Analogue vs Digital: Bridging the Divide
For this essay, I chose the topic of the digital divide. Specifically, I wanted to explore a part of the digital divide which I find hugely interesting; the one between gamers and non-gamers and the potential to bridge that divide. Gaming is an incredibly immersive medium with tremendous scope for growth. However, the games industry is limited by its own divide, which is between digital and physical.
Video games can be one of the great unifiers of New Media. The multitude of genres and experiences available unites players of all ages, creeds and colours. It becomes more expansive as the medium advances with each passing year. Games have grown exponentially in both scope and complexity since their inception, with far more progress in developing the medium compared to a similar period in other mediums such as the movie industry.
The modern video game industry could not exist without both the influence of globalisation and capitalism. While there was a high degree of regionality to the production of video games in its early years, since the introduction of high-speed internet, this has shifted considerably. Many major games companies have development studios located all over the world. The more prominent ‘big name’ studios are located in the hot spots of Europe, Japan, and the USA. Still, as shown by the (initial and ongoing) delay of many games due to Covid-19, as in the animation industry, there is a large percentage of outsourcing done to Asian markets.
Gaming is still considered a niche entertainment form within the general public consciousness, often being relegated to the realm of geeks, trolls and incels. In reality, vast sums of money are generated by the big players in the industry, and in 2019 the games industry exceeded that of the movie industry revenue for the first time. Rockstar Games’ Grand Theft Auto V is one of the most profitable pieces of media ever created. It has generated six billion dollars in revenue since its release in 2013. Some of this bad rep is understandable. From its outset, gaming was initially marketed as a toy. Given its rise through the ‘extreme’ advertising style of the ’90s, it saw it aimed mainly at boys. Furthermore, of course, to many, gaming is synonymous with the gamergate scandal and hate speech in general.
As people adjust to this new way of living imposed by Covid-19, a section of the population will have a much less hard time adjusting; Gamers. Gamers like myself are in the position to venture past the confines of our living space, to immerse ourselves in strange and distant worlds. To dive deeper into history. To completely immerse ourselves into a character of any gender or species, and as technology advances, to maintain authentic social relationships with both other online players,
but also richly realised, entirely fictional, characters we may spend dozens of hours getting to know.
Games are unique compared to other forms of media in that they actively push back against the user. While most have specific formulas to solve to progress, the player is given agency to figure out how to do so. This all leads to modern gaming being an incredibly immersive experience, but one that comes with a bit of baggage and a steep learning curve for the uninitiated.
As can be seen, by the necessity of restricting download speeds worldwide during the Covid-19 crisis, the medium is becoming ever more popular. Why so is there not a more accelerated trajectory towards the mainstream for games? The main barrier to entry for new players is, in my opinion, its own kind of digital divide despite its mostly analogue component: the controller/UI.
Modern video game controllers have come a long, long way since Nintendo invented the D-Pad in the 1980s. As the complexity of gaming has evolved, so have the input methods needed to play them. From those initial six-button NES controllers, we now have 12 button beasts with dual control sticks for camera and player movement. Pressure sensitivity, vibration/haptic feedback, touch sensitivity and more functionality and button combinations added as time goes on. For someone who did not grow up alongside gaming, the mental logistics needed to control an on-screen character in a sophisticated 3D space can be too much to grasp. This gap in digital literacy can be crossed with some education, perhaps in line with what was put forth in the ECDL’s computing and digital literacy guide (ECDL Foundation, 2015). In reality, for most, this is unfeasible. However, as children can see, these concepts are easy to grasp when introduced early, especially with touch-focused devices such as smartphones or even the Nintendo 3DS and Switch.
My first gaming console was a Sega Megadrive, which I received for Christmas in 1993 when I was eight years old. Knowing I would need help initially, my mother played at night by herself in the weeks leading up to that Christmas so she could do so. She kept this interest somewhat and took a liking to Crash Bandicoot for Sony’s first Playstation in 1999. Beyond this, however, she transitioned into mostly phone games due to one thing; dual-stick control of movement in 3D space. Being responsible for both character and camera movement was too much for her, and I understood. There is a huge learning curve to gaming, which many people cannot or will not surmount.
We are, however, at the beginning of a new revolution in gaming that, given enough time, will likely assail the mainstream in a way many would never have expected. I am, of course, talking about Virtual Reality.
It is unfortunate, but without actually trying VR personally, there is no accurate way to describe it to someone who has not. Some smartphones can make a somewhat passable interpretation through things like Google Cardboard. However, it is the mainstream adoption of dedicated VR devices such as the HTC Vive, Playstation VR, and Oculus Rift that will be truly revolutionary for attracting a new audience to gaming. While the market for VR remains niche compared to the games market as a whole, Sony has by far the most penetration with over one million PSVR units sold.
The level of immersion provided by current-gen VR tech is already quite astounding. At the same time, it is still the equivalent of Sony’s first Playstation in terms of potential graphical growth for the platform. PSVR can still provide a deeply engaging experience (once the ‘VR sea legs’ are acquired) even while utilising outdated tech. The other benefit to the VR space is that it removes the necessity of requiring the user to control the viewpoint in tandem with the gameplay. The user sees everything in the game world with their own eyes, utilising the players’ head for second stick/camera input.
With a new generation of consoles imminent, the future of gaming has never looked brighter. Updated graphical power and the implementation of SSDs will eliminate load times and offer developers unprecedented freedom in approaching the design of their games. As for advances in the VR space, we need to look at what is currently done with PC hardware. HTC and Valve have made great strides in pushing the medium forward. With room-scale, wireless headsets now a reality, as is individual finger tracking.
The caveat is, of course, that as well as the sizable investment of the VR equipment itself, it also requires a similarly expensive rig to glean the most benefit from it. As evidenced by the lifecycle of video gaming is that technology does not slow down. So realistically, these kinds of high-end features will reach a mass consumer level within five years. Suppose the same thought is afforded towards how gamers can engage with these experiences. In that case, the growth in the audience has the potential to completely overhaul how games are viewed as an art form and as a medium and completely eclipse the cultural impact of the Nintendo Wii.