Every generation of consoles and every age of video games has had its own code. With each of the various release cycles brought a specific way of looking at how games were made, how they are marketed and what technological advances are important to the future of games. The first generation of consoles was simply an advancement of computer systems and television to create an interactive medium, making something that was small, under $200 (in 1970 dollars) and able to utilize a television to make a game. The second generation of gaming brought upon a mass market, appealing through advancement of graphics to 8-bit, defining more and better audio than was previously available, and releasing more accessories to enhance and define gameplay. This also meant the games became more complex, but the idea of keeping players drawn in and engaged from their first few minutes was more important when the experience was limited to only a few gameplay mechanics. Working with these limitations and trends is what made the following generations able to advance, understand more of what was able to be done, and what was needed to do it.

We are in what is arguably the seventh generation of game consoles, and it is a reflection of trends developed from the previous generation. The expansion of online capabilities in the later stages of the previous generation, as well as the increase in graphical capabilities of the consoles and televisions meant that this generation had to ensure it was able to capture the full spectrum of high definition visuals, as well as connect their users through online networks. While not all of the consoles chose to implement their advancements in the same ways, and there are deviations at every level, this seems to have been the major drive and underlying considerations for the generation of hardware. But what about software? What are the trends and design concepts that are occurring right now for game developers, and how much of the future can we already see through upcoming and newly released software?

Pascal Luban (designer of games like Splinter Cell: Chaos Theory) has a new feature on Gamasutra demonstrating some of the “Megatrends” of game design in this generation. These are not necessarily based on hardware, as described above, but more centric on the design philosophy of games and how they are built.

The first trend that Luban describes is increasing the commercial lifespan of games, not necessarily just through long hours of play, but through online collaboration systems, downloadable content and other aspects that will continually bring people back to the game. This seems to be increasingly important for big budget games that are hitting the marketplace. The cost associated with developing a game usually means you need to see a relatively large return when stepping into the highest technical details of design. Bigger sound, bigger landscapes, bigger environments means you need to gather a bigger audience, which sometimes needs to extend further than the initial few months in which the largest percentage of the game is purchased. The extension of the purchasing cycles of this game is something that publishers are staying on top of, promising releases of new content, expansively multiplayer and online modes, and merchandising or commodity the versions of the game in order to release more Special Editions.

One of the more dividing trends currently is the second mentioned in the article, being the push towards “fast gaming” and microtransactions. As mentioned in relation to the earlier console cycles, grabbing the audience in an instant was based on the limitations and market of games at the time. With the gap between indie and triple-A developments continuing to widen, the concept of “fast gaming”, meaning a game that is simple, shallow or easy to pick up and play without a large learning curve or experience with the mechanics. The games are meant to be hands-on, instant gratification, and often utilize players experience with previous genres and styles in order to create that sense of familiarity. While it doesn’t dilute the overall market for those looking for deep and expansive gaming experiences, or more philosophical approaches to game design, it is a market that is continually expanding, especially given the prevalence of mobile phones (a system where fast gaming thrives).

Games like Battlefield: Heroes is a strong demonstration of the push towards microtransactions in game. Initially marketed as a game where almost all aspects would be available for purchase, limiting the free-play users to weaker mechanics, seemed to be a foreign concept in the Western market. The idea of gaming associated with a level of real-world economy is not something that has penetrated the mainstream of gaming, and buying your way to the top may be true in a capitalist society, the virtual landscape’s rules tend to be rooted in time, effort and skill. In Eastern markets, however, microtransactions are a more commonplace for game design, allowing users to choose the level of investment they have in their experience with the game through money as well as time. This is very applicable to RPGs, but as Battlefield seems to understand, the idea needs to be adapted towards the Western audience and give a sense of real value that does not undermine the player before we will see large jumps for this design philosophy on this side of the world.

Tied into the trend of continuing the lifespan of games is the third trend of increasingly believable universes. The grandeur scale on which games seem to exist now was something shrouded in a fog of war not too long ago. Gears of War 2 from what we’ve seen has displayed a wide variety of exploration and openness, just in how the world interacts with you and how you traverse it. In terms of you interacting with the world, sandbox games like GTA IV have shown us a fully realized city where you can wreak havoc or simply g on dates. The ability to climb on buildings, pile cars on top of each other to traverse into new areas and the simple way the characters are built to make Liberty City feel like a lived in world just demonstrates the scale that games are being built to.

You can simply look through the next four months of releases to get an idea of how these trends are developing in this generation and the excitement that it is generating. With an expandable lifespan through user-generated content, LittleBigPlanet continues to generate a lot of excitement through the press and gaming communities. Rock Band II demonstrates the power of fast gaming, with immediately and familiar playability that also delivers a strong downloadable content feature. With players who have already bought the first game, it serves an expansion on the series and a platform for microtransactions to continually build your library. Resistence 2 and Gears of War 2 are pushing the envelop for opening the gameplay environment for interactivity, creating greater landscapes in which you play and making the universe more visceral and believable, even in an unbelievable situation.