What are the platforms for games. Best Gaming Platforms
Each game will require its own platform to create. Her choice depends on the genre of future fun. Platforms for creating games - this is the same engine through which a person can create his own "masterpiece". Today, games are found almost everywhere - in tablets, computers, phones and simply in slot machines. The platform is the basis of the game, since its type determines what its genre, format, design, etc. will be.
Games are classified by genre: shooter, action, arcade, puzzle, strategy, simulation and racing. These were the main genres, based on which you can create your own game.
Game Creation Platforms
Below we offer an overview of 10 platforms for those who are not familiar with the programming language and scripts. Each of the programs was rated by users based on three main criteria - functionality, convenience and interface.
game maker
Average rating: 8.
This program is aimed at beginners in this field, so programming skills are not required. This software implements a platform for games on low-end PCs, where the menu contains prepared level layouts, sample items, samples of sounds and scenarios. You can also find embedded motion graphics (sprites) editors. With this platform for creating 2D games, the user will be able to realize their ideas in various genres. Game Maker provides a tutorial on designing layouts for future new game designs.
For users who are familiar with this area, this program has a built-in programming language GML (Game Maker Language), which will help in creating better games. By default, the Russian language is missing, but if necessary, you can install the crack.
Construct 2
Average rating: 9.
This is another great platform that does not require advanced programming knowledge, but helps beginners in creating more powerful game. Moreover, to create games on "Android" it can help to do it both on MAC (iPhones and iPads) and on Windows. Games developed on this platform can be downloaded to the browser and social network Facebook.
It is easy to work in this program if you know English language, since there is no Russian support here. On this platform, the user will deal with events, items and interactions. The user menu has ready-made layouts for the behavior of the entire world. Unlike other flash game development platforms, Construct 2 fully implements the particle effect in HTML5.
This program has a Box 2D Physics engine, thanks to which the user can accurately depict the effects according to all the laws of physics. For seasoned programmers, it is possible to connect extensions (like Java) that can change source games when exporting.
Unity 3D
Average score: 8.7 points.
With the help of this software the game on different platforms will start without problems, as there is support not only for PC, but also for Xbox 360, PayStation 3, Wii. The multi-platform Unity engine provides for the creation of games and applications for Win8 and lower series, as well as for Mac OC, Android, Linux and Blackberry.
The program interface provides for the use of scripts, sound effects and textures. You can also connect options online and set up dragging objects.
3D Rad
Average score: 8.3 points.
This game creation platform is designed for those who want to make games from the very beginning. Here you can create arcades, shooters, quests, strategies and puzzles from scratch, while spending a minimum of time.
First you need to decide on the choice of objects, then install them in such an order that they interact with each other. Despite the rich choice of models and options for actions, this program has a function that allows you to move layouts from other platforms into the current project. To create good musical accompaniment in the game it is enough to move music files in WAV and OGG format.
The difference of this platform for creating games is that it has a high-quality graphics component, believable physics, integration into web pages and support for full-fledged multiplayer.
game editor
Average score: 7.3 points.
A platform for games on weak PCs in 2D format. However, she is able to create games for Android. To work in this program, you must assign an object and set certain settings for it, which will demonstrate the reaction to various events in the game atmosphere.
If the user already has sketches or ready-made materials that he wants to use in the current project, then they can be freely moved from other programs. The user has the right to use not only ready-made responses, but also come up with his own, using a special scripting programming language, which is much simpler than C++ or Java.
Stencyl
Average rating: 9.
Another simple version of the platform for creating games, the management of which does not require special knowledge. The user will have to work with ready-made level schemes and events, which are shown as a system of blocks. They need to be dragged with the mouse from one place to another. If creation options certain items not enough, the developers of this application provided for writing the code with their own hands, but for this you need to know the programming language.
This utility will be useful for those who have already worked in Photoshop. The interface of Stencyl Desinger is similar to the popular photo editor.
craft studio
Average rating: 8.7.
Here, complete freedom of action in the 3D sphere is provided: the user can independently write a script and set an action, depict animations and effects. The creators of this program have thought through every little thing so that the PC gaming platform has an interesting and understandable interface. It is worth noting that the program already has all the tools for working with models and animations, as well as other visual components. The advantages of this platform for creating games on weak PCs are that there will be no format conflict or conversion.
Adventure Game Studio
Average rating: 7.
Many are interested in what platforms exist to create. One of the brightest examples is this tool, which allows you to create games in two-dimensional space in the adventure genre. To be completely convinced that the program will create the desired product, along with it there is a demo game in the kit, which you can familiarize yourself with. The scheme of work is simple - you need to change the game rooms in which certain objects are located. The player will act according to the scripts that are added through a separate editor. One of the advantages of this application is the support for the modern format, that is, the user will be able to import multimedia files into the game.
Arcade Game Studio
Average rating: 8.3.
And here is best platform to create games of the 90s of the last century. This is another the simplest program that does not require programming skills. It already contains several ready-made arcade games that the user can change to their liking. On this platform, you can create arcades, shooters with a top and side view.
Clickteam Fusion
Average rating: 9.
Another platform with support for many operating systems, such as Windows, IOS and Android. It is also possible to release your browser applications that support HTML5. With the help of quality, the user can change the direction of small particles and control physics. For those who are not familiar with drawing and designing, the developers have provided a library with ready-made layouts for animations and objects. After installing this application, the user automatically becomes a member of the community, where in the future he will be able to communicate with other users on the general forum and seek help from support.
Game Salad
Average rating: 8.3.
For beginners of entertainment masterpieces, this is an excellent platform for creating Android OS games. It is elementary in use, has an ordinary appearance and has support for embedding objects by drag and drop. On the platform android games will look quite good, since their basis is the interaction of the main character with objects and his non-standard behavior. You can add your own music and images to this program. Games created with this software can be played on your phone and PC.
Visionaire Studio
Average rating: 7.3.
If simple shooters and arcades are not to the taste of the future game creator, then he will definitely like the puzzle genre. The application in question creates just such games. You just need to choose a hero, a location, arrange objects as you wish, come up with riddles and prescribe commands with hints. However, you can only use the demo version of this application for free, but this will be enough for you to get acquainted.
Leading Free Platforms
A multi-platform engine that allows you to create high-quality games and port them to all existing mobile platforms. This program freely reads information from 3Ds Max, 3D Maya, Softimage, Blender and CINEMA 4D. Thanks to a recent update (in the form of Unity 4.3), the engine can work with 2D graphics, having support for physics and sprites in this format.
Despite being compatible with almost any 3D editor, the graphics editor in this software is limited in its operations - the lack of independent modeling forces users to create content in third-party 3D editors. However, do not be upset, as the library has a rich assortment of blanks that can be used for free or bought from the authors for a fixed price.
Except free version Unity, there is Pro which costs $1500. In this case, you can subscribe monthly. It will cost $75. The paid version of the engine has significant differences from the ordinary one. There is improved lighting, advanced physics and much more.
Back in 1978, the commercially successful game Space Invaders strongly motivated large investors to pay attention to the gaming industry. This video game was released in Japan on a platform we know as arcade machines. The game became so popular that it caused a shortage of coins in the country, which were required in order to play it. From Japan, the game quickly spread to America, where 60,000 devices were sold in 2 years. They stood in all bars, bowling alleys and cinemas. Thanks to Space Invaders, a boom in the development of arcade machines began, which became the first step in the evolution of the gaming industry. In 1979, it was a real breakthrough: the American distributor of the game Belly Midway tripled the market slot machines in the US, bringing sales to 1.33 billion dollars for the year. Many well-known computer games first appeared on gaming machines and were later ported to other platforms. For example, Pac-Man, Street Fighter, Killer Instinct. Under the cut, I bring to your attention a small an excursion into the history of the evolution of platforms in gaming industry .
Together with slot machines, games developed on the platform game consoles. And although the history of consoles began in 1972 with the release of the world's first home game console Magnavox Odyssey, a breakthrough in this direction begins in 1977, when the Atari 2600 game console goes on sale. new level. There are new major players who want to take a warm place in the video game market. Other than Atari, Sega, Nintendo, Sony and Microsoft have made history as the largest.
Another major gaming platform "from ancient times" was personal computers. The first games on them appeared in the 1960s. These were text adventure games in which communication between the player and the computer was carried out by entering commands through the keyboard. The further evolution of games is closely related to the growth in performance and capabilities of computer hardware. This is the popularization of computer mice as a human-computer interaction interface, and the emergence sound cards, which make it possible to reproduce full-fledged sounds, and the annual improvement in the quality of the output image, and of course the development of computer networks, which eventually resulted in the emergence of the Internet. With the evolution of networks, the usual single-player client games are being replaced by a new generation of games that make it possible to play together with other players. The very first online game was made in text form and launched on TelNet in 1978. The developers of this game were Richard Bartle and Roy Trubshaw. They called their creation Multi-user Dungeon, MUD for short. In the future, this abbreviation began to be used as a classification for multiplayer online games, where absolutely everything is displayed as text. MUD is the origin of all virtual worlds that we know today.
With the advent of the Internet, in addition to the usual single-player games, online projects come: client and browser. In the late 1990s, rising Internet access speeds made it possible for browser as an independent gaming platform. It acts as an operating shell for games, allowing you to play without installing additional programs. developing gaming markets for a long time they had a high proportion of browser games, which was associated with a lag in hardware - meaning China, Russia.
In the middle of the 2000s, the exponential growth of social networks begins, which become a new way of communication between people. Game developers just can't ignore the browser platform now, and within it stands out a separate subplatform and games for it, which are now called social. Then it seemed to many that this was a colossal breakthrough in the gaming industry. A huge number of developers went into social games, the annual growth rate exceeded 200%, simply because it was an innovation and the market did not even exist before. However, saturation came pretty quickly. To replace low-quality gaming products produced with breakneck speed in order to occupy the market, high-quality games with good graphics and serious gameplay are coming.
The next round of development of the gaming industry occurred due to the enormous growth in popularity mobile phones, which have become a new platform for people to communicate and a new platform for the distribution of games. Java games that have been on mobile phones did not seriously compete with browser, client or social games. However, since the end of the first decade of the 2000s, the emergence of smartphones, under which powerful projects could be developed, opened up a market for the industry. mobile games In his best. Generally mobile platform It is implemented now through two types of devices: smartphones and tablets. But since Operating Systems, technical characteristics and ways of delivering games to the consumer on these devices are almost identical, developers rarely separate them into different platforms. It is mobile games that are currently considered by many to be a promising market that can generate maximum profits with a low entry threshold. On our program "Management of Internet Gaming Projects" most of the students make mobile games, and in second place are PC games under Steam.
The history of the formation of gaming platforms shows that with the development of technology, the process of emergence of innovative platforms for games is accelerating. Some of them “blow up” the market and force out the old ones, some do not gain explosive growth but occupy their own niche - for example, Smart TV, smart watches, games in airplanes, games on vapes, etc. It is likely that in the coming years the mobile games market will be supplanted from the trend of the gaming industry by more advanced human-computer interaction technology. It can become both virtual or augmented reality in the current implementation, and virtual reality with full immersion. Time will tell!
More than half of the population in developed countries are considered gamers, and this fact has significantly changed the way many of us spend our free time.
Today, games are an important aspect of modern culture. In fact, as stated in "Nilsen's 360 Video Game Development Report", games are the number one entertainment for people around the world, and about 10% of all free time is devoted to them. But, just as with consumer behavior in other areas, gaming preferences and trends differ in different parts of the world, which means that marketers need to develop specific strategies to attract the attention of buyers.
Over the past few years, an important role in the popularity of games has been played by the ability to introduce them into our daily lives through powerful mobile devices. In North America and Europe, mobile devices and game consoles are the most popular gaming platforms, and in China, mobile devices are by far the most popular platforms. In Latin America, video game consoles are the number one choice. Understanding the level of popularity of each platform by region is especially important for any manufacturer involved in the development and release of games for the whole world.
Although the popularity of different platforms varies for each market separately, the image of the modern gamer is the same everywhere. The gamer boys not only grew up, they also got their friends and families excited about the games. Today's generation of gamers includes a wide variety of people, and each of them can find something to their taste..
Today, gamers have become almost a separate group of the population. different ages and gender. Mobile devices - the latest and greatest accessible platform for both men and women of all ages. However traditional games have changed, for example, Lara Croft has changed from a virtual pin-up model to a smart, combative and very real girl, which shows how much the target audience of games has become wider. Wherein those who prefer consoles are often a little younger, and those who play on computers are older e. The percentage of men somewhat prevails in both groups. While these trends are the same for all markets, there are some narrower trends that marketers should be aware of. For example, in Latin American gamers are younger and tallest average age gamers in Germany.
However, as in any other art, some trends go beyond the socio-cultural framework. For example, Nielsen found that when it comes to game consoles, action adventures, shooters and sport games attract absolutely everyone thanks to the most successful games of these genres. But here, too, preferences differ by region: Chinese gamers prefer role-playing games(RPG), fighting games are popular in Latin America, and racing is one of the most popular genres in the west.
When it comes to mobile devices, the most popular genres in all countries are puzzles and arcades, although there are some differences depending on the region. For example, casino/card/table games tend to be more popular outside of Latin America.
Although the favorite genres of gamers in many countries are similar, different markets require different strategies and approaches. Good example- money preference. Different gamers want to spend their money on completely different things. Given a choice, people will always choose free games, no matter where they live. In general, this is not surprising, but it is worth noting that in different countries people prefer to pay for different things. For example, among mobile applications, gamers in China and Latin America are more likely to play shareware games, and players from Germany - paid.
At the end of the day, one thing is clear - love of games is a ubiquitous phenomenon, but marketers should pay attention to the specifics of each region in order to fully understand the preferences of the players.
One of the main criteria for choosing a gaming platform is the amount of money you are willing to spend on this hobby.
If the budget is limited, then it is better to take a PC. To play at high settings, you need a computer for at least 50 thousand rubles, which is 25-30 thousand more than the price of most consoles. However, lower game prices will quickly make up the difference. In Russia, standard editions of large projects on consoles usually cost 4,000 rubles, and on PC - 2,000. Moreover, in digital stores computer games like Steam or GOG, there are often sales with huge discounts - up to 90%. On consoles, such generosity is rare.
Playstation.com
On the other hand, if you are willing to spend money or are not going to buy more than 6-8 games a year, then it would be more appropriate to take some kind of console: Nintendo Switch, Xbox One or PlayStation 4. They are easier to operate, more stable and more intuitive than a PC. They can be connected to the TV, turned on and not touched again until a new generation appears. As a rule, there are more problems with a PC: from incompatibility or defective components to software errors or banal updates at inopportune moments.
The most expensive options for gaming platforms are more powerful versions of consoles (Xbox One X and PlayStation 4 Pro) and high-end gaming PCs. The most powerful console on the market, Xbox One X, will cost about 40 thousand rubles. PlayStation 4 Pro costs about 30 thousand, and top gaming PCs - from 70 thousand rubles.
xbox.com The advantages of these options are that they support the 4K format, and also pull games at high and ultra settings. So, the graphics on them are just great. And expensive PCs also allow you to enjoy very smooth gameplay at 60 frames per second and above. On consoles, games rarely run at more than 30 frames per second.
2. Games available
Another important parameter when choosing a platform is games. Most of the projects are available on Xbox One, PlayStation 4 and PC. There are also games that are only available on specific platforms: for example, the action about the gods of Norse mythology God of War can only be played on PlayStation 4, and the fantastic shooter Halo 5 is only available on Xbox One. In addition, some games are released only for (like the bandit western Red Dead Redemption 2), while others are released on certain consoles and PCs (mostly projects released by Microsoft, like the Forza Horizon 4 race).
playstation.com PC exclusives are mostly strategy games and games of different genres from independent developers. For example, the fantastic strategies Homeworld: Deserts of Kharak and Wahrammer 40000: Dawn of War 3 were released only on computers. Like the multiplayer shooter World War 3 or the tactical action game Insurgency.
Games only available on the PlayStation 4 tend to be third-person action games with an emphasis on story and gameplay. Over the five years of the console's existence, Sony has accumulated many such projects. Among them, for example, the game about Spider-Man Marvel’s Spider-Man, a post-apocalyptic action The Last of Us and an adventure game in the spirit of Indiana Jones Uncharted 4. All of these projects are distinguished by well-thought-out gameplay, an exciting storyline and well-written characters.
playstation.com Xbox One exclusives include the Gears of War and Halo shooter series, the Forza racing franchise, third-person action games Quantum Break and Sunset Overdrive. True, almost all new games for Xbox are also available on PC, such as Forza Horizon 4 and Quantum Break.
Exclusively on the Switch, mainly games from Nintendo are released: super mario Odyssey, Mario + Rabbids Kingdom Battle, The Legend of Zelda: Breath of the Wild, Super Smash Bros., Mario Kart 8 Deluxe. These games differ from each other in genres, characters and plots, but they have one thing in common: Nintendo's amazing attention to detail in the gameplay. The company tries to make each of its games as fun and exciting as possible, guided by the philosophy “the game should bring pleasure and surprise” when developing. And almost all projects from this studio have a rating of 3+ or 6+ - perfect if you want.
xbox.com 3. Additional features
Each major platform has additional features that can be decisive when choosing.
4K is an ultra-high definition picture format, while HDR is a screen technology with increased contrast, brightness, and more accurate color reproduction.
playstation.com Of the platforms we reviewed, 4K is supported by PC, Xbox One S (an improved revision of the base Xbox One), Xbox One X, and PlayStation 4 Pro. True, a comfortable game in such high resolution only expensive PCs can provide, as well as Xbox One X and PlayStation 4 Pro, because this format is very demanding on hardware. It should be noted that buying a platform for this technology is only worth it if your TV or monitor supports it. On Full HD screens, there will be no difference.
HDR is available on PC, Xbox One S, Xbox One X, PlayStation 4 and PlayStation 4 Pro. Gaming with HDR turned on is an amazing experience that will leave regular screens looking dull and dull. The main thing is not to forget that the TV or monitor must support it in order for everything to work.
xbox.com Portability
The ability to play anywhere and anytime is usually a feature of a particular subspecies of consoles like the PlayStation Vita and Nintendo 3DS. But thanks to the Nintendo Switch, it also appeared among stationary consoles. The Switch can be used connected to your TV or on the go thanks to its built-in screen. True, in this mode, the console becomes a little less powerful, but most of the projects on it can still be played comfortably.
PlayStation 4 and Xbox One are not portable. But this property can have a PC. Some companies make mini-computers designed specifically for gaming, such as the GPD Win 2. It's small with a built-in keyboard, gamepad, and a six-inch screen. It's not that powerful, but it's good for undemanding games like Fortnite.
playstation.com Watching movies and series
The PlayStation 4 and Xbox One play Blu-ray discs, and they also have Netflix, Hulu, and Amazon Video apps. All this is available on a PC (although a special drive is needed to read Blu-ray) and even more, such as iTunes.
Nintendo Switch is not suitable for video content consumption - so far you can only watch YouTube and Hulu on it. For some reason, the Japanese company is in no hurry to add support for other services.
playstation.com Multifunctionality
Consoles are designed primarily for games, and other than that, they can do not so much: play music, show movies and TV shows.
If you want real multifunctionality, then it is better to take a PC - these are universal machines on which you can do anything. Write music, develop applications, create documents, go online, edit images. No wonder they are used in almost every sphere of human activity.