Hacker News new | past | comments | ask | show | jobs | submit login

Video Games can do 2 important things (beyond entertainment):

They push the limits of current technology. Video game developers are constantly trying to get betting graphics out of hardware and software. You just don't need the lastest GeForce video card to run a word processor. With modern hardware I can perform thousands of calculations instantaneously with no optimatizations what-so-ever. But if you try to play the latest AAA titles on a 5-year old computer, you're going to have a bad time.

They spread ideas. The average person doesn't care about voxels, but they do like that they can tear down and rebuild almost everything in Minecraft. This has inspired more games like Terraria and Guncraft putting their own spin desconstructable worlds. Not to mention the inspiration Notch has become for indie game developers everywhere.

Personally, this is why I like working on video games: when I work on a game idea I have to ask what it can bring to the table. Why should people play it? What will it contribute to their lives? to the world? It doesn't have to be revolutionary per se, it doesn't have to save lives, but it has to do something.




This can be said about art in general. So it's not very unique to computer games (which are a form of art).




Join us for AI Startup School this June 16-17 in San Francisco!

Guidelines | FAQ | Lists | API | Security | Legal | Apply to YC | Contact

Search: