History Of Video Games

Introduction

Sometimes called electronic games, video and computer games are a form of interactive multimedia entertainment played by one person, either alone or in competition with others. The use of multimedia—in the form of sound, computer graphics, animation, and text—in combination with the ability of the player to control, combine, and manipulate these media, distinguishes electronic games from other kinds of entertainment, such as television, motion pictures, and music. Video and computer games are of significant interest to the public and criminal justice professionals because research suggests that exposure to screen violence leads to aggression, fear, and insensitivity to real-life violence.(Anderson, 535) In addition, video and computer game technology and the use of that technology have legal implications concerning freedom of speech and privacy rights, copyright law, gambling, and consumer protection.

History

The first interactive computer game, Space war, was created in 1961 by Steve Russell, a student at the Massachusetts Institute of Technology. But what began as a student exercise quickly became an industry, and by the 1970s, coin-operated arcades could be found in bars, malls, and transportation centers worldwide. Soon thereafter, electronic games became available as handheld, battery-operated devices and as home console games played on a separate television screen. In the 1990s, the change in distribution mechanisms for electronic games—from cartridges, floppy disks, and CD- ROMs to cable television lines and the Internet—blurred the distinction between a PC and console.(Greenfield, 87) The most popular console, PlayStation 2, for example, is now marketed as a “computer entertainment system” because of a number of its features: a DVD and hard drive, a modem for Internet access, and a digital camera. Currently, the industry is looking into developing gaming and entertainment applications for third generation mobile networks, which means that people will be able to use their cellular phones to play both single and multiplayer games.

The video and computer game industry is incredibly profitable. Forecasters predict that interactive game sales will reach $13.8 billion in 2004, with an annual growth rate of 21.7 percent. In 1999, Americans bought 109.9 million copies of console videogame software, 15.5 million consoles, and 61.3 million copies of computer game software. Sony, Nintendo, and Sega are the leading electronic game makers.

Game Genres

Like movies, video and computer games are often classified by genre. Although game genres are flexible and new kinds of games evolve rapidly, the Interactive Digital Software Association (IDSA), the leading trade association for the interactive entertainment software industry, distinguishes between the following genres of video and computer games: puzzle/board/card and learning games; action games; strategy, driving/racing, and adventure/role-play games; sports; simulation and children's story games; and creativity games.

Who Play The Games?

Despite the popular belief that video and computer games attract mostly boys in their teen years, statistics show that the average age of an electronic game player is 28 years old, and 34 percent are women. According to some reports, many senior citizens (52 percent) have overcome their technophobia by learning to play computer games. Studies show that men and women ...