What are video games?
A video game is an electronic game that involves human interaction through a user interface.
The term ‘video game’ comes from a time when the first electronic games were displayed on televisions. Now, the term ‘video game’ is a broad term that encompasses electronic and digital games played on a range of devices. The range of devices used to play video games are often called platforms. Current popular platforms include personal computers (PCs) and video game consoles such as the PlayStation 3, Xbox 360, Nintendo Wii, PC, PSP and Nintendo DS. Specialised video game machines, called arcade machines are large machines that are designed to play just one designated game and were popular from 1970s to the mid-1990s but were vastly replaced by home consoles. User interfaces for video games usually consist of a game controller containing buttons to press and a joystick of some kind to allow for directional input. New technologies, however are allowing for new ways to interact with video games, such as motion capturing cameras that can detect movement of the player and sensors in game controllers that detect movement and tilt as input. |
User Interface The component of a video game which allows for the interaction between humans and machines Platform The machine used to play the game Arcade machine A large freestanding machines which generally only play one game and often require money to play. Input Any information given the video game is called input. |
video game mechanics
Game mechanics are the building blocks that can be applied and combined to create a video game experience. On a basic level, game mechanics are the rules that designers put in a game to determine what a user can or cannot do. These game mechanics define how the user will be able to interact with the game and the type of game they are playing.
Video games as new media
New media refers to digital media that has a component of interactivity. Video games are an example of this, allowing control by the user; this is in contrast to television or a traditional painting which only allows for the user to view it.