Hub (video games)
From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia
In video games, a hub is the central area from which all, or at least a good portion of, the other areas link. It can be thought of as the hub of a wheel (hence the name), with the other areas serving as "spokes". Hubs are most commonly found in adventure games with non-linear gameplay, but there are exceptions.
[edit] The History of Hubs
Most video games were based on advancing through levels in the early 1980's. However, a few games pioneered the hub concept. The most notable was Metroid, which was also one of the first non-linear games. Metroid revolved around collecting items to advance further, although they could be collected in virtually any order. They were hidden in five areas, and the first of these areas (Brinstar) was connected to all but one, making it the first technical hub.
Following Metroid, a slew of games with hubs were released. The Castlevania series of games adopted the same item-based progression as Metroid, creating the "Metroidvania" genre. The Legend of Zelda series, another non-linear game from the same age as Metroid, has almost always had a hub of some form or another. Even the Pokémon series has hubs, though they do not serve as the starting location like other games (e.g. Saffron City).
With the release of "Super Mario 64", the most famous video game character of all time entered the world of hubs, with all levels being accessed from Princess Peach's castle.
Hubs have grown increasingly more common as MMORPG's and other genres adapt the concept to their gameplay. It has become safe to say that hubs are now an essential part of video gaming today.
