ABSTRACT
The momentum behind real-time, polygon-based 3D games began as a jog in the early 1990s and became a sprint by the decade's end. The focus on Internet connectivity and deathmatch modes of gameplay in the late 1990s led to the creation of a special subset of multiplayer-only, first-person shooter games. The popularity of first-person shooters led to a number of unique design concepts that blended elements from several game genres. In the later 1990s, developers took advantage of rapidly evolving 3D technologies by making the environments themselves an important part of role playing. As storage capacity and processing power increased in the 2000s, developers tended to skew toward games with longer play sessions and complex narratives. Digital distribution allowed casual games to spread to all major mobile platforms as well as social media websites, such as Facebook. Despite the significant advances in game visuals and game technologies, some developers became unhappy with the direction of the industry.
