As someone who graduated high school in the year 2000 it sure has been a fun ride watching technology rapidly changing before my eyes. Accessories of my childhood consisted of cassette tapes, VHS, and boom boxes while communications were done via pay phone and mobile pagers. The rise of cell phones and internet helped to combine many devices from the past into one. Now day’s technology has become even more combined, for example the rise in cloud based technologies allows us to own and use all sorts of digital tools without the worries of where we are going to store them. I use to buy cds and dvds all the time, but as many of you know they take up physical space. Digital music is not exactly new but the concept did take over the industry. Now you can also download movies and tv shows instead of physical copies. I was hesitant at first but as someone who travels and moves a lot it didn’t take long for me to adapt to the new concept. Plus you are able to access your digital content from more than one device without having to hook anything up!
That’s where the idea for this blog post starts. I am a big video game nerd and my boyfriend and I do buy a lot of video games. On newer consoles you can download games that are stored via cloud. The problem is the console itself. We travel a lot mostly for work so we are gone long periods of time, therefore we bring along our PlayStation 4 or Nintendo Switch for entertainment. I know traveling with consoles is not a common problem for most people but I recently have been following the development of a new gaming console that utilizes a different approach that could make gaming on the go easier.
Google has finally entered the gaming market and could possibly change the consoles wars as they unveiled the Google Stadia. The big difference is there is no physical console but instead the entire gaming experience is done off Google cloud servers. It allows you to also play your games on any device such as tv, cell phone, tablet, computers, etc. It is a subscription based service that is accessed through the Google Chrome browser and is said to have no loading waits.
I don’t know if we will give in and try Stadia. At this point I am more interested in the technology behind how the Stadia will work because I could see it actually changing how other companies will design future consoles or products. I do see some potential issues that could be caused by the Stadia. For one, people already spend way too much time staring at their devices as it is. If you are able to play your brand new video games on your phone at any time, it will only make it harder for people to put down their devices.
What do you think? Do you think this new approach to the video game industry is the way to go or do you see problems ahead?
This article explains the Google Stadia service and the video demonstrates how the Stadia works between different devices. https://www.digitaltrends.com/gaming/what-is-google-stadia/
Author: Célia Le Roux
Jake Dalton 
I’m a little older than you but I can relate to all of the above. My husband was born a gamer! I like video games but I’m more old school. One of my favorite games was GoldenEye 007 (1997 Nintendo 64). It is such a classic! Anyways, our love for video games has transferred down to our 3 kiddos. I know that there is a balance but I see how video games can be used as a healthy way to unwind and relax. We are kind of a mix of old and new in our home. We embrace the new technology that Oculus VR brings because it new and amazing but we still have a Nintendo 64 that we hook up to our big screen projector to play Mario Cart as a family. Technology is always changing some for the better but not all. The instant play that Stadia provides is nice but one of the problems would be switching devices. The playing experience on a console is much different than on a phone as far as controls go. It’s probably what you get used to that you like better but it might be hard to switch from one sort of device to another in the same game. That’s just my two cents though.
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Yeah when it comes to gaming I need an actual controller. I tried touchscreen games on phone/tablet and I do not like it. With the Stadia you can buy a controller that will work between devices, Probably not cheap and connects through bluetooth I would assume. I wish I still had my Nintendo 64. I spent hours playing Golden eye and Mario Kart in high school with friends.
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Well, my daughter was born in 2000 so you can imagine the technology (or lack of) was around when I was younger, however, I see the gaming world through my 16-year-old son’s eyes. I see him pack up his Xbox console when we go on vacation or he goes to his dad’s house. I would imagine if the games are just as good as the ones on Xbox he would prefer the cloud version over packing his console. This will lead to a good conversation between my son and me so thanks for sharing!
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I asked my nephews what their thoughts were on the Stadia and they both had the same concern. What games are going to available on it? I find the technology to be the interesting part while they only care if the game list will be as “cool” as their ps4 and xbox systems so I think that might be the major selling point for younger audiences. It will be interesting to follow the development though. It comes out this fall.
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I also love my Playstation 4 and my Nintendo Switch. Although I don’t transport them very often, I do love that the Nintendo Switch made it so easy to go from connecting it to your tv, to using it as a handheld device. I like that there is more than one way I can play a game. I had not heard of Stadia but the idea fascinates me. I think it’s fantastic! As an educator, I do worry that students will try to access games from school computers or from their phone during class, but that’s not something I can’t handle.
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Yeah I could see that being a major issue in schools. Since it is Google and accessed through Chrome I wonder if they will design network security features or parental controls to block access on their side. It will be interesting to see how the technology will work.
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I don’t know if there are any problems since I never used this. However, I do think it’s great that it provides different ways to play a game. Also, it seems that this can assist some individuals with a specific mobility disability.
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