Schweizer - Platforms

Platform Definition and Importance

• Platforms: Abstractions or specifications that facilitate the building of other systems (Bogost & Montfort, 2007).

• Digital and Video Games: Platforms can be any computing system that allows further developments (Bogost & Montfort, 2009).

• Platform Studies: An analytical approach exploring the relationship between hardware and software in the context of game development.

Components of Platforms

• Levels of Platform: Platforms exist across various scales and levels of materiality.

  • Programmable Platforms: Include microprocessors, operating systems, and game engines.

  • Microprocessors: Govern low-level functions; example includes the Motorola 6507 in Atari VCS.

  • Operating Systems: Determine application interactions; shape the software environment.

  • 3-D Game Engines: Tools for developers to manage game design and behaviors.

  • Analog Systems: Ron Hale-Evans viewed playing cards as a "game system" due to their multifunctional components.

Examples of Platforms in Gaming

• Colloquial Use: Refers to both hardware and software, such as Super Famicom, Windows 3.11, and Panic’s Playdate.

• Panic Playdate: A unique hardware platform with specific game development requirements using languages like Lua or C.

Game Development Ecosystems

• Twine: A narrative system utilizing underlying code standards like HTML, CSS, and JavaScript, showcasing how platforms influence creative outputs.

• Critique of Reductionism: Bogost and Montfort warn against a deterministic view of platforms, advocating for a broader perspective that recognizes the ecosystem around creative works.

Insights from Specific Platforms

• Atari VCS: Analyzed for its memory handling, graphical output, and the adaptation challenges from arcade to home gaming, revealing unique aesthetic qualities in its games.

  • Example: Visual distortion of graphics such as the horizontal stretching in games due to the TIA.

• Commodore Amiga: Notable for broad appeal driven by technical capabilities that enabled diverse creative outputs.

Hardware Components Impacting Creative Output

• Microprocessors: Determine how software performs; earlier chips easier to understand than modern ones.

• Graphics Processors: Affect types of games developed; NES's Ricoh PPU managed sprite limitations and aesthetic style.

• Audio Technologies: Affect music and game sound; early consoles had unique sound chips requiring programmed audio composition.

Controllers and User Experience

• Key Controllers: Interfaces like the NES controller, with varying button functions affecting gameplay.

  • Different input methods (digital vs. analog) influence gameplay mechanics and user experience.

Game Engines and Middleware

• Game Engines: Software frameworks that manage game functionalities, simplifying development tasks.

  • Example: Unreal Engine handles 3D rendering and physics, shaping game design complexity.

• Middleware: Specialized software for specific tasks, such as sound processing or AI, distinct from game engines.

• APIs and SDKs: Provide developers with tools to interact with and utilize hardware and software features effectively.

Cross-Platform Considerations

• Cross-Platform Software: Applications running on different hardware and software environments, revealing performance disparities.

• Infrastructural Systems: Modern companies creating platforms by integrating hardware, services, and digital infrastructures contribute to how games are developed and consumed.

Cultural Perspectives in Platform Studies

• Analyzing Platforms: Understanding technologies within cultural contexts aids in grasping their influence on creative decisions in games.

• Historical Contexts: Trends in platform studies highlight diverse narratives of technology beyond mere technical functionality.

Conclusion

• Platform Studies: Provides insights into how hardware and software constraints shape game design, highlighting the intricate relationship between technology and culture.