Video+Games


 * The History of Video Games **

Video games are interactive software designed to appear on a screen powered by a computer or television. They are created for leisure and entertainment for those playing the game. They were first developed shortly after World War 2 in 1947. From a simple cathode-ray tube, to fast speed computers running our game systems to technologies found unimaginable, video games through time have immensely improved. Video Games can be considered a timeline in American society, to show how our technology has advanced, and predict what could possibly be done.

Table of Contents
 * 1) Early History
 * 2) 1st Generation (1972-1978) [[image:http://mikediluigi.com/wp-content/uploads/2008/12/tennis_for_two.jpg width="329" height="226" align="right"]]
 * 3) 2nd Generation (1976-1984)
 * 4) 3rd Generation (1983-1992)
 * 5) 4th Generation (1987-1996)
 * 6) 5th Generation (1993-2006)
 * 7) 6th Generation (1998-Present)
 * 8) 7th Generation (2005-Present)
 * 9) Analysis
 * 10) Works Cited


 * 1. Early History **

Video Games developed from a Cathode-Ray tube amusement device in which a person could use knobs and buttons to manipulate. This was a game that simulated a missile being fired at a target in the 1940s. <span style="color: #000000; font-family: 'Verdana','sans-serif'; font-size: 13px;">In the late 40s and early 50s, inventors realized that the audience could move from passive observing to interactive manipulation, a precursor of what video games soon to come would look like. The first graphical game created was “Tic-Tac-To” in 1952 on a vacuum-tube using a cathode-ray tube. “Tennis for two” a game developed <span style="color: #000000; font-family: 'Verdana','sans-serif'; font-size: 13px;">on an analogue computer allowed users to interact with the ball while using an analog aluminum controller to hit the ball and control the angle. <span style="font-family: Verdana,sans-serif;">In 1971, the first coined-operated game titled “Galaxy Game” brought the beginning of an era of video games with the evolution of arcade games. The first notable arcade video game with worldwide success was the game “Pong” which was similar to “Tennis for two”. This game reached mainstream popularity.


 * <span style="color: #000000; font-family: 'Verdana','sans-serif'; font-size: 17px;">2. The 1st Generation (1972-1978) **

<span style="color: #000000; font-family: 'Verdana','sans-serif'; font-size: 13px;">The first Generation Video Game console was created by the company of Magnavox (A Japanese Company) making the Magnavox Odyssey. This was the first home console video game. Many companies used this generation as a trial run to see if companies such as Fairchild, and RCA would stand a chance in the industry. There was a crash in 1977 which caused these companies to abandon their Video Game systems for extremely low demand. The only companies that remained in the market in 1978 were Atari, Magnavox, and Nintendo (At this time Nintendo’s main market was in Japan). <span style="color: #000000; font-family: 'Arial','sans-serif'; font-size: 13px;">media type="custom" key="9660360" width="220" height="220"


 * <span style="color: #333333; font-family: 'Verdana','sans-serif'; font-size: 17px;">3. The 2nd Generation (1976-1984) **

<span style="color: #000000; font-family: 'Arial','sans-serif'; font-size: 13px;">The 2nd Generation started a new era of video games. This was also known as the start of the “8-bit” era. (Bits are referring to the speed of its processer). As multiple companies joined the video game economy during this generation, Ex. Sega, this is where many gaming characters and icon started to appear such as Mario and Donkey Kong. The Video Game Crash of 1983 was known as the end of the 2nd Generation, which resulted when the Non-U.S. companies started to dominate the Video Game business. This crash brought about an end of Video Game companies in the U.S. because of bankruptcy. media type="custom" key="9660414" width="220" height="220"
 * <span style="color: #333333; font-family: 'Verdana','sans-serif'; font-size: 17px;">4. The 3rd Generation (1983-1992) **

<span style="color: #000000; font-family: 'Arial','sans-serif'; font-size: 13px;">In the 3rd Generation, few companies had joined the Video Game race, but giants such as Nintendo had emerged. During this generation many notable characters in Video Games, Ex: <span style="font-family: 'Arial','sans-serif'; font-size: 13px;">“Final Fantasy”, “Mario Bros.”, “Donkey Kong”, “The Legend of Zelda”, “Dragon Quest”, “Sonic the Hedgehog”, “Metroid”, “Mega Man”, and “Metal Gear Solid” were created. Characters like “Sonic the Hedgehog” were created by Sega to compete with the characters that Nintendo had made to have more appeal to games. One of the most concerning events happening was the first portable game system. The “Game Boy” by Nintendo


 * <span style="color: #000000; font-family: 'Verdana','sans-serif'; font-size: 17px;">5. The 4th Generation (1987-1996) **

<span style="color: #000000; font-family: 'Arial','sans-serif'; font-size: 13px;">The 4th Generation, also known as the 32-bit era. This is an era considered to be where not much had changed with the way consoles were made. The biggest change of this era had to be the application of NTSC and PAL to video games. Companies had to develop games in both screen settings to accommodate both types of TVs in the different regions. Also in this time period, both Nintendo and Sega had proven and became the giants of this era.

<span style="font-family: 'Arial','sans-serif'; font-size: 13px;">The 5th Generation was proven to be one of the most outstanding generations because of the change of video game memory. Companies had started the conversion of making games on CDs instead of cartridges. Although this was a big change, Nintendo had stayed with its cartridge for its system, the Nintendo 64. The other thing was that games had started to be produced and made in 3-Dementional form (3D), instead of 2D. Sony had also come in to the Video game family with its Playstation. This Generations portable game system was the Game Boy Color.
 * <span style="font-family: 'Verdana','sans-serif'; font-size: 17px;">6. The 5th Generation (1993-2006) **

<span style="font-family: 'Arial','sans-serif'; font-size: 13px;">This Generation had changed the way of playing video games to a historic point. With this generation, the emergence of online play had begun. <span style="font-family: Arial,sans-serif;">The generation started with the release of the Sega Dreamcast in 1998, and included Sony’s Playstation 2, Nintendo’s GameCube, and Microsoft. Microsoft had come into the competition. Microsoft’s Xbox had started very well for its opening system, mainly for its Xbox Live service, which appealed to many people and was well liked. <span style="font-family: Arial,sans-serif;">The Playstation 2 was the biggest console out of all in this generation. It had sold over 140 million units after 10 years! Because of the early success of Sony, Sega had no choice but to leave the console race with the Dreamcast. This sale production is the reason why the 6th generation is still continuing to move at the pace it is. The portable games had also continued with the release of the Game Boy Advance.
 * <span style="font-family: 'Verdana','sans-serif'; font-size: 17px;">7. The 6th Generation (1998-Present) **


 * <span style="font-family: 'Verdana','sans-serif'; font-size: 17px;">8. The 7th Generation (2005-Present) **

<span style="font-family: 'Arial','sans-serif'; font-size: 13px;">The final generation to date, 7, is one that has changed video games forever. This era included the Microsoft Xbox 360 (360), Playstation 3 (PS3), and Nintendo Wii. <span style="font-family: 'Arial','sans-serif'; font-size: 13px;">This generation has brought motion control to video games with the Wii-mote from Nintendo, to the Playstation Move and the 360 Kinect. Video resolutions to TVs have also became better with the 360 and PS3 being able to watch movies and play games in full HD. Online capabilities have become more convenient with the Xbox Live service, Playstation Network and even Nintendo allowing you to watch TV shows or movies from companies like Netflix or even watch videos on YouTube. The Portable gaming devices in this era are the Nintendo DS and the Playstation Portable (PSP for short). Successors for both systems have been announced and confirmed such as the Nintendo 3DS, and the Playstation Portable 2 (Now named Next Generation Portable until further notice). These two systems are not to be considered apart of the 7th Generation but the future 8th Generation.

<span style="font-family: Verdana,sans-serif; font-size: 13pt;">The creation of video games has significant meaning in today’s world. As technology evolves, the economy in pop culture, and the influence of video games in the society, has enabled developers to create games with complex visuals, compelling plots, and movie worth video games.
 * <span style="font-family: Verdana,sans-serif; font-size: 13pt;">9. Analysis **

<span style="font-family: Verdana,sans-serif; font-size: 13pt;">The technology in video games has shown immense improvement over the past few years. Due to the advancement in computers, the creation and invention of Microsoft with high speed technology has helped video games to use that technology to match their inventions and creation. Video games have changed from noticeable pixels on a TV screen moving at a relatively slow rate, to High-Definition 3D graphics which can track your motion where ever you are located. The internet is also a factor that positively affects Video Games. With the speed that the internet can perform, people can interact with others from around the world. (Ex: Xbox, Playstation, Wii.) Video Games have improved to the point that games can perceive the illusion of coming out of the TV screen in a realistic Three-Dimensional form. The technology in video games have helped to improve information systems, such as in robots for the military forces, medical care for paralyzed patients, and educational services in schools.

<span style="font-family: Verdana,sans-serif; font-size: 13pt;">The pop culture world has been altered through many years from the past to present. Video Games are mostly understated in the market. As stated from the book, //__All Your Base Are Belong to Us: How 50 Years of Video Games Conquered Pop Culture__//, “The video game industry in the U.S. is a $20 billion a year juggernaut, surpassing movie, music, and DVD sales-Combined. Just one game, Grand Theft Auto 4, earned 500 million in its opening weekend, where as the motion picture //__Avatar__// in 2010, earned less than half that amount.” Pg. xi. This shows how the economy of today thrives on video games, as an understated and under mounted profit in today’s society. Video Games also have applications from businesses like YouTube, Netflix, and Zune, where through those consoles they can view and purchase movies and music; something unrelated almost 100% to Video Games. <span style="font-family: Verdana,sans-serif; font-size: 13pt;">Video Games are considered the new film in the society, especially within the 2000-2011 eras. As companies use this invention by man to their own profit, debates have also emerged from whether or not Video Games leave a safe print on the eyes of the people, mainly children. The influence of recent productions of popular heavy-violence games such as Call of Duty, Halo and Assassins Creed, have critics and parents emphasizing the content used. While some video games teach learning and development of fine motor skill and coordination, most popular games promote horror of violence, Foul language, and obscene gestures.media type="youtube" key="n4K3cFkfUMU" height="209" width="253" align="right"Video games can affect and teach those that play them. As stated again from the book, //__All Your Base Are Belong to Us: How 50 Years of Video Games Conquered Pop Culture__//, “In the opening series of the game Red Dead Redemption, you see John Marston, the game’s ultra-cool but scarred protagonist, who’s perhaps named after a 15th-Century poet, board a train to a dusty, nowhere town. Quiet and alone, he sits listening to the nearby passengers, including bigoted old women who talk about politics. media type="youtube" key="769KWwjMO24" height="219" width="352" align="left"<span style="font-family: Verdana,sans-serif; font-size: 13pt;">Then a teen girl tries to school a Luddite preacher about the coming technology that includes airplanes. ‘Man will never do that’, replies the preacher. ‘Flying is for Angels’. It’s an understated history lesson of a time when the U.S. was in utter transition in everything from politics to religion to technology. And it doesn’t stick out because it is done with wit….Game makers realize the industry is different from its old childish writing and has transformed to a form of mass entertainment.”pg. 304-305. Scenes like these would make games more acceptable to people of today’s society because of the teaching it brings with its entertain <span style="font-family: Verdana,sans-serif; font-size: 17px; line-height: 26px;">ment. <span style="font-family: Verdana,sans-serif; font-size: 13pt;">In recent <span style="font-family: Verdana,sans-serif; font-size: 17px; line-height: 26px;">years video games have become a cultural giant. 68% of Americans play Video Games regularly. Of those, 42% Percent of Americans have video game consoles (Wii, Xbox, PlayStation, etc.) The average age of a person playing video games is 35 years old and half of the Video Gamers are females. These statistics show that Video Games are not only an instrument to pass time on, but a lifeline of connections built to the outer, everyday world. Stated in //__All Your Base Are Belong to Us: How 50 Years of Video Games Conquered Pop Culture.__// “Technology is changing fast on us. The future looks like a time for new inventions like 3D to fully emerge.” Video games have the ability to capture imagination of the young and old, they are a unique expression of their creators, and so the game designers will continue to create a compelling framework for play as technology changes. The world must realize that video games are a “play” intended for leisure and do not represent feelings or real contents of an idea.


 * <span style="font-family: Verdana,sans-serif; font-size: 17px; line-height: 26px;">10. Works Cited **

Bellis, Mary. "The History of Computer and Video Games." //Inventors//. Web. 13 May 2011. <http://inventors.about.com/library/inventors/blcomputer_videogames.htm>. "'Exergaming' Is Good for Kids." //Consumer Reports News//. Web. 06 June 2011. <http://news.consumerreports.org/health/2011/03/exer-gaming-is-good-for-kids.html>. Goldberg, Harold. //All Your Base Are Belong to Us: How 50 Years of Videogames Conquered Pop Culture//. New York: Three Rivers, 2011. Print. "Video Game Console." //Wikipedia, the Free Encyclopedia//. Web. 12 May 2011. <http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Video_game_consoles>. "What Is Computer and Video Game Addiction?" //Video Game Addiction - Internet Gaming Addiction//. Web. 06 June 2011. <http://www.video-game-addiction.org/what-is-computer-internet-addiction.html>.