Video Games And The Era Of Technology

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.

While video games may be a fun distraction, playing them too often, as many people tend to do these days, is unhealthy, uneducational, and possibly even dangerous. The rise of technology over the past few decades has led to countless new ways of communicating and working, as well as countless new ways of distracting oneself from communicating and working. Video games are simply one of these methods of distraction. Although they can be a great way to destress when played every once in a while, the fact that they are now available on a huge variety of different devices, including mobile phones, means that most people now play them every day, multiple times a day. The amount of time, energy, and money people spend on these games is infinite, and can only lead them to another virtual level, rather than taking them anywhere in real life. I believe that there are many benefits to playing video games, but that focusing on them too much cannot be good for anybody.

So, I’m going to change things a bit. Instead of just talking about dates and numbers, which can be boring; I’m going to give this a little casual twist. So, in order to start the history let’s get a few facts out of the way. Let’s talk about gamers, mainly because I’ll be using the term a lot; gamers are people who spent a lot of time playing videogames. The Average gamer playing video games has spent twelve years playing them. Adult gamers have an average of fourteen years of playing videogames, guys have an average of sixteen years, and girls have an average twelve years. Speaking of girls did you know that 47% of gamers are girls? I would have never guessed that, but it’s a fact. So, as of 2013 49% of all people who live in The United States owns a console. All of them that own a console have at least two of them. Me, I own eleven… I think I may have a problem. Anyway, now that some of the facts are out of the way let’s start, THE HISTORY OF VIDEOGAMES! Now before I start I want to talk about all the most important events in the history of videogames, as I call them eras. Each era is very important because they shaped the videogames we know and love today.

The 2000’s and 2010’s has become the most transformative age for video games and the gamers who make them popular. Within the last 15 years the amount of gaming devices in homes has risen to eighty-eight percent. This is a large leap from where the original “Brown Box” console created by Ralph Baer in nineteen sixty-seven, but video games didn’t just go through a cut scene and magically appear in everyone’s homes. They have had it rough from lawsuits, heavy competition between companies, and even government intervention. After all that though they have become a staple in many people’s life’s and have granted many young adults from across the world gather a major following and earn a living all from home.

Storytelling has always been an ancient art form, taking people back to past cultures. Some believe stories were first printed on rock, carved into clay tablets, stone, bark and other materials. With the beginnings of writing they moved on to parchment and paper and now are digitally produce. “When we experience a story, we allow ourselves to be invaded by the teller” (Gottschall XV). If the author is good at his job, we are completely taken over by the story and our mind is working hard to absorb the characters, theme, colors and scenes. Early video games did not have a story but with the new digital forms, stories are necessary to keep players involved. Storytelling in games gives the gamers the opportunity to be involved in the game, experience the characters, stimulate feelings like fear and excitement and let the player know they make situations happen and the choices they make affect the outcome as well as motivate them to continue on. Graphics have always been important to the game, but developers are now realizing that the story is equally as important if players want to stick with the game.

The 1980s were also known as the decade of decadence. Technology that had been introduced in the 1980s was not any different. Although most of the major technology began in the 1970s, the 1980s improved on the technology and made it more affordable and available for mass consumer consumption. The 1980s was truly the beginning of the personal electronic device revolution, making everything from computers to music and video games more available for personal use.

A gamer is someone who plays video games as a hobby. Gamers are usually quite good at this hobby. Gaming has been around since 1958. It’s ancient. Few people in the United States have gone untouched by video games at some point in their lives. In fact, it is estimated that the number of gamers around the world is about 1.2 billion people. That is a good portion of Earth’s 7.2 billion population. Gaming is huge. Despite that, there are quite a few stereotypes regarding gamers. Some people seem to think that gamers are all a bunch of nerdy losers who do nothing but sit around and waste their lives behind a monitor and with a controller in their hands. No matter how many gamers are not like this, there will always be at least one individual who will fit this stereotype perfectly. But, this paper will bring to light some things that are more typically true of most gamers, regardless of what other stereotypes they may happen to fit. Believe it or not, video games can actually be

1972, the year the first home video game system, named Odyssey, is released by Magnavox. This main games featured on this system were a light gun game and a tennis game. During the same time, a game by the name of Pong is a success in the public. It is because people wanted to play Pong in the comfort of their own homes, that they bought Odyssey. The system only sold around 100,000 units since Magnavox only sold the game system from their own stores, making consumers believe that the game system would only work on Magnavox TV sets.

Gaming, a word known all too well and the availability of games is practically limitless, appeals to various age groups, genres, and consoles. Unfortunately, virtual games also have a stereotype unsuitably attached. When countless individuals hear the word gaming, they immediately tend to think it’s a waste of time and resources without comprehending the experiences or learning aspects. Some of the benefits of gaming include providing a creative outlet used to express oneself, can assist in developing improved multitasking skills, and sharpened eye-hand coordination. The gaming world, therefore, is more than what meets the eye.

Across the continents, people are turning to new technological developments for entertainment. Unlike the previous generations who were fascinated by television and radio, the current generations are much more advanced regarding their choices of technology, relying on their smart phones, tablets, and game consoles to help them pass their free time. Today's youngest generation in particular, enjoys playing video games. Although parents may be concerned about the amount of time their children are spending on these video games, they should realize the numerous benefits to playing video games that have been identified, including increased problem solving skills and better grades, various health benefits, decreased stress and increased social

Some people may not know this, but there was a time when video games were not around. Like a lot of things in the world that are distinctly human, video games were made out of a combination of innovation, necessity, and curiosity. The early video game creators would be making something that would seem clunky, and somewhat crude at first. But that would completely change in time by the innovators, and entrepreneurs to something that would some day be consider an art form. (Art of Video Games)

Have you ever played a video game and wonder? How does this thing work? Who invented it? Well you in luck because I have all the information that you need to tell you about the history of video games. How video games have advance right along with technology that we use in everyday life.

Video games have become increasingly popular among people of various ages. The more technology advances the more appealing video games seem to get with high definition graphics and better storylines. The first video game ever made was back in 1958, it was played on a Brookhaven National Laboratory oscilloscope, and it doesn’t hold a candle to the video games of today (Bellis par. 2). Video games have gone from big-chunky complicated systems to little-compact systems of entertainment. After the first video game was developed came the first game that was intended for computer use, followed by the first game played on a television set, and then the first arcade game in 1971 (Bellis par. 4). Soon after there were video games developed that

The application of video games in present society is thought to improve education worldwide. In a New York Times article by Sam Anderson, “Just One More Game ...”, he informs both positive and negative repercussions. In this article, he introduces Jane McGonigal, an author, and advocate for positive impacts of video games. “McGonigal contends, they are an optimal form of engaging it. In fact, if we could just find a way to impose game mechanics on top of everyday life, humans would be infinitely better off.” McGonigal argues that due to its present impacts on daily life, games integrated into education would improve efficiency, as children are already familiar with how to use them. This, however, is only speculation and does not provide valid and specific evidence for its claim. From scientific research and trustworthy sources, many points can prove this inaccurate claim otherwise. In an article by ProjectKnow, “How Video Game Addiction Treatment Centers Can

Video games have gradually started to become apart of today’s modern world. Most people play some type of video game, even if that means on an Xbox, PlayStation, or even on your phones. Video games have been seen as entertainment for the human eye, but some say it is more or less. Most of all video games are produced to make one happy through the entertainment through the game. As video games have gotten more popular they have progressively become more than just entertainment. Every argument has two or more sides to the claim they are taking. In this case we have one side saying video games are an advantage for people that play them and the other side saying it is a disadvantage for people that play them. Those that thing games are an