The Effects Of Video Games On Pop Culture

Technology has been around since as long as we can remember, it has continuously been evolving and changing. Video games are just one form of technology that have a great impact on lives. Ever since the first home game console (Magnavox Odyssey) there have been many improvements to please the audience. Another reason why video games are being made is to provide the consumers with some form of entertainment which can emerge the player in a deep story or thrilling action. There are many reasons why many find enjoyment in these actions, but what they might not understand that videogames are not just mindless violent games.

Around the middle of the 20th Century man cultures started to grow beyond what they previously were thanks to different mediums (such as television and music) helping to push boundaries; with this came the birth of pop culture. Considering pop culture is a shortened version of popular culture it’s clear that many of the things in pop culture would be short lived. The short lived trends and happenings are labeled as “fads”. Strangely enough, some fads progress beyond their short lifespan and actually become a mainstay in the varying international cultures. One such example might be familiar as it is common in today’s society. This example is, indeed, video games.

The term pop culture can be defined as ‘The culture of the people’ a culture that flourishes through social interaction and mass media that is most actively involved in by the public. Pop culture can cover a wide range of materials and as such should be looked at as a topic open to discussion, interpretation as to why it is popular and what makes it popular. Since pop culture includes an expansive spectrum of subjects I am going to be focusing on one of those and that is Video games. In this essay I will be exploring the ideas and theories of why I believe video games have made a shift into mainstream pop culture.

Everyone was excited about a new gaming system that was coming out;“Nintendo first released the handheld Game Boy system in North America on July 31, 1989” (Epstein pg.45). Many families stood in line for hours trying to get their kids the Nintendo, some parents didn’t stand in line for their kids they stood in line for themselves. When the Game Boy first came out they were only $89.99, today they are $169.99. They were the new toy that every kid wanted to have. Parents started

Nintendo’s emphasis on creative games and interesting story lines changed user perception of gaming. High quality of gaming introduced a new breed of consumers.” (wikipedia)

The 1980’s is when the video game industry began to take off in earnest. In 1977 came the Atari 2600. Intellivision came next, introduced by Mattel in 1980. Intellivision, which featured better graphics compared to the older Atari 2600, became very popular. The ColecoVision, the most powerful console to date, appeared in 1982. Like the others, its sales also grew. However, having three major consoles on the market, a

Video games have been known to play a part in the childhood of many people. Although there is much debate about what video game was really made first, Spacewar!, made by Steve Russell and first premiered for the public in 1962, is one of the many games people list as the first real video game. Later, in 1972, Nolan Bushnell and Ted Dabney teamed up to create the Atari company, which would produce coin-operated video games such as their first big hit, Pong. Little by little, gaming technology became more complex and in 1972 the Magnavox Odyssey was released by Ralph Baer as a video game console for home use. However, at that time Atari’s video game system had become one of the most successful systems on the American market, until the market

Since the dawn of new age media, its effects on society have been a subject of widespread debate. The American Psychological association has come to the conclusion that watching Bugs Bunny or The Three Stooges leads to a public which craves aggression. A public which has been exposed to blood and gore by means of gaming consoles such as Sega genesis, Nintendo 64, Mircosoft’s Xbox gaming systems, and the oh so dreaded Play Station. There is no doubt that these fantastic creations have shaped the world around us in many ways. Counter cultures arising around the world seemingly overnight. In the beginning of the video game universe, in November of nineteen seventy-two, there was the ground breaking new system supporting “Pong” from Atari incorporated. Which ushered in a new age of computer engineering revolving around a world of gamers hungry for more.

Before the video game industry conquered the entertainment market, and before the gaming masterpieces of the modern day we know, video games earned their place in entertainment at public arcades. For classic games such as Donkey Kong, Pac Man, Mortal Kombat, and Galaga, the local arcade was the perfect foundation for the game industry to build upon, as arcades provided a cheap public source to play games. These low cost game corners drew in a community, the community that would become the first gamers, warranting the attention of game creators and their respective companies. Taking note of arcade games and their initial success, game developers began to place their focus on the newest form of entertainment. Companies such as Nintendo, Sega, and Sony learned from the success of arcade entertainment and set their sights on creating home gaming consoles like the Nintendo Entertainment System, Sega

Did video game consoles gradually evolve over time, or was it an abrupt evolution? Currently there are only three companies producing home video game consoles, which are Nintendo, Sony, and Microsoft and they had to fight to get to where they are. Is there a certain formula a company must follow to become successful in this business or were they just lucky? This paper will look at the evolution of home video game consoles over time, starting with the first home video game console in the 1970s to current day consoles. I surmise that there are certain characteristics that companies with successful video game consoles have over others. I also surmise that because of the available technology at the time that video games consoles will be grouped

Video games are the wave of the future. Video games have been apart of american culture just as long as tv or computuers have; and just like everything else in life video games have adapted and changed with the times.

Its first U.S. console, released in 1985, was the Nintendo Entertainment System (“NES”) and was the first major video game platform to achieve global success. Nintendo experienced its golden era in early 1990s, becoming the top player in both home and handheld consoles.

Video games have been known as a key factor in consumption in the past ten years. A valid argument can be made that more people spend their money on video games than films and music. In today’s generation, video games have become a part of our American culture. Some of the most precious memories kids have upon their childhood are the video games they played when they were young. For example, I grew up playing Pokemon, Guitar Hero, Kingdom Hearts, Mario Kart, and list goes on and on. My friends grew up playing Call of Duty, Super Smash Brothers, and several different types of sports games. Adults may have spent time in the arcade when they were young playing Pacman, Donkey Kong, and Pong. For the most part, video games have had a positive

It is widely known that the media reflects and has an effect on human behaviour. Books, newspapers, music, and more lately movies and videogames show us where we are as a society, but also help shape our development. For this reason, it is important that they are analyzed and critizised, so that they do not perpetuate outdated ideas that could be harmful to the public. While videogames are a relatively recent form of media, they have become extremely popular, especially amongst young people, whom they greatly influence and towards whom they are normally marketed. According to Egenfeldt-Nielsen, Smith and Pajares Tosca (2013), "For the younger generations, especially, games are crucial to the way they express themselves artistically

Present: When the Magnavox Odyssey became known as the first in- home gaming console, it was such a huge hit it even influenced big video game companies like Nintendo and Sega. After being influenced by this in-home gaming console, Nintendo created their own version of the gaming console the Nintendo Entertainment System also known as the NES which was originally released in Japan. Upon doing so Nintendo's rival Sega created their version known as The Sega Master System. Throughout history most of the popular gaming consoles have either come from Nintendo or Sega. Both companies had their own fair share of hit or misses when it came to games. In the 200's gamers were introduced to a new way of gaming. The company that was the first to do this