Tech Society: State of play

Atari and the advent of gaming

The 80’s decade heralded the introduction of Atari. The Atari home boards became so popular that the brand became synonymous with video games.

The era of gaming started with a bang in Pakistan during the mid-90s. During this period, gunfire and kidnapping had become a norm in Karachi and fretful parents were just too happy to have their children stay indoors and play video games. Soon this form of entertainment moved from the cozy drawing rooms to arcade zones in commercial areas.

But parents did not take this transition too well. Many of them considered gaming arcades as hangouts where delinquent youth could smoke and squander money on silly games. But there was no stopping Pakistan’s young gamers from thronging these places. This was the time when competitive games like Street Fighter, Streets of Rage and Final Fight were introduced. Players could enjoy these games for hours at amazingly cheap rates. Each coin, fed into the arcade machine for a single round of the game — cost Rs1.

The heyday of gaming arrived with the establishment of larger screens for co-op games like Die hard at Sinbad amusement park/center.  The Sinbad centres vindicated arcade gaming and made it surpass the stigma of being an activity limited to seedy little shops.


Rise of gaming zones

During the mid-90s, PC games like Doom and Dave were highly popular. Since personal computers at that time were relatively expensive, these games were only available for a select few.  Soon thereafter the legendary consoles of Sega and Nintendo were introduced. Thus, gaming moved back into the household where it was to stay for many years.

It was not till mid-2000s when gaming trends changed yet again.  The introduction of cheaply available PCs and more competitive games, such like the renowned Counterstrike, spawned gaming zones in various locations in Karachi, like Delta gaming zone and Playdium. Gaming zones became popular arenas for battling it out with friends in the virtual world over energy drinks and snacks.

Consequently, annual competitive gaming events, like World Cyber Games and Electronic Sports World Cup, gained currency. These global events have made their way to Pakistan as well and have been hosted by Samsung, Pepsi and Telenor. However, gaming zones have not been able to maintain their initial popularity. It has become increasingly difficult for these venues of entertainment to retain a customer group and cut down operational costs. Constant electricity outages, failure to maintain customer loyalty and lack of maintenance of hardware/environment were the reasons why gamers shifted back to consoles in home.

Yet another shift

Instant connectivity in the age of fast internet has made it possible for players to enjoy their games in the comfort of their homes. Sony, Microsoft and Nintendo have incorporated exciting features in their products, which have made them instant worldwide hits. For instance, Nintendo’s Wii has gesture recognition which allows players to use their bodies to virtually play competitive sports. And now with the introduction of touch screen phones and tablets, increasingly sophisticated games are being developed for compact devices.

Gamers might remember Saddar’s electronics market being chock-full of video game vendors. But due to the sweeping changes in the gaming industry, these vendors now sell mobile devices.

And the constant flux in gaming technology is not going to stop any time soon. The next generation of games promises a very powerful 3D experience for the player. So all the gaming aficionados, gear up to truly feel like Luke Skywalker as you kill aliens and conquer new planets, in the comfort of your own living room!

Published in The Express Tribune, December 17^th, 2011.