The document provides definitions for several key terms related to computer hardware technologies for game platforms. It defines human-computer interface as the study of how humans interact with computers and the design of user-friendly interfaces. It explains that the CPU is the central component that processes information in a computer. Graphics processing units or GPUs are used to render graphics and handle visually intensive tasks. Memory (RAM) is used for temporary storage and more RAM allows for better computer performance. The power supply provides electricity to power the entire system.

1. Salford City College
Eccles Sixth Form Centre
BTEC Extended Diploma in GAMES DESIGN
Unit 20: Computer Game Platforms and Technologies
Brief 1_Task 2
Name: Researched Definition (include
URL link)
Explanation in your own
words
Imagery Why is this
important
to
hardware
technologie
s for game
platforms?
Human
Computer
Interface
Short forhuman-computerInteraction,a
disciplineconcernedwiththe study, design,
constructionandimplementationof human-
centricinteractive computersystems.A user
interface,suchasa GUI, ishow a human
interactswitha computer,andHCI goes
beyonddesigningscreensandmenusthat
are easiertouse and studiesthe reasoning
behindbuildingspecificfunctionalityinto
computersandthe long-termeffectsthat
systemswill have onhumans.
HCI isa verybroaddiscipline that
encompassesdifferentspecialtieswith
differentconcernsregardingcomputer
development:computerscience is
concernedwiththe applicationdesignand
engineeringof the humaninterfaces;
sociologyandanthropologyare concerned
withthe interactionsbetweentechnology,
workand organizationandthe waythat
humansystemsandtechnical systems
mutuallyadapttoeach other;ergonomicsis
concernedwiththe safetyof computer
systemsandthe safe limitsof human
Human computerinterface standsfor
HCI and thisishowthe studyof how
humansinteractwithcomputersandif
computersare not made for successful
interactionswithhumans.Mostmajor
corporationandacademicsthis
institutionsnowstudythe HCI.The
people nowadayswill argue saying
that the pc developersare notmaking
the pc user friendlybutthe developers
mighthave arguedback sayingthat
computersare veryuseful andvery
goodfor multitaskingandall around
and notso easyto attune to the
servicesthatcomputersgive are now
inmore demandthanthe user
friendly.The importantaspectsonthe
HCI ishow differentpeople are inthe
backgroundsinteractionswiththe
computersandthisis howthese users
learndifferenttypesof wayswhen
interactingwithcomputersthanother
people.
You cannot
communicate
withoutthe
human
computer
interfaces.

2. Salford City College
Eccles Sixth Form Centre
BTEC Extended Diploma in GAMES DESIGN
Unit 20: Computer Game Platforms and Technologies
Brief 1_Task 2
cognitionandsensation;psychologyis
concernedwiththe cognitive processesof
humansand the behaviourof users;
linguisticsisconcernedwiththe
developmentof humanandmachine
languagesandthe relationshipbetweenthe
two.
http://www.webopedia.com/TERM/H/HCI.h
tml
Central
Processing
Unit (CPU)
CPU (pronouncedasseparate letters) isthe
abbreviationforcentral processingunit.
Sometimesreferredtosimplyasthe central
processor,butmore commonlycalled
processor,the CPU isthe brainsof the
computerwhere mostcalculationstake
place.Intermsof computingpower,the CPU
isthe mostimportantelementof a
computersystem.
http://www.webopedia.com/TERM/C/CPU.h
tml
CPU's are insimple termsthe main
heartof the computersystemtheyare
alsofoundinmobile devices,pc'sand
consolesalsotelevision.These are
complex thatbringsthese mediums
alive.The cpuare usedto connectto
otherparts includingthe gpu,ramand
the powersupplyandthisall bringsit
togetherandthe othercomponents
and thismakesthemworktogether
and withoutitall these partswouldbe
mostlyuselesswithouteachother.
Thisis whyitis calledcpuon howit
connectsthemto a motherboard,
hookingthemupall togethertomake
it one whole computerinthe pastfew
yearscpu became more powerful than
before theyare changinga lotin the
Cpu isone of
the main
equipmentthat
runs the
computer
withoutthisthe
whole system
will notrun.

3. Salford City College
Eccles Sixth Form Centre
BTEC Extended Diploma in GAMES DESIGN
Unit 20: Computer Game Platforms and Technologies
Brief 1_Task 2
gamingindustryandshowsthat the
potential theyhave andwhattheyare
usedfor.
Graphic
Processors
A GPU, or graphics processingunit,isused
primarilyfor3-D applications.Itisasingle-
chipprocessorthat createslightingeffects
and transformsobjectseverytime a3D
scene isredrawn.These are mathematically-
intensivetasks,whichotherwise,wouldput
quite a strainon the CPU. Liftingthisburden
fromthe CPU freesupcyclesthatcan be
usedforother jobs.
http://www.webopedia.com/TERM/G/GPU.
html
Graphicscards knownasgpu (graphics
processingunits) theyare usedfor
processingthe graphicsonmaybe a
game or the image or video,thiscould
alsoinclude 3dmodelling,animations
and etc.Theyare alsousedinall areas
of researchthatincludesgames
design,science,gpuare alwaysin
needof othercomponentssuchas
RAM, CPU, etc.This all buildstogether
a computer.
In the medical use termthiscouldbe
usedto showsgraphicsprocessing
unitsforsimulationhumanstoshows
vital organsand parts of the bodyand
thenbe usedto showswhat'swrong
withthe humanbody.Andthenuses
for gamingwise are the vital
componentswhenshowingthe 3d
model of a renderedgame.The more
powerful the gpuisthe betterquality
of the renderedisshown.Gpu'sare
usedas well ongamingconsolestorun
and showthe performancesforthe
gamingvisual,like pc'stheyare similar
withithavingaccess to a bettergpu
due to havingnolimitationsonthe
Graphicscard
allowsyouto
show image and
the resolution
on howit shows
throughthe
monitor.

4. Salford City College
Eccles Sixth Form Centre
BTEC Extended Diploma in GAMES DESIGN
Unit 20: Computer Game Platforms and Technologies
Brief 1_Task 2
hardware on upgrading.
Memory
(RAM)
RAM(pronouncedram) isan acronymfor
randomaccess memory,atype of computer
memorythatcan be accessedrandomly;
that is,and anybyte of memorycan be
accessedwithouttouchingthe preceding
bytes.RAMisthe most commontype of
memoryfoundincomputersandother
devices,suchasprinters.
http://www.webopedia.com/TERM/R/RAM.
html
Memoryis the ram whichstandsfor
randomaccess memoryandthisis
usedas a temporarystorage for
programsbeingusedonthe computer
system.The more ram youhave the
more programs youcan store and
openat one time withstrainingthe
computerandmakingit struggle.
There are alsodifferenttypesof rams
withdifferentaspectsand
performancesonwhattheydobut the
Thiscan make
your computer
run faster,the
more ram you
have the faster
it responds.

5. Salford City College
Eccles Sixth Form Centre
BTEC Extended Diploma in GAMES DESIGN
Unit 20: Computer Game Platforms and Technologies
Brief 1_Task 2
commononesare alsousedto
increase onthe more powerit isand
usuallyithasmore reliability.
Display Anothertermfordisplayscreen.The term
monitor,however,usuallyreferstothe
entire box,whereasdisplayscreencanmean
justthe screen.In addition,the term
monitoroftenimpliesgraphicscapabilities.
http://www.webopedia.com/TERM/M/moni
tor.html
The displayare the image shownwith
the powerful displayandresolution
that can have in 4k resolution
monitorsbecomingcheapertheywill
be an industrystandardon 720p and
1080p. These were expensiveatthe
time whentheywere released.
Standarddisplayusednowadaysare
1080p whichcan replace lowerquality
resolutionslike the 480p,720p etc.
Andthisday the standardresolutionis
now1920 to 1080 and thiscan be
much largerwiththe use of multiple
screens/monitorshookeduponthe
gpu.
The multiple monitorsare becoming
more popularinthe gamingindustry
on howit issetup and withthe users
beingable tomultitaskwhilstdoing
workor watchingamovie at the same
time itshowshowit's verydifferentto
whatit was like before.Some games
have a supportfor multiple monitors
whendisplayingthe layoutslike for
example amapon the screenand
inventories,home consolesonlyhave
the abilitytodisplayone device but
Thisdisplays
whatyou show
inthe monitor
and the
resolution.

6. Salford City College
Eccles Sixth Form Centre
BTEC Extended Diploma in GAMES DESIGN
Unit 20: Computer Game Platforms and Technologies
Brief 1_Task 2
the counteractto thisusingthe
foregroundandbackgroundscreenfor
multitaskingthisisdone torival tothe
pc's multitaskingperformances.
Sound An expansionboard thatenablesa
computerto manipulate andoutputsounds.
Soundcards are necessaryfornearlyall CD-
ROMs and have become commonplace on
modernpersonal computers.Soundcards
enable the computertooutputsound
throughspeakersconnectedtothe board,to
record soundinputfroma microphone
connectedtothe computer,andmanipulate
soundstoredon a disk.
http://www.webopedia.com/TERM/S/sound
_card.html
Soundisusedto showthe audiothat's
producedoutthroughthe programs
and systemandaudacity.These
soundsare thenconnectedthrough
speakersandshowusesof themin
gamingor songsand showsthe quality
of the soundonthe bass,ambient,
tone as well asthe dialogue andsound
effectstoshowsomethingbeingshot
or beingkilled.There isnoendtothe
soundthat's usedandproducedin
videogamesorgamingin general.But
it isput to a simple soundwhere you
couldjustconnectthe soundtoa
headphone throughthe computer
where all the soundiscomingout on
the device whichyoucouldhearthe
soundmore and directat youwithall
the effectsthat'swithinthe game or
video.
You will need
thisto display
the soundsthat
are comingout
of the monitor
or speakersin
the computer.

7. Salford City College
Eccles Sixth Form Centre
BTEC Extended Diploma in GAMES DESIGN
Unit 20: Computer Game Platforms and Technologies
Brief 1_Task 2
Game
Storage
Medium
In computers,astorage mediumisany
technology(includingdevicesandmaterials)
usedto place,keep,andretrievedata.A
mediumisanelementusedin
communicatingamessage;ona storage
medium,the "messages" - inthe formof
data - are suspendedforuse whenneeded.
The plural formof thistermis storage
media.Although the termstorage includes
bothprimarystorage (memory),astorage
mediumusuallymeansaplace to hold
secondarystorage suchas that on a hard
diskor tape.
http://searchstorage.techtarget.com/definiti
on/storage-medium
Gamingstorage allowsyouto keep
and getrid of data, a storage device on
a console andpc are standardand are
neededforthe storage of data such as
videogames,movies,videos,and
picturesor evensongs.A popular
game storage mediumforthe pc is
steam,steamallowsyoukeepahuge
storage amountof gamesthat are
readyto be playedandalsothiscould
be installedoruninstall if neededat
any time.Steamisveryuseful whenit
comesto store on the storage they
have and the features.
Game storage
allowsyouto
store the
amountof
gamesyou
have.
Interface
Devices
An interface device (IDF) isahardware
componentorsystemof componentsthat
allowsahuman beingtointeractwitha
computer,a telephone system,orother
electronicinformationsystem.The termis
oftenencounteredinthe mobile
communicationindustrywhere designers
are challengedtobuildthe proper
combinationof portability,capability,and
ease of use intothe interface device.The
overall setof characteristicsprovidedbyan
interface device isoftenreferredtoasthe
userinterface (and,forcomputers - at least,
The interface device isahardware
componentthatisusedelectronically;
thisisalso usedon computers,
telephonesandmobiledevices.Itis
oftenusedina termfor portability
that iscapable of ease of use,and
referredtoas a userinterface and
usedmostelectronicsystemssothat
people canusedtoget to theirfor
example apple devicestheiriOS
interface andshowshowitis
navigated.Withthatithas simple
touch screenmechanicsandbuttons.
You needthe
interface to
guide whatyou
do to the
computer.

8. Salford City College
Eccles Sixth Form Centre
BTEC Extended Diploma in GAMES DESIGN
Unit 20: Computer Game Platforms and Technologies
Brief 1_Task 2
inmore academicdiscussions - the human-
computerinterface orHCI ).Today's desktop
and notebookcomputershave whathas
come to be calledagraphical userinterface
(GUI) to distinguishitfromearlier,more
limitedinterfacessuchasthe commandline
interface (CLI).
http://whatis.techtarget.com/definition/inte
rface-device-IDF
The company windowsalsotriedto
have an easyinterface withthe
successful designwhichmostpeople
are still usingnowWindows7,8 and
10. Alsothe game consolesare used
withthe simple interface themselves
withthe controllersof the console you
getthe controllersandpc'scome with
a mouse and keyboardthese things
allowsyoutointeract andnavigate
for it'suseful purposes.
Connectivity A computerbuzzwordthatreferstoa
program or device'sabilitytolinkwithother
programsand devices.Forexample,a
program that can importdata froma wide
varietyof otherprogramsand can export
data inmany differentformatsissaidto
have goodconnectivity.Onthe otherhand,
computersthathave difficultylinkingintoa
network(manylaptopcomputers,for
example) have poorconnectivity.
http://www.webopedia.com/TERM/C/conne
ctivity.html
Connectivityallowsyoutoconnectto
lotsof mediumsbutinothertermsof
gamingthisallowsyoutoplay
multiplayeronline withpeoplearound
the worldand beingconnectedisan
aspectof gamingandbeingonline.
Online gamingisverypopular
nowadayswhere aplayerfromone
part of the worldcan meetwithother
people andmostlikelyagainstor
opposite teams,dependingonthe
serverselectionbeingconnection
meansall these otherpeople shows
howsimple youcouldconnectwith
one anotherand became the biggest
popularthingrightnowfor example
fpsgamesor moba gamingwhichhas
millionsandmillionsof gamersaround
the worldand fightstocompete with
each other.
Thisallowsyou
to communicate
people around
the worldina
multiplayer
online.

9. Salford City College
Eccles Sixth Form Centre
BTEC Extended Diploma in GAMES DESIGN
Unit 20: Computer Game Platforms and Technologies
Brief 1_Task 2
Othergamesthat are connective to
compete are fpsgames,thisisvery
popularas itis the mostplay category
game whichshowsthat itis very
competitivealsoothergameslike
moba whichshowsdota2 thisisvery
competitiveaswell asfpsgameswith
millionsof gamersconnectedtosteam
it showsthe famousfpsgameslike
counter-strike thiscontributestothe
game and keepthese gamesalive as
mostpeople are still connectedtothis
by playingwithone another.

10. Salford City College
Eccles Sixth Form Centre
BTEC Extended Diploma in GAMES DESIGN
Unit 20: Computer Game Platforms and Technologies
Brief 1_Task 2
Power Supply AlsocalledapowersupplyunitorPSU, the
componentthatsuppliespowertoa
computer.Most personal computerscanbe
pluggedintostandardelectrical outlets.The
powersupplythenpullsthe required
amountof electricityandconvertsthe AC
currentto DC current.It alsoregulatesthe
voltage toeliminate spikesandsurges
commonin mostelectrical systems.Notall
powersupplies,however,doesanadequate
voltage-regulationjob,soacomputeris
alwayssusceptible tolarge voltage
fluctuations?
Powersuppliesare ratedintermsof the
numberof watts theygenerate.The more
powerful the computer,the more wattsit
can provide tocomponents.
http://www.webopedia.com/TERM/P/powe
r_supply.html
The powersupplyisthe component
for anyelectronicdevice whichpowers
the system,withoutthatthe system
will notrun.Consoles,mobile devices
and pc's are usedforthispurpose and
quite large powersuppliesdepending
on the hardware inside,mainlythe
fact that the highendgamingusually
come witha gpu and that needsalot
of powertorun and a standardpower
supplyfora gamingbuild,thisshould
be around 750 or more watts.But you
if you wantyoucouldgo highit
wouldn'thurtto go higherwhichruns
more and better.
You’ll needa
powersupply
withoutthisthe
whole computer
won’trun.