New Site Helps Settle Those Video Game Trivia Arguments
In the wake of E3 and its high-profile unveilings of the Nintendo Wii and Sony PlayStation 3, arguments have raged over whose console stole whose feature, and which system maker is really the most innovative. Wouldn't it be nice to know for sure?
Perhaps there's a way to find out.
The BBC is reporting that Pittsburgh's Carnegie Mellon University has created a website designed to answer just such questions.
The Game Innovation Database (GIDb) will be a Wikipedia-style resource for games, hardware/services, and innovations. Currently the site has accumulated over 400 entries, including "First use of in-game research" (Armada 2525, 1991) and "First Game with Cooperative Play" (Fire Truck, 1978).
Professor Jesse Schell of CMU's Entertainment Technology Center, a member of the team behind the idea for GIDb, explained it's importance:
"We have created the Game Innovation Database in order to create a historical record of which innovations appeared when, and why they are important... So many videogame innovations have occurred so fast that there is a danger that many fascinating and important innovations will be forgotten."
The site will serve as a great trivia tool to answer burning questions such as which game was first to employ a sunlight sensor (answer: Boktai, 2003) or attach a microphone to a controller (Famicom, 1983). Perhaps more importantly than settling gamer disputes, the GIDb provides an ongoing reference, allowing game designers to look back on what their predecessors have created.
The GIDb is currently looking for gamers to contribute material, as well as for those interested in game development to apply to the editorial board.
-Taking a short break from playing Moon Patrol at his local arcade, GP Correspondent Colin "Jabrwock" McInnes