This blog is about the possibilities game developers give us during a game. It's about what we can do in a video game and how the developers control our actions.

In the beginning:

When we look at an evolution in videogames, we should start at the very beginning: Pong. It was one of the first "popular" games. You controlled one bat and tried to defeat your opponent who controlled the other bat. Your options were very limited, you could move your bat up and down and that was it. The developers completely controlled the game and your possibilities in the game. The developers had few possibilities to create a game and therefore you as gamer had few possibilities in the game.

You had so few possibilities and it was so simple.I loved it.

The first evolution:

When the developers' possibilities expanded, so did ours (the gamers' possibilities). The developers were able to create more "realistic" characters, worlds,... It was even possible to create games that consisted out of more than 1 screen (like pong). To explain this I'm going to use "Donkey Kong" from 1981. Your options as a gamer were still extremely limited but still you had more possibilities than for example in Pong. You could move left, right, up, down... It was a small step in the evolution, but an important one.

Just look at those graphics, amazing!

The first "open" world games:

I'm not talking about sand-box games yet ( no GTA here), but about open world games. Again the developers' possibilities to create a more realistic game expanded and they were able to create games with "open" worlds. For example: "the legend of Zelda" from 1986. In this game you controlled Link and you embarked on a huge adventure. Before these "open" world games you did what the developers wanted you to do and when they wanted you to do it. But for example in Zelda you had a world with quests you could complete when you wanted to do them, not when the developers wanted you to complete them. If you felt like exploring the world a bit more, you had the possibility. You obviously can't compare these "open" world games with sand-box games like GTA, but it's a start. The developers still control what and how you do things in this "open" world, but not when.

The beginning of sand-box games?

The "(r)evultion" of the first sand-box games:

For obvious reasons I'm going to pick the first GTA from 1997 to explain this part of the evolution. A sand-box game is a game where you can do things that were not intended by the developers or where you can ignore your objectives. So you still have objectives ( this is a small difference with the so called open-ended games like sim-city where you don't have fixed objectives.) but the developers no longer control how you complete them. You almost have complete freedom, your possibilities are only limited by what the developers put in the game. For example, you couldn't swim in the first GTA games. In a sandbox game you can (almost) do what you want, when you want it.

Almost unlimited possibilities, awesome...

What even more choices in sand-box games?

In the first sand-box games you could do what you want, when you wanted it but every gamer still experienced the main story in a similar way. For this next step I'm going to take a look at GTA 4. In the main story of GTA 4 there were a few moment were you could pick how the main story continued ( for example: "The holland play": kill Dwayne or Player X) and based on your decisions the story is slightly different for anyone who plays it. The developers create a game and story but you as a player decide how you play it.

Live or die, your choice.

User Generated Content:

A feature that has become more and more important the last few years is UGC. The developers give you the tools to create the game yourself. A good example is LittleBigPlanet. In this game there is still a story mode, but it's not the most important feature of the game. The story mode isn't even necessary to play the game. In the game you get an editor where you can create your own levels, story mode... The possibilities are unlimited and you can create your very own game... It makes you wonder what the next step will be. Everyone wants to be a game developer? what are your thoughts, remarks?

What is the next step?