Game Design Theory

In the wake of the first major crash–in both financial and social terms–within the video game development community, a majority of the leading companies crumbled. The Atari 2600, and its far-less successful heir (the 5200), laid in ruin. Their swan song, the widely criticized ET: the Extra Terrestrial, was the leading cause for the drop; the one feather to come floating down, only to collapse the unsteady empire beneath it. For a few long years, the industry remained silent. No turning gears, no new rumors floated down the mill. It had seemed that video games and visual home entertainment had come and gone; a failure like the rest. But from this barren, decrepit world, a new challenger would emerge to claim the title of Champion. To purge through the pessimistic views toward video games the world had bore after results of the crash, this hero would rise. And though its challengers would come and go, there stood one above the rest that would prove to be the hero’s ultimate nemesis. This is the story of the first Console War in video game history; the war between the Nintendo Entertainment System (NES), and the Sega Genesis.

The Nintendo Entertainment System, or NES for short, was by all counts the sole contributor to the revival of the video game industry in the waking years past the first worldwide crash. It revitalized the visual enamor with stunning 8-Bit graphics (something the world had not yet seen at the time), an updated processor, and a design that ultimately helped soar the home entertainment genre skyward. Its most popular titles–the Mario Bros. series, the Legend of Zelda series, and the Megaman series to name a few–helped restore the faith in game developers and the realm of game design as a whole.

The Genesis was ultimately Sega’s response to this conundrum. Their take was to amp the graphics even further, to the illustrious 16-bit. Through the waves of mania and visual craze, this new department successfully established a foothold in the newly revitalized yet still highly competitive ring of game development. The genesis’s most popular titles include the Sonic the Hedgehog series, Disney’s Aladdin, and the Street Fighter series, among others.

The complex marketing strategy of the Sega Genesis alone wedged the public into two distinct dominions: those loyal to Nintendo, and those devoted to Sega. Their core advertisement was to showcase the aspects and features of what the Genesis was capable of handling, while simultaneously stating Nintendo’s lack of reciprocity. As stated before this wedge in mentalities and opinions shifted the equilibrium of public opinion for one of the first times in video game history; at least to this high of a magnitude. Many times after this feud will have been repeated–the Xbox vs Playstation debate, almost every dual Pokémon game release, even the Gamecube vs Playstation II debate–but none have been as impacting and profound as the the war that restarted it all.

I really hope you enjoyed today’s entry into the history of game design. Later this week I hope to analyze some of these two console’s best sold titles, as well as their overall impact on the public. Until then, and as always, I hope you have a great rest of your day!

Cheers,

Ethan