries and even those in the developing world notably in Asia. The United Kingdom, for instance, has become Europe’s largest games software market and the world’s third largest. The games software market in U.K. is worth $1.68 billion and is even bigger than France and Germany combined.

The market for MMORPGs, notably those subscription-based, is forecast to reach more than $1.5 billion by the year 2011. Screen Digest says apart from the World of Warcraft, other games expected to generate money for entrepreneurs are the Runescape, Legend of Mir and Eve.

In terms of developing games, the U.K. is the third largest in the world after the U.S. and Japan. Among the popular games developed in the U.K. include the Grand Theft Auto (GTA) series, The Getaway, Who Wants to be a Millionaire and Harry Potter.

London, in particular, is home to some of the world’s best games companies. The computer games industry there has some 60,500 workforce mostly in the central and western part of the city. About 6,000 people work in the games development segment in the U.K.