Gaming – A Giant Evoultion

The first video game that most people remember was a basic computerized version of table
tennis, called “Pong”. This is not because it was the first video game – there were many
others floating around university campuses long before Pong debuted – but
because it was the first video game to gain massive popular appeal. Today, video games are
a lucrative entertainment industry, rivaling films for popularity and even intertwining with
Hollywood – movies are made from popular games (such as Doom and Resident Evil) and
games are created based on popular movies (such as Transformers and Star Wars). In fact,
the first movie tie-in video game ever created was based on Star Wars in the 1980’s, when
video games were first emerging as a competitive force in popular culture.

The popularity of PlayStation and the Nintendo 64 led to the next generation of consoles
from both of those manufacturers, but also saw computer software giant Microsoft enter
the fray. In 2000 and 2001, the PlayStation2, the Nintendo GameCube and Microsoft’s Xbox
were all released in quick succession, and despite the presence of three major consoles on
the market, they all enjoyed a high level of success. Video gaming had reached a level of
popularity that, unlike in 1983, allowed it, as an industry, to support them. It had truly
become entertainment for the masses.
Currently, the three major console manufacturers each have new consoles on the market:
the PlayStation3, the Nintendo Wii and the Xbox360. Each company has tried to come up
with new gimmicks and innovations to beat out the others for the affections of gamers.

What’s best for hardcore gamers, however, isn’t necessarily what’s best for everyone. While
the PlayStation3 is competing for the same market as the Xbox360, the Nintendo Wii has
taken a different approach, appealing to a broader, more family-friendly audience. With its
innovative new controller that works by waving it around in the air, rather than pressing
buttons, and its family-friendly games – many featuring the famous Mario from their Donkey
Kong days – they have managed to create the sold-out, must-have console for the second
Christmas season running.

The competition between Playstation3 and Xbox360 is more heated, however. Though they
have only been out for about a year, it looks like the Xbox360 is just barely ahead of the
Playstation3 in appeal to gamers. Its stunning graphics and capacity for massive online
multiplayer games – developed through Microsoft’s extensive experience in home computer
technology – has a lot of gamers convinced it is the best console available for serious video
game fanatics.

Many people think that the next big innovation in video game technology will be in the field
of virtual reality, a medium that has been in development for some time and never quite
seems to get off the ground in a commercially viable way. This may change, however, as
processors get faster and smaller and the components needed to build sophisticated
electronic equipment become cheaper and easier to make.

Regardless of where video game technology goes next or who will win the console war, it
seems pretty clear that video games are here to stay. Who knows – one day, they may even
usurp movies in popularity.