Technology
Computational Design: The Future of How We Make Things is Tech-Driven
Future Design is Computational
Design is always changing, and never stagnant.
In the late 20th century, it was the emergence of Design Thinking that upended how architects, engineers, and industrial design organizations made decisions about how to make new things.
Now, the rapid pace of technological advancement has brought forth a new design methodology that will again forever alter the course of design history. Computational design, which takes advantage of mass computing power, machine learning, and large amounts of data, is changing the fundamental role of humans in the design process.
Designing With Billions of Data Points
Today’s infographic comes to us from Schneider Electric, and it looks at how the future of design will be driven by data and processing power.
While computational design is still a term with no real consensus, attempts to define it do have overlap:
Parameter setting
Algorithmic, “rules-based” code can be applied as constraints to test a wide variety of computer-driven designs
3d modelling and visualization tools
Complex 3d models can allow designers to test and create simulations for new ideas
Processing power
Using vast amounts of computational power and automation to make designs not before possible
Designing with data
Applying big data and powerful algorithms to create new designs
Generative design
By creating, testing, and analyzing thousands of design permutations, this approach mimics mother nature’s evolutionary path to design
While designers traditionally rely on intuition and experience to solve design problems, computational design is a new design methodology that can literally produce hundreds or thousands of design permutations to find the absolute best solution to a problem.
The Shifting Roles of Humans and Computers
Throughout history, humans have shaped the world with design.
But now that artificial intelligence is superior in taking on specific roles within the design process, humans will move towards shaping the things that shape the world.
Designers will be relinquishing control to technology, so that humans can do what they do best.
In other words, in the future, designers will work less on designing – and instead will supervise, mentor, and set the parameters for computational designs. Human designers would also interact with a broader group of stakeholders as additional inputs and the frequency of interactions increase.
A New Design Landscape
Disruption to traditional design methods brings more questions than answers:
- How will this change the value chain for design companies and professionals?
- Will AI-enabled computational design tools take the “craft” out of design?
- If automated design “assets” become commercial commodities, will that create new product and revenue channels for businesses?
- Who will own and manage all of this data, and does this create new roles and opportunities for companies?
As we give machines more design autonomy, it will be interesting to see how this literally changes the shape and design of objects that make up the real world.
Gaming
Ranked: The Best Selling Video Games in History
This chart shows the top ten best selling video games, ranked by software units sold. Six of them have been released in the last 12 years.
Creator Program
Ranked: The Best Selling Video Games in History
It’s a good time to be a video game fan. Not only is the gaming industry booming and projected to grow to $320 billion by 2026, but every year is bringing new evolutions in the medium.
2022 saw massive launches in both games (Elden Ring and God of War Ragnarök) and media based on games (the films Uncharted and Sonic the Hedgehog 2). 2023 has already seen the release of major flagship TV series based on a game, HBO’s The Last of Us, and the much-anticipated The Super Mario Bros. Movie is slated to release in April.
But which game is the best, or most successful? That debate may never end, but from company reports and sales data aggregated by Wikipedia, Samuel Parker’s chart of the most-sold video games as of March 3, 2023 can at least tell us which ones have been the most popular.
Top Ten Video Games Sold in History
The best selling video game didn’t need multimillion dollar budgets, sixty-hour narratives, or celebrity voice actors and ad spots. The independently-developed (indie) Minecraft, with its pixelated blocks, takes the top spot on this list.
| Rank | Game | Sales (units) | Year Released | Developer |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Minecraft | 238.0M | 2011 | Mojang Studios |
| 2 | GTA 5 | 175.0M | 2013 | Rockstar |
| 3 | Tetris (EA) | 100.0M | 2006 | EA Mobile |
| 4 | Wii Sport | 82.9M | 2006 | Nintendo |
| 5 | PUBG: Battlegrounds | 75.0M | 2017 | PUBG Corp |
| 6 | Mario Kart 8 | 60.5M | 2014 | Nintendo |
| 7 | Super Mario Bros. | 58.0M | 1985 | Nintendo |
| 8 | Read Dead Redemption 2 | 50.0M | 2018 | Rockstar |
| 9 | Pokémon Red/Green/Blue/Yellow | 47.5M | 1996 | GameFreak |
| 10 | Terraria | 44.5M | 2011 | Re-Logic |
Minecraft sold more units than the combined forces of Grand Theft Auto 5 (#2) and Red Dead Redemption 2 (#8), both made by industry giant Rockstar. Its immense popularity has been credited to its simple gameplay (no goals), creative structure (build anything), and engaged community with player-run servers and additional feature creations (known as mods).
Another simple favorite, Tetris, comes in at third place with 100 million units sold of its 2006 re-release. Millennials continue to make up a large chunk of the video game playing demographic which might explain Tetris’ sales.
But newer games are making up the majority of sales records. PUBG: Battlegrounds, a battle-royale shooter game which helped popularize the genre (and eventually its competitor Fortnite) asserts its popularity at #5. That puts it well ahead of the better-known shooter Call of Duty, even despite PUBG being banned in a number of countries for the alleged impact on the mental health of gamers.
The oldest game to make the list is Super Mario Bros. (#7), apt considering it is credited with reviving the video game industry after it crashed in 1983. The original staple side-scroller has sold 58 million copies worldwide.
Developer Dominance
Though the top selling games span various series of games, a few developers managed to repeatedly find success.
| Developer | Top 20 Best-Selling Games |
|---|---|
| Nintendo | 11 |
| Rockstar | 2 |
| Others | 7 |
Japanese video game titan Nintendo developed three games (Super Mario Bros., Mario Kart, Wii Sport/Fitness) in the top 10 and another eight in the top 20. That’s not including its co-ownership of Pokémon, the world’s highest-grossing media franchise.
American publisher Rockstar Games also managed to score multiple hits, though its longer development cycle necessary to create cinematic games gives it fewer potential candidates. That might change with the much-anticipated GTA 6 reportedly in production.
Best Selling Genres
The most popular genres in the top 10 give players the freedom to impose their will upon the world and pursue objectives at their leisure:
| Genre | Games |
|---|---|
| Sandbox/Open World | 4 |
| Simulation | 2 |
| Others | 4 |
Two games (Minecraft, Terraria) are classic sandbox games, where worlds are procedurally generated and there are no gameplay goals. Another two (GTA 5, Red Dead Redemption 2) are in the adjacent open-world genre, with a combination of sandbox elements and a narrative structure.
However, with new games launching and selling millions of units every year, new entrants to the top 10 list of best selling video games of all-time seems likely. How will these developers, genres, and games fare over time?
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