Flash games
Macromedia`s Flash software has revolutionised virtually the entire layout and design of the internet in the past decade, allowing interactive websites, in-browser gaming and video streaming to name but a few. There are also thousands of sites out there offering users the chance to play Flash based games and the power of Flash software today allows extremely professional products to be created.
Flash gaming began its life decades ago in the mind of a bedroom programmer, but it wasn`t until the mid 90s when the internet really took off on a large scale that things really came together. It was assumed that users around the world would want to share animations and interactive games online and so many different companies got to work on creating their own platforms. The first version of Flash was produced in 1996 when Macromedia combined with a smaller software firm. At first Flash was largely concerned with the development of animation techniques to create a more vibrant online experience and the first true raft of Flash based online games were developed in 2001. At this time the majority of games were clones of old arcade or console titles like Tetris or Asteroids, but luckily it wasn`t long before designers with higher things in mind got their hands on Flash.
Flash gaming experienced some problems during the early years cause by two main areas. The first was the lack of standardisation across web based platforms, with certain browsers and websites unable to support the Flash platform. However, as web scripting software became more universal this became a less significant issue. The second hitch was that Flash games, particularly complex examples with detailed animation, music and effects, could put a strain on people with lower powered computers. As time progressed technology was able to overcome this problem, though with each new version of Flash more advanced, technology-straining additions are put into play. Since 2004 Flash games have evolved from being stand alone titles to allow networked play and the creation of global leader boards with ranked scoring. Interactivity and social networking within Flash games has ensured their constantly growing popularity. Some of the most popular Flash games have gained a reputation and following because of the simplicity of their core mechanics masking the deep gameplay they offer and it is only in recent years that developers have been able to exploit Flash to its fullest.
Today there are over half a million Flash programmers around the world and it is estimated that Flash is installed on over 250 million PCs globally. Many industry experts see that platforms like Flash will be the future of gaming not just online but on every format. The ultimate aim will be to shift the entirety of gaming online so that there is no need to buy a physical copy of a game or even purchase hugely powerful hardware on which to play it. Future versions of Flash could allow users to play full 3D games which would technically require a high end gaming system to work. However, you would actually be using Flash to play them remotely with a central supercomputing hub powering the experience for you. This would result in an arcade experience where you pay for using hardware that you could not normally afford and could level out the playing field. At the moment the high price of gadgets for men, games consoles, PC hardware and the games themselves drives certain people out of the market. With Flash in the future we could be looking at an egalitarian approach to gaming becoming a reality.