The history of game design is not simply a result of technological developments, but increases in data storage capacity certainly allowed the scrolling game to replace the non-scrolling game: suddenly, new playing experiences came from games that were data-intensive, and the processual economy of the changing level layout became less important.
Learning to play any game is a process of creating strategies for playing that game, but changing the level layout forces the player to constantly reconsider his or her strategies. In the history of video games, this way of creating variation was superseded by data storage, by new games with vast expanses for the player to explore.
via jesperjuul.net