Gaming has become a huge part of our lives. It’s estimated that around a third of the entire global population plays games, and that number is only growing. In fact, in developed economies like the United States, United Kingdom, and Japan, that proportion is already as high as 50%.
But do you ever give much thought to the time and effort that goes into making the great games we play today? There’s a wealth of technology that makes it possible to enjoy these digital worlds. Let’s take a look at some of the most important aspects.
Procedural Generation
Procedural generation is a technique that allows games to create vast, unique worlds without requiring developers to handcraft every single element. It does this by using algorithms to take textures and graphical elements and create unique layouts on the fly.
A great example of this is Minecraft. The game’s procedurally generated landscapes mean that no two worlds are ever the same. Players can explore endless caves, mountains, and forests, each with its own unique features. Some of the generation is done when you start a new map, but the procedural generation continues as you venture further and further from your base.
No Man’s Sky is another game that makes extensive use of procedural generation. This space exploration title features billions of planets, each with its own unique flora, fauna, and terrain. The game’s procedural generation system ensures that players will always have new and exciting places to discover.
Random Number Generators
Random number generators (RNGs) are essential for many types of games. They are used to determine everything from the outcome of a dice roll to the appearance of a randomly generated item.
The iGaming industry uses RNGs to ensure that card and table games are fair. Unlike some other games, which can use software-based pseudo-RNGs, online card rooms have to use truly random sources of data to make card shuffles in poker truly unpredictable, just like if you were using a physical deck.
There are different ways to do it, such as taking atmospheric background noise and running it through an algorithm. The leading brand PokerStars, uses its own proprietary RNG for its range of online poker games and tournaments. This technology uses a photon gun and a mirror, detecting whether the photons pass through the mirror or are reflected off.
Ray Tracing
Ray tracing is a graphics technology that has been making waves in recent years. It’s a more realistic way of rendering images, as it simulates how light behaves in the real world. This means that games with ray tracing look more photorealistic than ever before.
For a long time, ray tracing was very resource-intensive, making it impossible to do on the fly. This made it ideal for creating beautiful CGI effects in movies but not for gaming.
This changed in the last couple of years when NVIDIA developed a range of graphics cards that finally made ray tracing possible in real time. Whilst it was originally exclusive to high-end models, it has quickly become the norm and has helped to take video game graphics to a whole new level.
Ray tracing capabilities come as standard in all gaming-level graphics cards, allowing players to enjoy this technology in a wide range of games. The latest consoles from Sony and Microsoft also support ray tracing, so most current AAA titles can take advantage of this advanced lighting technology.
The game developers do need to incorporate the technology into their titles before you can see the benefit, so you can’t expect an old game from five years ago to get a boost from running it on a new graphics card.
These are just a few examples of the technology that goes into making our favorite games. There are many other factors involved, such as artificial intelligence, sound design, and game engines. But it’s clear that the gaming industry is constantly pushing the boundaries of what is possible, and we can expect to see even more impressive games in the years to come.
