This year went by far to quickly, and we have seen the rise and fall of Gaming studios and games, some games were disappointments, where as others were surprisingly good. It was by far an interesting year because of the various ups and downs of certain events. One cannot deny that there was an impact on gaming, we have seen a rapid incline and popularity of Smartphone games and apps and the impact it has had on how video games are being seen by the public, this has also revealed to the public just what video games are like, I could remember there being negative statements from the media and politicians about video games, and no doubt, the R18 rating debate has had an impact on the image of video games, and gamers alike.

So to recap, this year we have seen the release of a myriad of great games, such as Mass Effect 2, Magicka, Killzone 3, Rift, Dragon Age 2, Battlefield 3, Modern Warfare 3, Skyrim, Shogun 2, Crysis 2, Witcher 2, Alice: Madness Returns and Deus Ex: Human Revolution, just to name a few but there have been so many great games. Games this year have brought new things to the table, or just continued on with a previous formula, as well as provide innovative new engines such as Crytek and the Frostbite engine. Bethesda improved the Creation engine used for Skyrim, allowing greater distance renderings then Crysis, and introducing a ingame system where the game uses the player's gaming style to create challenges for the player.

Story telling is another I keep an eye out for in video games, as i feel that it has become significant feature in the gaming medium. The need to tell a story is far more important then just flashy appearance or new features. Games with a compelling story line add more depth to the experience, a rememberable character or moment that makes the game worth playing, and goes a long way. A perfect example of this would have to be The Witcher 2, which has a great story line and fleshed out characters. Skyrim is a great game, but story wise, it isn't that involving or even consistent.

This year we also saw the rise of online stores, such as the massive growth of Steam, and EA trying to get in on the market with Origin. This has had an impact on gamers because this means that a lot of transactions are done online, and subsequently we are seeing a decline in retail stores that sell PC video games. We have also seen the rise of anti-piracy associated software, such as DRM (Digital Rights Management) in an attempt to protect intellectual property. This has also had an impact on gamers, take for instance Battlefield 3 and Origin, or Ubisoft/Windows Live games being limited until activated online where the consumer has to download the rest of the game. Online gaming is moving towards a cloud system, Steam and Origin are two I can name from the top of my head, but first, I'll define what a cloud system is, the core content of a game does not belong on your PC but rather is accessed from the Cloud server of a particular company, requiring a constant internet connection to play. It could be saving trivial things, such as in Team Fortress 2, your load out. The cloud system poses questions over ownership, are you really in control over what you buy, or are you simply buying a license to use a product?

A lot has happened this year, and we can only guess as to what's happening next year. Hopefully us Australian's gain the R18 rating we have been waiting and campaigning for, for so long now. I just wish that gamers in Australia get treated more with respect from the media and politicians. The gamer demographic has changed so much in the past few years, not all of us are children addicted to violence (as the media puts us to be), but rather, sensible and normal adults who are capable of making decisions for ourselves and that we don't need a nanny government.