The Technology Behind Devon’s Most Popular Video Games

Devon remains one of Britain’s gaming hotspots. It is home to companies like Star Game Studios, an independent developer based in Plymouth that has been making titles and using vital elements from other developers in their games for almost a decade. 

The county is also focused on the future. Educational institutions like Arts University Plymouth have dedicated animation and games studios where the developers of the future can hone their craft. 

It is at universities like this where key technologies needed for modern video games are often invented and refined. These technologies sit quietly in the background, doing the heavy lifting to create the thrilling and immersive experiences that we have all become accustomed to. 

Without these technologies, players from across Devon and beyond would be without many of their favourite titles, as they simply would not be possible. 

Random Number Generators

Random number generators do exactly what their name suggests. They generate random numbers. This might sound like a very simple task as we can all pick numbers at random, either out of our heads or by using something simple like a die. 

However, computers struggle to create truly random numbers because they must use pre-programmed logic to do so. This means that, with enough knowledge, effort, and resources, it’s possible to reverse-engineer traditional computer programmes that may have feigned random numbers. 

Having truly random numbers is vitally important in some sectors, most notably for IT security, where they are used for all forms of encryption. 

Random number generators are also important in gaming, no more so than in online casinos. This is because it’s imperative that games are both fair and seen to be fair, building trust between the operator and the player. 

In physical casinos, this fairness is achieved by physical means, such as shuffling cards or spinning mechanical reels. However, when casinos moved online, they turned to random number generators to create the unpredictability and fairness needed for a positive playing experience. 

Today’s casinos offer thousands of differently-themed slots online, including branded games like Deal Or No Deal Megaways and Rick and Morty Wubba Lubba Dub Dub. With every spin of the slot reels, a random number generator will use some form of truly random input, run it through a computer code, and display the outcome as the order of the symbol on the reels.

Procedural Generation

Procedural generation is another gaming technology that is used to generate randomness. It's used by titles like No Man’s Sky to generate a unique map for players to explore endlessly. Compared to more traditional map creation, procedural generation ensures that players never experience the same level twice, as the landscapes are created fresh each time. 

Even in games where this generation isn’t done on the fly, developers use the technology to create the ever-increasingly complex game worlds. Instead of having to create every single in-game element by hand, algorithms can be programmed to do much of the grunt work, leaving humans to create the inputs and then tidy up the end results. 

Ray Tracing

Ray tracing is a technology used in many modern video games to provide improved graphics for players. A critical aspect of whether an image appears real or not is the lighting. Even if you’re not a talented graphic designer, you would instinctively notice any inconsistencies. 

That’s where ray tracing comes in. This is another technology with a very literal name, as it works by tracing the paths of individual waves of light as they hit and reflect from objects at different angles. It has been used in the movie industry for years, but only made it into gaming in recent years. Since then, it has been helping to create some of the best-looking video games we’ve ever seen.

Sadly, ray tracing requires a lot of resources to run, so you won’t be able to enjoy these stunning visuals as an industry standard for quite a few years.