Controllers - 70s to the 80s

div>Video games are a unique form of art since you need multiple tools to appreciate them. You need a TV to display the art, a console to play the art, and a controller to interact with the art. The controller is literally the players hands in the game's world, without it the entire artform falls apart. Even though we do not always actively think about the controller in our hands (it has become almost second nature to me even when holding a new controller) any subtle change to the design can enhance or change the way a game can play. I will be going through the most popular consoles and the most revolutionary controllers and how each one changed the way we interact.

Magnavox Odyssey

The first video game console was released in 1972. The controller is actually pretty awkward to use. It had no button, besides a reset button (nothing to do with gameplay), and had two dials on the sides to control the game. Since the game had no action buttons, games were limited to very simple games that only required movement. In fact, all the games revolved around just two blocks moving around. The only thing that makes this controller stand out was the fact it was one of the first.

The other controller later came out for the system and did revolutionize console gaming. The light gun for the Magnavox Odyssey was the first of its kind sold at retail. The gun would detect light that would flash on the screen when you pulled the trigger. If your gun was aimed at the white light then you hit your target. This light gun was the size of a rifle and looked realistic, something that has not been copied too much since (mostly because of laws stating that you cannot make realistic guns as toys).

Game types - As stated before because of the simplicity of the hardware and the controller all the games had to revolve around just 2 blocks moving around and sometimes an additional small block used as a weapon or ball.

Atari 2600

It was 5 years later in 1977 that any big change came to the home console market. The Atari 2600 was a big success and one of the things that helped it was the controller. Arcade gaming was still popular in the late 70s and early 80s and most of these games featured a joystick and a few buttons. Atari brought the joystick into the home which many gamers were already used to. Since the control was so similiar to the arcade it was easier to bring the arcade experience home. Controlling with the stick was much easier than using dials. It felt a lot more natural and offered the player more control over the content in the game. The Atari controller also placed a small red fire button on the controller. Having only one button limited the type of games that could be played, but most games at the time were fairly simple anyways. A single fire button was usually sufficiant for most games in the late 70s and early 80s. It seems simple but adding a button brought a lot more depth to the gameplay, you can now not only control the direction of the characters but the actions as well.

Game types - Because the controller was so limited with just a joystick and one action button games basically had just a single character to control and it usually could fire something, or jump but not both.

Intellivision

In 1980 the Intellivision hit and with it brought some new controls. Rather than having a joystick, it had a disc that could move in 16 directions. The disc was more advanced than the Atari joystick but because of its design it was not the easiest to manipulate. The controller also has a full keypad and 4 buttons on the side. The side buttons were somewhat difficult to use effectively depending on how you held the controller, while the keypad could only be used when you were not using the control disc. Because you could not manipulate the disc and the keypad at the same time players would sometimes have to use two controllers at once (one for the keys and one for directions). This was not a comfortable situation. The intellivision controller was advanced in many ways (having more buttons allowed for more action on the screen and more control over the game) but had too many hardware issues to truely be amazing.

One unique and fun thing about the controller was the overlays you could put over the keypad. Each game had its own control scheme and many players were not used to using a full keypad for console games. In order to help the player, he/she could use a controller overlay that would tell you which button did what.

ColecoVision

Coming out 2 years later than the Intellivision, in 1982, the ColecoVision did a lot of things right with the controller. The control disc was raised and created a hybrid disc/joystick that was much easier to use. Unlike the Atari joystick you could control it with just your thumb and like the Intellivision disc it had a lot more movement. Because you only had to use your thumb it kept the rest of your hand free to press other buttons, allowing more action to happen on the screen. The keypad and overlay was also replicated from the Intellivision. Overall this controller was everything the Intellivision controller could have been if it just spent a bit more time in product testing.

Game types - Both the ColecoVision and the Intellivison were very similar in execution and games because of there similiar controllers. Games now had much more they could do and the overlay allowed for a more complex series of actions the character on the screen could prefrom.

Nintendo Entertainment System

Even though the NES came out in Japan in 1983, under the name Famicom, the controller was basically a copy of Nintendo's Game and Watch, which came out in 1980. The controller was simple as it had only two buttons and a directional pad. The directional pad was where the real change to gaming came from. It was a slightly raised cross but offered precise control. Because it was such a small directional pad it was the first controller that could be held comfortably. It just fit in the player's hand and you could access all the buttons you need with your thumbs. Taking away the complexities of the previous controllers on the market the NES quickly became an accessible and hot selling machine. Even though the controller did not have as many action buttons, because of how easy and comfortable it was to use the games could be faster and more action paced without losing the player. The joysticks and keypads of previous systems were completely scrapped, and to this day all video game controllers are built off of the foundation that the NES controller laid.

The NES light gun also deserves a mention. It used the same technology the Magnovox one did but it was much lighter and more compact.

The Japanese Controllers were different in colour scheme as well as having one extra feature. The second controller had a microphone on it. The mic wasn't used in many games (I can only think of one) and all it did was allow the player to project his/her voice on the TV speakers.

Finally in 1993 the NES under went a re-design. The controllers were functionally the same but were now curved and felt more comfortable.

Game types - Even though it scalled back on the buttons the games were far superior to those on any console before. With just two action buttons and a control pad the NES could pull off fast action games, racing games, and RPGs with ease. However all these games were fairly simple in design.

Sega Genesis (3 button)

In 1989, Sega released its 3rd major console (the SG-1000, and the Sega master system were the previous two). The Genesis, or Mega Drive as it is called in many other parts of the world, was the first console to really bring in a revolutionary controller. As stated before too many buttons can get a bit too complicated, but the NES had only 2 buttons which limited the amount of actions the player could preform. The Sega Genesis had three buttons all lined up in a row. The player could easily rest his/her thumb in the middle and reach all three buttons. The Sega Genesis was the first 16 bit system and the first to bring truely powerful arcade quality graphics to the home. Because, it was so much more powerful than anything before it, it needed the extra inputs to keep up with how games were evolving. Sega also upgraded the D-pad making it multidirectional. Rather than having just up, down, left, and, right it also included the diagonals. This added a greater deal of control over the characters on the screen while remaining compact and easy to use.

Game Types - With an extra action button it added a new layer to the NES controller. It had many similar types of games but they could now preform more actions on the screen. The Genesis controller also allowed one of the earliest Real Time Stradegy games, "Herzog Zwei", to be played

Super Mario Bros

The first game I am going to examine is Super Mario Bros. I chose this game first because I know basically everyone, non-gamers and gamers alike, have at least a passing knowledge of it. Even people who do not own a video game console still recognize Mario and can maybe even hum the theme song.

Origin of Mario

Super Mario Bros. is not the first game to feature Mario. He notably appeared for the first time in the Donkey Kong arcade game. He was originally called "jumpman". His name changed to Mario when the Nintendo of America crew noticed that he looked similiar to their Italian landlord Mario Segali. Mario earned his trademark look from his primitive arcade graphical capabilites. Shigeru Miyamoto (creater of Mario) wanted to work around the blocky pixels in order to make a realistic looking human. Mario was given a mustach in order to outline the fact he had a nose, without the classic mustach his nose would look more like a pixelated tumour portruding from his face. He had overalls on so they could animate arm movements. If the character had one uniform colour for his clothes his arms would blend into the body. Finally Mario aquired the trademark hat because hair was too difficult (and most likely impossible) to animate. Rather than having a stiff looking block of brown on top of Mario's head to resemble hair, a hat was put on therefore removing that animation hurdle. Mario was born out of the need for attractive visual art on a primitive arcade cabinent. And it worked! Mario's look has basically remained unchanged since 1981.

Art Design of Super Mario Bros

Even though Super Mario Bros was on new techonology that seemed advanced at the time, the artistic direction was aware of its limitations. Many Nintendo games looked dated when seen today. But, Super Mario Bros played with the system's strengths and created a game that still is visually appealing today. I already discussed how Mario (and coincidently Luigi) used simplicity to create an icon, but nearly every character in the game looks just as polished as in 1985. The main enemies in the game were all simple and to the point. They all were small with easy to identify real world counter parts.

The levels were also very colourful. On top of that each level had a different colour scheme from the last. Most games at the time had one singular art direction throughout the game. Super Mario Bros though, changed the way the game looked in each level and only recycling backrounds a quarter of the time.

Level 1-1. The intro level. It's basic and has an easy design. The colors are brighter and more cheerful.

Level 1-2. The first underground level. It immediately changes the tone of the game. It goes from bright and cheerful to dark and mysterious.

Level 2-2. The first water level. These levels remove Mario's basic gameplay, jumping. It changes the way you play the game.

Bowser's castle levels are some of the most difficult in the game. The game changes from shades of blue, green and brown as its main colors, to red, black, and grey.

A new level of interaction

Items were hidden all over the place, and Mario Bros was one of the first games that seemed linear but encouraged exploration. All the hidden secrets in the game led to the players immersion in the game. It was easy to get lost in Mushroom Kingdom when you had more to explore and discover then in most other games. The level design also made the world seem more alive. A game that just has simple left to right orientation seems limited as if there is nothing but a void above and below. Super Mario broke this trend by offering players the ability to go underground via pipes, climb bean stalks and run around on the clouds, and even use warp pipes to skip entire sections of the game. It may seem like nothing now but everything mentioned was groundbreaking at the time.

Super Mario had another thing that very few games had at the time, physics. The physics didn't match the real world but there was still a fluidity to the movements in the game. Mario didnt just jump straight up and down he had momentum. His walk also could smoothy turn into a run. Turtle shells could be kicked and bounce around the level. It was simple and intuitive. Mario and his surroundings reacted the way we expected them to. Before this it was normal for jumping in games to feel stiff and out of control. Now the original Super Mario Bros stands the test of time in its playablity, and some current games do not even control as well. This game set the bar in control and it has stayed there since.

The music we now all know

Finally I have to mention the music. Most early games had one song that usually played through the entire game. Super Mario Bros had many songs, one to go with each sub-level. This technique was not unheard of but Super Mario Bros had some of the best composed music at the time.

The game starts with the tune we all know, an upbeat bouncy beat that goes with the rythym of the player. The coins you collect and the blocks you break add to the overall score. That first song is welcoming and fun.

Next Mario goes underground, the song changes drastically. It is now lower and has kind of an echo to it. It fits perfectly with the underground levels since the music sounds a bit more cautious and overall darker.

Then we have the water levels. This song returns back to the fun that the original tune had but is a bit slower and the notes flow together. This song is perfect for swimming. It sounds aquatic and the music progresses as slowly as you move through the water.

Bowser's castle music is almost a 180 from the previous songs. The beat is very fast and almost frightening. it is a bit more action oriented then the other songs. It lets the player know the climax of the level is here. The music also goes with the sounds of fire in the level. When bowser is blowing his fireballs at you they time perfectly with the music.

The last song(s) is/are not level specific at all. It is the quick pace the music picks up when the players time is running out. I explained this effect in my first post, but I will reiterate it. The music changes from fun and welcoming into a panic. Nothing makes the situation more tense and nerve racking then hearing the "times almost up" tune.

Super Mario Bros is one of the earliest representations of video games as an art form. Games before it were more about high scores and competition. Super Mario Bros was a labour of love and was created as an experience above being just a game. Never before was there a game that had such a unique look, sound, and interactivity to it. Sure the story line was simple but it was the point. The cliched plot of "save the princess from the monster" only helps it entrench itself into the fantasy realm. There may have been side-scrolling adventure before this game but it was Super Mario Bros who prefected the genre. Every game in this genre uses Super Mario as a blue print. You can even see the influence this game has today.