History of Game Design: 2010 to the beginning of 2021

This course will be retired on September 30, 2023.

We will now turn our attention to the consoles of the eighth and ninth generations and learn about advances in computer gaming and related gaming technologies, including a decline in physical game media in favor of digital downloads, the emerging virtual reality (VR) gaming sector, and the rise of esports as a major commercial enterprise.

You will also learn about the history of independent video games and why they are relevant to video game history. Your journey continues with the evolution of handheld, mobile and social media games and how microconsoles have impacted the industry.

Finally, you will explore the resurgence in experimenting with mixed and virtual reality technology. After all, what could be better than playing a video game—other than living inside one?

Topics covered include:

• The end of generations
• Independent games
• Mobile games, social games, microconsoles and mixed reality

Module 1: The end of generations

• Tech trends in the 2010s

• True high definition and the eighth generation

• The ninth generation and the end of physical media

Module 2: Independent games

• What is an ‘indie’ developer?

• The dark times

• The dawn of indies

• The indie explosion Spotlight: Vancouver

Module 3: Mobile games, social games, microconsoles and mixed reality

• 1976–1988: Electronic handheld games

• 1989–2003: Handhelds take off

• 2004–2021: Sony versus Nintendo

• Mobile and social games

• Microconsoles

• Mixed reality