The Colorful History of Video Games [infographic]

The Colorful History of Video Games [infographic]

By COLOURlover // November 3, 2011
12 comments

I can't even count the number of hours I've logged on different consoles since I was a kid... it's in the thousands for sure. From my early years saving the princess and beating Ganon to getting headshots and fragging noobs, as I've grown up, so have the technologies that power the video game experience.

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With the changes in technology have come richer visual experiences. Starting with only a few dozen colors in the first systems to millions of colors in our current ones. We're at the end of one generation now... What awesome new ways to play are coming next?

Our current generation of video game consoles (xbox 360, Wii, PlayStation 3) is the 7th generation, with the first starting in the 1970s. A lot can happen in several generations! If you think about generations in human terms (in the US it's around 25 years) then video games have been around since the early 1800s... and way back then we were just getting some technologies like the automated printing press, the first photo and first telegraph. In a way those early technologies helped us end up with the visual, connected video games we have today.

Let's take a look at the colorful history of video games... ↑ ↑ ↓ ↓ ← → ← → B A select start!

 
What was your favorite video game? Remember what the color palette was like? Show us.

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Written by COLOURlover

www.COLOURlovers.comMy name is Darius A Monsef IV & my friends call me Bub(s)(ba).
Chief Lover at COLOURlovers.com / Cofounder of Hands.org
Founder, Philanthropist, Designer, Builder & Writer.
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12 Comments
Showing 1 - 12 of 12 Comments
Reply

caori

Posted Nov 3, 2011
Loved the post! Thanks Darius!
Reply

MissGibbon

Posted Nov 3, 2011
I love video games and gaming, but because I have a tendency towards seizures I can't handle the new 3D technology that everybody keeps going to. It sucks. :( I hope they don't faze out the older technology! I still enjoy playing my SNES, and N64. I'm a nintendo gal all the way! :)
Reply

SmashedMelon

Posted Nov 3, 2011
Awh its the same with me, I can never enjoy the 3DS at its full potential or go see 3D movies. I don't think older tech will ever faze out, I still play my PS2 and N64!
gibbygirl wrote:
I love video games and gaming, but because I have a tendency towards seizures I can't handle the new 3D technology that everybody keeps going to. It sucks. :( I hope they don't faze out the older technology! I still enjoy playing my SNES, and N64. I'm a nintendo gal all the way! :)
Reply

dguzzo

Posted Nov 4, 2011
dude, SNES had way more than 256 colors!! 2^15 to be exact (roughly 32,000). some of those games were gorgeous. the one that comes to mind immediately is Final Fantasy 3 (FFVI in Japan).
Reply

cremedeeemiko

Posted Nov 4, 2011
awesome article! I so miss my Gameboy. Definitely remember all the muted colors.
Reply

zazz96

Posted Nov 4, 2011
I love how the X-Box isn't even mentioned. Cx
I feel like such a little kid; the oldest console I ever owned was a PS1! It's so cool to hear how the old gameboy screens worked, though. <3
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Reply

mollybermea

Posted Nov 4, 2011
I was never a huge "gamer" but I sure did love Tetris on my brothers Gameboy and another fun memory was one Summer when all the cousins (mostly boys) were visiting, I swear we spent weeks holed up in my brothers room each taking turns playing Mario until we beat it. In a muggy bedroom with like 10 kids playing on an old bubble TV set with the original Nintendo platform, surviving off of red licorice and chips. LOL

We aren't upgrading any of our systems until our 3yr old is old enough to ask for something like this. We currently own a PS2. hah (that hardly gets played). And the 3yr old plays on the iPad and iPhone anyway.

I remember when SEGA came out... and the character/game, Sonic.... might have that a little wrong, vague memories...

Loved this post. Was really interesting looking at the details like this.
Reply

MissGibbon

Posted Nov 7, 2011
I used to love sonic the hedgehog! We never had a sega (only nintendo) but our orthodontist had a large one in the kid waiting area, so whenever I think of sonic, I think of ouch! my braces are gonna get tightened. LOL! The things you remember... :)
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mollybermea

Posted Nov 8, 2011
Sonic the Hedgehog that's right! LOL thanks! And the memories connected to older gaming systems is pretty funny I suppose. :)

gibbygirl wrote:
I used to love sonic the hedgehog! We never had a sega (only nintendo) but our orthodontist had a large one in the kid waiting area, so whenever I think of sonic, I think of ouch! my braces are gonna get tightened. LOL! The things you remember... :)
Reply

rainbow*rainbow

Posted Nov 12, 2011
this is a cool post

yay video games

I... dunno, I like older and newer games all the same. I'm better at newer games. lol
Reply

Penina

Posted Nov 15, 2011
I worked for game companies for awhile, back when we had to mind our memory usage verrrrry closely, so we picked a simple set of colors and stayed with that. Funnest to me was when we could go with a rich, jewel-like set. Say, for a jungle-themed scene.
Reply

anniebeth

Posted Jul 31, 2013
Awesome article.

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