What is Big Data?

What is big data?

Big data is a concept that talks about the storage and analysis of large amounts of data. However, the concept of Big Data encompasses much more.

In this sense, the term Big Data refers to data that is so large, volatile or complex that it is difficult or impossible to process with traditional methods.

The act of accessing and storing large amounts of information for analysis has been around for a long time. However, the concept of big data gained momentum in the early 2000s. It is a term that emerged when industry analyst Doug Laney articulated the definition of it through the three below:

- Volume: Companies, governments, and organizations collect data from a wide variety of sources. In the past, storing it would have been a problem, but now we have mechanisms to make it easier.
- Speed: With the growth of the Internet of Things, data reaches companies with a speed that has not been seen before. Thanks to Big Data we have systems that allow us to deal with this torrent of data almost in real time.
- Variety: Data comes in all types of formats, from structured numerical data in traditional databases to unstructured text documents, emails, videos, audios, etc. The great variety and quantity makes Big Data essential for its collection and processing.

All of this helps us to know exactly what Big Data is and what its origins have been. Now is the time for us to understand how Big Data works and what its applications are, especially within video games. An industry that is experiencing its explosion.