🚀 go-pugleaf

John Alme (al...@mail.utexas.edu) wrote:

[Snip]

: The Questions:
: --------------

: 1. What was your first experience in computer gaming?

My first experience in computer gaming was playing on a
Commodore 64 (not my own).  I can't quite remember the
game, but it was a simple shoot 'em up one.  The first
game I remember playing on the C-64 (perhaps my first period)
was a pac-man like game called "Space Pirates" or something
similar.  It was a display system at a local department
store and so I helped myself and played a bunch of games.


: Also, what type(s) of game(s) do you play today? On what
: system(s)?

While I do like all types of games, 3D First Person
Perspective Shoot 'em Ups (like Doom, Duke Nukem 3D, etc...)
tend to be my games of choice.  Those are played on
Intel platforms.  The specific system I am currently
playing on is a P-100, 16 megs of RAM, VGA of course :)
I especially like the deathmatch games, and I play
duke nukem 3D deathmatch quite often.  It adds in a
much greater enjoyment of the game, far more than playing
against the computer.  


: 2. Have you ever upgraded your system just to play a 
: computer game (or in preparation for future games)?

No.  I don't consider gaming to be a primary concern,
even though I enjoy it.  I doubt I will ever upgrade my
system for a game.


: 3. Do you personally feel that the gaming industry has
: influenced the computer industry in general? For instance,
: consider sound cards. If not for computer games, do you
: feel that they'd be a standard part of any system today?

That's a good question.  While I often used to think that
the gaming industry didn't influence the hardware industry
(maybe it's the "non-necessary" nature of games), when you
come to mention it, it does seem like the games industry
has influenced the computer industry in general.  Now as
for other aspects of the computer industry, yes I think
games have influenced it.  Games are big business, and
there are even libraries dedicated to games programming so
it has influenced it.  As for extra add ons to computer
systems like sound cards, I think that they became standard
because of the multi-media hype rather than games.  Games
may have added an extra incentive, but I think it was
multi-media that pushed it over the edge.


: 4. What do you see in the future for computer games? How
: far off is "true" virtual reality?

Well games seem to be staying in the realm of the 3D 1PP games
(Duke Nukem 3D, Doom, etc...), and progress seems to be in
improving the engine for such games so that they look better,
and offer more options.  For the future, I see this trend
continuing and balooning if you will.  These games offer a lot
of potential, and games can continue to feed off of this genre
since so much can be added into the engine--what you end up with
is your own little world in which you are immersed.  As for
"True" virtual reality, I'm not quite sure what you mean by that.
I know what virtual reality is, and while it is possible to achieve
that in a game, it is still expensive (perhaps prohibitively so),
so the factor that controls virtual reality in my opinion will be
price, which will be overcome I am sure.  This is too lucrative
a thing not to exploit.

So in short I see games continuing to come out in the genre of
Duke Nukem 3D, but with more and more enhancements, with
virtual reality being a great (maybe the ultimate) addition
to this system, since the game play itself is quite conducive to
virtual reality (you are in a virtual world).


: 5. Any and all additional comments concerning computer
: games are greatly appreciated.

Well, let's see a trend that I see or at least think I see is
in the rise of shareware.  I remember a time when shareware
games were inferior commercial games in every respect.  While
commercial folks were coming out with pretty cool games and
adaptations of arcade games, shareware games often stuck
with text mode games, or simple animated affairs, the kind of
things that would be found on an atari 2600.  Now that has changed.
It seems that shareware is a dominant force, possibly because of
the new system that's being employed (in addition to powerful
shareware market forces).  Now instead of the old shareware
motto of "Use it, if you enjoy then pay for it", it's like
"Have it.  IF you like it, there's more, but you'll have to pay".
This of course influences people to buy, whereas the former
didn't influence people at all.  And the increase in the
quality of shareware games naturally helped things along in
a big way.  I still remember Apogee when they released
simple games like "Arctic Adventure", that were substandard
when compared with what was coming out at the time in the
commercial realm.  Now look at Duke Nukem 3D.  Possibly the
hottest game around, and released by the same company!

The whole idea of being able to play a game demo before buying
I think is having a big force on the industry.  I mean you no
longer look at a box and buy a game and see if you lucked out.
No, now you try the game and if you like it, then cool, if not
then you lost nothing.  Companies now must provide quality games
and I see commercial companies providing online demos.  Of course
internet access only furthers this along since the market grows
and it becomes more profitable to do so, and of course now
games can be played vs. other players with modems, so in a way
modems have contributed greatly to gaming.

As an example look back to say the early 80s, and see what the
hottest game companies were.  Look now and see what the hottest
game companies are.

I know in the mid to late 80s, people like Electronic Arts and
Sierra were big.  Now names like Apogee and ID attract the
same kind of awe.


: Again, I greatly appreciate your time. Thank you.

: *** Please, respond ONLY through e-mail. Thank you.***

Glad I could be of service.  If you need any more info just
holler.  I don't mind being part of a survey :)


: (again) Thanks,
: John Alme
: al...@mail.utexas.edu

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