gaming

Ray tracing - Is Lara Croft tomorrow’s version of Pong?

The steps that computer gaming has taken visually in only 10 short years are nothing short of amazing, and in the next 10 years we will see games which make today’s high-resolution titles look like the original “Super Mario Bros.,” or perhaps even “Pong.” Chris Buecheler, Character: The Next Great Gaming Frontier?

Not content with burned-in lighting, developers have moved to ray-tracing technology, coupled with advanced texturing techniques like bump and normal mapping in order to simulate depth. Not satisfied with simple animation, complex shader code has been written to simulate the movement, reflection and refraction of light on various materials.

I think Chris’ article is right on the money. Literally.  When it comes to virtual worlds, especially B2B virtual trade shows (VTS), we are really just at the Pong stage.

Overheard: How the US Army uses video games

“Gaming visualization may also unlock the key to the elusive holy grail of military simulation: designs that are accurate and accessible enough to be used for mission-planning rehearsal. Most important is the ability to rapidly import geospecific terrain.” Michael Peck, U.S. Army embraces games — sort of

The US Army made tech news this week when it opened the Training and Doctrine Command’s (TRADOC) Project Office for Gaming. The Army got into the game business back in 2002, when it released America’s Army as a recruiting tool. The goal of TRADOC is to create an Army simulation tool kit that allows users to build and customize their own training scenarios without needing a third-party contractor to do it for them.

Overheard: It’s not your father’s joystick

“Though many popular games still employ a standard controller, the most popular games are using outlandish controlling devices that are so far-fetched, you’ll feel silly for trying, but won’t be able to put down.” Triston McIntyre, Guitar Hero, Wii and DDR usher in new era of gaming

I predict that Guitar Hero a PlayStation 2 game whose controller is a two-foot-long plastic guitar, will be the big buzzword this holiday shopping season. Guitar Hero III was released in late October and sold 1.4 million copies in the first six days. It’s kind of cool hearing Guns ‘n Roses around the house once more. The fun part about this game, though, is looking at all the ways people have modified their controllers.

I don’t know whose mod is in the photo…I came across it on an MTV blog, uncredited. If you know who this is, please let me know so I can credit source.

Overheard: uWink

”You’d think a man who was made a millionaire several times over by the Chuck E. Cheese pizza chain wouldn’t be judgmental.” Tor Thorsen, Atari founder: Modern games ‘unadulterated trash’

Tor writes: Nolan Bushnell, the founder and onetime head of said pizzeria/video game parlor franchise and the once-mighty publisher/console-maker Atari has issued a scathing statement about the current state of games….

Despite his blanket statement, Bushnell’s most recent venture has games at its very center. Some 31 years after he sold Atari to Warner Bros.–which went on to make billions on the 2600 home console–the serial entrepreneur has founded uWink, a restaurant where each dining table is equipped with touch screens offering a host of causal and “social” games.