The Impact Of Flash Games On Education
April 12, 2008 – 6:15 amFlash games have come a long way since the 1990’s, when they were commonly barbaric in design and structure. Today it is not uncommon to see full-length games being created on Macromedia’s increasingly popular platform. But what does the industry movement mean to graphics arts students?
Flash Game Development And Education
There are several technology-based degrees that demand some sort of interaction with Macromedia Flash. Programming students may dabble in ActionScript, whereas graphical arts students will be using the program to animate and draw their designs.
Flash game developers and regular video game developers are fairly different in design- meaning not every video game developer will want to give their hand at developing a flash game. However, employers are starting to put more weight into Flash development, as production times are generally smaller- although Flash is generally limited as compared to other video game development platforms.
Indeed, Flash isn’t always a “serious” platform for debuting a video game. Flash is limited in several areas of functionality, but it still has phenomenally short development times and it remains robust for several types of applications.
Higher levels of learning generally leave Flash behind. There are just simply better platforms for doing what Flash does. Java, for instance, can make impressive online Internet games. Graphics artists are also shifting towards 3D modeling- which is fast becoming a high-paying industry.
The Longevity Of Flash Games
Flash games continue to push the standards each day. Whereas a fully 3D game was impossible just years ago, there have been impressive demo engines that show complete support for 3D operation. While it is unlikely that flash game developers will move primarily onto 3D game development any time soon, it is surely a sign of things to come.
Each day brings more interactivity when it comes to Flash games and the user experience. Making use of a webcam is becoming popular among Flash game developers- who can let users interact with objects in games they create.
Like the webcam, a microphone can be used by users to interact with Flash games. Flash game developers can enable their users to issue commands to objects or people in-game- giving a truly unique experience that resembles real life standards.
Closing Comments on Flash Games
The hard part about predicting the future is that we aren’t sure what technologies are going to come out for developers to take advantage of. A perfect example is the fact that 3D games in flash are now possible- whereas flash started out as a very limited program. Clearly, we can only wait with eagerness as more developers engage in flash development and evolve the current views on flash games in general.
Tags: Games
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