Gameplay and Interactivity - Stone Age Research

The Stone Age - Research

My aim for this work is to research what type of tools were used in the stone age, what materials were used and what they were used for. I hope to discover new tools which aren't around currently for inspiration for tools/weapons which could be used in a game. I will also use this opportunity to view images of these tools to see what the texture of them looks like. Having this knowledge will help if I decide to make a game set in this era to create a realistic appearance to players.

The Stone Age's Tools

Tools have always been needed for humans to survive and evolve, tools allow humans to create or modify anything depending on the tools functionality and the users skill. These tools allow humans to interact with their surroundings in ways which weren't previously possible and tools have been used since the stone age.

In the stone age different materials were used (despite the name). However because stone doesn't corrode or get destroyed as easily as other materials, more stone artifacts are left over. This allows archaeologists to find sites where early humans lived and often allows them to estimate through evidence roughly when they were using the artifacts.
At the start of the stone age humans when tools were originally developed (roughly 2.6 million years ago), there were only basic tools (nothing more than shaped rocks). However about 1.7 million years ago, they started to make tools such as hand axes and other cutting tools.

As time went by the progression of their technology and innovation advanced further, roughly 200,000 years ago they had points in their stone kits. This meant that different tools could be fashioned and new materials used. This is when spears, stone awls and scrapers could be made, they could use these tools for the preparation of: wood, hide and other materials.
And even later on, near the end of the stone age, innovation for new tools only increased. People experimented for identity in their culture as their craftsmanship had increased dramatically, they even experimented with other materials such as: ivory, bone and antlers. They still used stone though and often combined materials to create tools which varied.

Reflection:

I believe that my research has been successful, I've learnt how tools advanced through this time period and the materials used. I also learnt of new tools like the stone awl and the fact that in the late stone age some tools were made from antlers, which really surprised me. I feel that there are probably more tools which I haven't discovered in my research time, however if I create anything based on the stone age I will do further research to discover them.

References:

Smithsonian National Museum of Natural History (2015) Stone Tools [Online] Available from: http://humanorigins.si.edu/evidence/behavior/tools [Accessed: 2nd October 2015]

Benito Álvarez J-M. (2007) File:Bifaz eliptico.jpg [Online] Available from: https://commons.wikimedia.org/wiki/File:Bifaz_eliptico.jpg [Accessed: 2nd October 2015]

Vasnetsov V. (1883) Stone Age [Online] Available from: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Stone_Age [Accessed: 2nd October 2015]