Digital Game Technology - Pinball to Game Consoles - Perfect for the Game Room

About this Artwork 

This is a mixed media artwork exhibiting a collection of computer chips used in various games from pinball machines to home video consoles. This collection covers a period of over 30 years, 1972 to 2005. The increase in game processing power during this period is over 2,500 times. In the beginning, games started out in monochrome and by 2005 were using over 16 million colors. Games went from moving a single dot on a screen to rendering over 500 million triangles per second.

When pinball game designers first looked at microprocessors they were more interested in driving design costs down and increasing game reliability, than in improving the gaming experience. However, designers quickly grasped the potential of the microprocessor to vary gameplay, increase realism, and increase excitement. Video games started as simple games, limited by the simple hardware on which they were implemented. While initially, it was the capabilities of the hardware that drove sales, eventually it was the quality of the game software that determined success. Soon the game designs had enough flexibility in the hardware that number and types of games soon exploded. Game designers, and software requirements, pushed gaming technology from simple processors and glue logic to 64-bit streaming processors and high sophisticated graphics engines.

This artwork would make a great addition to a computer chip collection, or just a great display of game technology for the video gamer.

Framing

The artwork is a 16"x20" in a black shadow box frame, with glass. All framing materials are acid-free. A narrative about the artwork that includes the artist’s signature is placed on the back of the artwork.

Please note:  The look of the artifacts in the artworks may vary, each piece is unique. Also, this would make a great companion piece to my Game Cartridge Technology, which focuses on game cartridges of the 20th century.