Description: The ‘Saved State’ is an essential feature in video games that allows players to store the exact state of a game at a specific point. This feature is fundamental to the player experience, as it provides the ability to resume the game from the same place it was left off, preventing loss of progress. The saved state includes information about the player’s position, inventory, present enemies, and other elements of the game environment. This functionality not only enhances accessibility, allowing players to enjoy their games in shorter sessions, but also encourages exploration and experimentation, as players can take risks without fear of losing all their progress. Over the years, saved states have evolved from simple manual save systems in early games to sophisticated automatic and cloud-based systems that allow progress to be saved across multiple devices. Today, saved states are a standard feature in almost all video game genres, from RPGs to action games, and are a key component of the modern gaming experience.
History: The concept of ‘saved state’ dates back to early video games in the 1980s, where players could save their progress on game cartridges using codes or passwords. As technology advanced, save systems became more sophisticated, allowing storage on hard drives and later in the cloud. Games like ‘The Legend of Zelda’ (1986) introduced saving directly on the cartridge, while later titles like ‘Final Fantasy VII’ (1997) popularized the use of in-game save points.
Uses: Saved states are primarily used to allow players to resume their progress in a game without losing advancements. Additionally, they are employed in video game testing, where developers can save specific states to verify bugs or game behaviors. They are also common in simulators and strategy games, where decisions can have a significant impact on game development.
Examples: Examples of games that use saved states include ‘The Witcher 3: Wild Hunt’, which allows players to save their progress at any time, and ‘Dark Souls’, which uses a bonfire save point system. Additionally, many mobile games, such as ‘Candy Crush Saga’, allow players to save their progress in the cloud to continue on different devices.
