Gaming's come a long way. In the 1980s, its superstars were the likes of Pac-man and Super Mario Bros, with unit sales in the millions. Fast forward 30 years, and the industry rakes in more than $50 billion a year and boasts game play so realistic some find it more immersive than real life.
What is it about gaming that captures the imagination of so many across cultural, geographic, and age barriers? Why do dream worlds of escapist fantasy and hyper-realistic action sequences leave players equally spellbound? We chatted to five avid gamers to find out; and in the first of a five-part series, speak to a Forza fan with a need for speed.
One-track mind
If he could, Zulfiqaar Khan would carry his Xbox with him wherever he went. ”Oh man, I could go on forever. Gaming is a way of life for me.”
The 27-year-old department manager at Woolworths has been gaming for the past seven years, and says an early start is essential. “If you don't grow up gaming, you won't be a gamer. When we were young, we started out with eight-bit games like Super Mario.
“Before we got consoles at home, we used to play Formula 1 and Football Manager on the computer. My first console was a PlayStation 1, and as the years went by I upgraded to a PS2, and so on, and then to the Xbox.” He hasn't looked back since.
And so his love of soccer extends off the field into the living room, seeing him follow every single Fifa game from 1998 to 2011.
“There's such a huge difference between those first games and the 2011 version. It's more than lifelike - the movement of the players, the passing, the crossing, the dribbling, the facial expressions, the field, the atmosphere... if you're playing on an HDTV and someone sees it, they won't think it's a game, they'll think you're watching a real match.”
Another favourite is the Call of Duty franchise, a first-person shooter game of which the Black Ops instalment raked in more than $1 billion within its first six weeks of release. It started off as a PC game but has since evolved to consoles, cellphones and smartphones.
“Call of Duty online is absolutely amazing. If you look at the imaging involved, with the huge maps, and the way it's designed - each different class you pick has a different type of uniform, and you have to adapt to the style of weapon.”
Khan just as easily translates his online action back to the real world. “I do a lot of paintballing and our team often incorporates some of the Call of Duty tactics into our paintball games.”
But what really got him hooked was the world of fast cars and dramatic racing. “The reason I changed to the Xbox was because of Forza 2. The Forzas just get better and better... you get to jump into a Ferrari or Lamborghini and just go.
“It's the realism of the games that's so attractive. It puts you behind the wheel of some really exotic cars and there are some spectacular views from the mountain tracks.”
His favourite game at the moment?
“Forza 3, undeniably.”
Customisation is another stand-out feature, with paint jobs that include Bruce Lee gracing a bonnet and designs that sell for millions in game credits. “You can colour-code absolutely everything,” says Khan.
“The only tedious thing is that it takes a lot of racing to earn credits.”
Khan's ultimate car is the 1994 BMW M3. “In the year it came out, it was a legend reborn for BMW.” Forza 3 has a huge range of cars, more than 400, with everything from a 1954 Mercedes Gullwing to the hyper-fast Bugatti Veyron.
Online forums and communities make it possible to view designs, share tips and discuss tactics, extending gameplay beyond the parameters of the track and showroom. For many, gaming has brought a new way to socialise across physical boundaries, and connect to people who possibly share nothing else but their love of the game.
“Gaming is for everybody, young and old. Most of the gamers I meet online are youngsters - 15, 16 years old, and they're playing Call of Duty.”
But Khan is just as happy spending some solo-time with his prized Xbox, saying sometimes he'd rather stay at home with a good game than go out.
“My best gaming memory would have to be the first day I got my Xbox. It was a big jump from the PS2 and the graphics blew me away. The beauty of it is the Xbox is three-and-a-half years old but newer games still work on it, with better graphics and accelerated play.“
They won't think it's a game, they'll think you're watching a real match.
Zulfiqaar Khan
Khan predicts the controller's days are numbered. “I think controls are going to be a thing of the past. Everything will become more user-active, more hands-on. You'll have more voice and facial recognition.”
On that note, he has downloaded the update for Microsoft's Kinect, although he doesn't have the actual system yet. “It's an amazing device but it's expensive; at around R2 000, not everyone can afford it. But it picks up every single part of game play, voice recognition, facial expressions - everything. Kinect makes you sweat a whole lot more than a normal game.”
He also thinks 3D will have a huge impact on the industry. “They'll start designing games that are more compatible with 3D TVs. I'm going to wait for that. That's gonna be awesome.”
Look out for next week's 'Mind games' feature, where a creative writing student reveals how she got hooked to something she once considered “a waste of time”.
* Speak your mind: How have your favourite games developed since their early days? Post your comment.
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