Technologies-Hardware

• AI
• Higher Education (non-degree)

Technologies-Hardware

Unit 8 Computer Games Development 

Before submitting P1, ensure there is an introduction and conclusion to your work linking back to P1 

P1: Explain social and technological trends of computer games  

Upload your work via Turnitin

Before Submitting P1: 

A2 Technologies used in computer gaming 

A2 Learning Outcome 

Assessment Criteria

Criteria	To Achieve these criteria you must show you are able to
P2	Explain how current and emerging technologies impact computer games’ design and development.
M1	Discuss how current and emerging technologies impact on how games are designed and developed to meet the requirements of the users and the larger computer games industry.
D1	Evaluate the impact of current and emerging technologies on the design and development of computer games to meet the requirements of the users and the computer games industry.

Task 

Working with a partner complete the table below to identify the requirements of users and the gaming industry.

Users 

Larger Gaming Industry 

If a new game is to be designed, developed and distributed, what do users and the larger gaming industry require from this game.

User Requirements 

Engaging Gameplay: Users look for games that are interesting and fun to play, with captivating storylines and challenging levels.

Realistic Graphics: High-quality visuals and immersive environments enhance the gaming experience.

Smooth Performance: Games should run smoothly without lags or crashes, providing a seamless experience.

Accessibility: Easy-to-use controls and interfaces, with options for different skill levels.

Replayability: Features that encourage users to play the game multiple times, such as multiple endings, achievements, and unlockables.

Social Interaction: Multiplayer options and social features that allow users to interact and play with friends.

Fair Pricing: Games should offer good value for money, with clear pricing models and minimal in-game purchases.

Industry Requirements 

Innovation: Development of unique and creative game concepts that stand out in the market.

Revenue Generation: Effective monetization strategies, including game sales, in-game purchases, and advertisements.

Market Trends: Keeping up with the latest trends in technology and user preferences to stay competitive.

Scalability: Games should be designed to handle increasing numbers of users and potential expansions.

Cross-Platform Compatibility: Ensuring games are available on multiple platforms (PC, consoles, mobile) to reach a wider audience.

Security: Protecting user data and preventing cheating or hacking.

Community Building: Engaging with the gaming community through events, updates, and active communication.

Platform Benefits and Limitations 

Task One 

Hardware 

Most gaming hardware is made of the same core components to allow digital information to be displayed on screen and interacted with by the player.

Games may be played on personal computers, laptops, gaming consoles attached to a TV on mobile phones, tablets or handheld gaming devices like the PSP or the Nintendo Switch.

Gaming platforms are built using powerful components to ensure that games run smoothly and with high quality graphics.

What does CPU stand for and what is it's use in a computer?

0

CPU

The central processing unit (CPU) is the brain of a computer, executing all instructions from programs. 

In games, the CPU handles system requirements, complex calculations, and processes. 

High-performance CPUs enable detailed environments, advanced AI, and smoother gameplay. 

Advances from companies like Intel and AMD offer higher speeds and more cores, allowing for more complex games.

Mobile CPUs focus on power efficiency to extend battery life while maintaining good gaming performance, using multiple cores to manage tasks efficiently. 

Console CPUs are standardized, allowing developers to optimize games for consistent performance and stability across all units of the same generation.

Fall Guys 

Hogwarts Legacy 

CPU Designing Games

When designing games for PC developers could be designing for a wide variety of machines, including custom built. 

Therefore, they need to set minimum and recommended requirements for their games

Designing games for consoles, you know the exact specs of the consoles you are developing the game for. 

Therefore you know what the machine is capable of running.

Graphics Processing Unit 

A graphics processing unit (GPU) works alongside the CPU and its sole responsibility is to manage the production of images on the display. 

The more complex the graphics, the more work for the GPU. 

When playing PC games, the GPU can be part of the main motherboard but is more commonly a separate card connected to the motherboard through an expansion slot. 

Most GPUs have their own separate random access memory (RAM) and PC games will often specify the minimum power of the GPU needed by a game to run. 

Consoles also have their own GPUs, as do mobile devices.

Motherboard – a circuit board within a PC that connects all the main components.

Graphics Processing Unit 

PCs: GPUs in PCs render high-quality graphics, manage complex textures, and handle large-scale visual effects. High-end GPUs support real-time ray tracing, advanced lighting, and shadows, making games look more realistic.

Mobile Devices: GPUs are integrated into system-on-chips (SoCs), balancing performance with power efficiency. They handle 3D graphics and support high-resolution displays, enabling visually rich games on portable devices. Mobile games are optimized for these GPUs, ensuring smooth performance and longer battery life.

Consoles: GPUs are custom-designed for maximum performance within hardware limits. This optimization ensures that games run smoothly and look great on each console. Standardized hardware across console generations allows developers to fully utilize the GPU’s capabilities, providing consistent, high-quality visuals for all players.

Motherboard – a circuit board within a PC that connects all the main components.

Memory 

Memory in gaming refers to the storage and retrieval of data needed for game operation. It includes both volatile memory (RAM) and non-volatile memory (ROM and storage).

RAM (Random-Access Memory) is critical for gaming performance

It serves as temporary storage for data that both the CPU and GPU need to assess quickly, enhancing overall speed and fluidity. Having more RAM facilitates smoother gameplay, faster loading times, and the ability to manage complex scenes and expansive game worlds effectively.

Memory 

Sufficient RAM supports multitasking capabilities, allowing players to concurrently run other applications such as streaming software or background downloads without compromising game performance.

Developers should optimize games to utilize available RAM efficiently. They should determine the minimum and recommended RAM requirements for their games, ensuring optimal performance across various devices.

Developers should carefully manage memory allocation for textures, assets, and game logic to prevent issues like memory leaks and crashes, thereby enhancing overall stability and user experience.

Memory 

ROM (Read-Only Memory) and Storage

Permanent Storage: ROM and storage (like SSDs and HDDs) hold the game’s permanent data, such as game files, assets, and user save data. Fast storage devices (like SSDs) reduce load times and improve the overall gaming experience.

Game Installation: Developers decide how to package game assets for efficient storage and quick access. They might use compression techniques to reduce file sizes and ensure that critical assets load quickly.

Updates and Patches: Efficient storage management is vital for handling game updates and patches. Developers must ensure that new content or fixes do not excessively increase the game’s storage requirements or impact performance

Storage

Storage solutions, such as hard drives and cloud storage, significantly impact gaming experiences and are pivotal considerations for developers during game development.

Impact on Gaming Experience:

Loading Times: The speed and type of storage directly affect game loading times. Faster storage solutions, like solid-state drives (SSDs), reduce loading screens and allow for quicker transitions between game levels or scenes. This enhances immersion and keeps players engaged without interruptions.

Game Performance: Storage performance can influence overall game performance, especially in open-world games or those with large, detailed environments. Quick access to game assets, textures, and data stored on the drive ensures smoother gameplay, fewer texture pop-ins, and seamless world exploration.

Storage

Storage Capacity: The amount of storage available affects the number of games and downloadable content (DLC) that players can store and access on their systems. Larger storage capacities enable players to maintain extensive game libraries without needing to delete or manage files frequently.

Cloud Storage and Accessibility: Cloud storage services provide additional benefits by allowing players to access their games and save files from multiple devices. This flexibility enables seamless gaming experiences across different platforms and devices, supporting features like cloud saves and cross-platform play.

Storage

Developers must make informed decisions regarding storage solutions throughout the game development process:

Optimizing for Different Storage Types: Developers optimize their games to perform well on various storage types, including traditional hard disk drives (HDDs) and SSDs. This involves balancing asset loading strategies, compression techniques, and data streaming methods to ensure optimal performance regardless of the storage medium used by players.

File Size Management: Managing the size of game installations and updates is crucial to accommodate storage limitations on players’ devices. Developers aim to minimize file sizes through efficient asset packaging, compression algorithms, and selective downloading options for game patches and updates.

Integration of Cloud Features: Integrating cloud storage features allows developers to offer additional services such as cloud saves, multiplayer synchronization, and remote game streaming. Developers must consider data security, user privacy, and service reliability when implementing these features to enhance player convenience and accessibility.

Future-proofing Storage Needs: Anticipating future advancements in storage technology, developers may plan for upcoming trends like faster SSD interfaces, increased storage capacities, or new cloud gaming platforms. This forward-thinking approach ensures that games remain compatible and performant as technology evolves.

Input and Player Experience

Input devices play a crucial role in gaming, influencing both player interaction and game development decisions

Precision and Control: Input devices like keyboards, mice, controllers, and touchscreens directly affect how players interact with games. For instance, a mouse offers precise aiming in first-person shooters, while a gamepad provides intuitive control in platformers and racing games. 

Immersion and Engagement: Certain input devices, such as motion controllers or virtual reality (VR) headsets, enhance immersion by allowing players to interact physically with the game environment.

Accessibility: Different input devices cater to different accessibility needs. Game developers often consider accessibility features when designing games, ensuring compatibility with a wide range of input devices and providing customizable control options. This inclusivity allows more players to enjoy games regardless of their physical abilities.

Recent developments in voice and kinetic controls have created new and innovative ways to control games that not only challenge designers to come up with new ways to input instructions into games, but also open gaming up to people with physical disabilities who may struggle to hold traditional gamepads.

Input and Player Experience

Developers must make several key decisions regarding input devices during the game development process:

Compatibility and Support: Developers must decide which input devices their game will support. This includes considering popular devices like keyboards, mice, gamepads, and VR controllers, as well as ensuring compatibility across various brands and models. Supporting a wide range of input devices increases accessibility and allows more players to enjoy the game using their preferred setup.

Control Mapping and Customization: Offering customizable control mappings allows players to adjust input configurations to suit their preferences. Developers may provide built-in presets for different input devices or allow players to create their own custom mappings. This flexibility enhances player comfort and usability, especially for games with complex control schemes.

Input and Player Experience

Integration of New Technologies: As new input technologies emerge (e.g., motion sensors, eye-tracking devices), developers may choose to integrate these features into their games to provide unique gameplay experiences. Integrating new technologies requires careful consideration of how they enhance gameplay mechanics and whether they align with the game’s design and target audience.

Testing and Optimization: Developers conduct thorough testing to ensure that input devices work seamlessly with their games. This involves testing control responsiveness, mapping accuracy, and compatibility across different hardware configurations. Optimizing input device support helps prevent control issues and ensures a smooth gameplay experience for all players.

Input and Player Experience

Integration of New Technologies: As new input technologies emerge (e.g., motion sensors, eye-tracking devices), developers may choose to integrate these features into their games to provide unique gameplay experiences. Integrating new technologies requires careful consideration of how they enhance gameplay mechanics and whether they align with the game’s design and target audience.

Testing and Optimization: Developers conduct thorough testing to ensure that input devices work seamlessly with their games. This involves testing control responsiveness, mapping accuracy, and compatibility across different hardware configurations. Optimizing input device support helps prevent control issues and ensures a smooth gameplay experience for all players.

Output 

Visual Optimization:

Resolution Support: Developers optimize games for different resolutions (e.g., 1080p, 4K) to ensure visual fidelity and performance across various hardware configurations.

HDR: Supporting High Dynamic Range (HDR) enables richer colors and contrast, enhancing visual quality in games across all platforms.

Frame Rate: Balancing graphical fidelity with frame rate targets (e.g., 60fps or higher) ensures smooth gameplay experiences on all supported displays.

Audio Enhancement:

Spatial Audio: Implementing spatial audio technologies enhances immersion and gameplay dynamics by providing accurate sound positioning and depth.

Compatibility: Supporting various audio setups (e.g., stereo, surround sound) ensures that players can enjoy optimal audio experiences on their preferred devices.

Output 

Cross-Platform Considerations:

Adaptability: Developers optimize games for different platforms and screen sizes, ensuring consistent visual and audio experiences across PCs, consoles, and phones.

User Preferences: Providing options for adjusting visual and audio settings (e.g., brightness, audio levels) allows players to tailor their gaming experiences based on personal preferences and device capabilities.

Connectivity 

As we move into a time where society is always online, gaming devices are required to stay connected to the internet as much as possible.

This allows operating systems to perform fixes and updates and for games to download patches to deal with bugs and exploits.

PCs and consoles maintain their connections through local area networks (LAN) or wireless connections, while mobile devices can also enjoy wireless through mobile data network connections.

Developers may want to design games that incorporate connectivity, this can lead to new types of games.

New Technologies 

One of the things that makes the computer games industry so exciting is the rapid pace of development and new ideas that change our game playing experiences. New ideas are driven by improvements and innovations in the hardware and software that we use to play games.

Examples of new technologies were discussed last week

Virtual Reality

Augmented reality and wearable technology

Digital Distribution

Streaming

Cloud based gaming

Homework 

You MUST ensure you are relating your answers back to the question you are being asked!