The Evolution of Gaming

Michael Wandel, Staff Writer

Since I was little, video games have always been in my life. From Mario, to Halo and Donkey Kong to Star Wars, I have much experience with video games. I have witnessed the huge developments in gaming and am awed at where gaming is today. But, we have to know where it all started to understand the great developments.

Since the time computers were created, people wanted to do more with them. Then, people got the idea of adding games to them. Tennis for Two (1958),Pong (1972), and Space Invaders (1978) are just some of the first generation of video games to be created. These games were made up of only a couple polygons, and some basic commands. But at that time they were revolutionary and started a new industry, which in time would be worth millions of dollars. However, in the eighties there was a huge crash in the video game market. A huge contributor to this was the E.T video game released in nineteen-eighty-two, which was so bad that millions of copies of it were buried somewhere in a desert.

When things seemed darkest for the video game industry, one game came to bring it out of the darkness: Mario Brothers. Developed by the Japanese company Nintendo, Mario Brothers became a huge success, sold scores of copies and brought the gaming industry out of its crash. Over the next decades, video games progressed in graphical and gameplay ability that they could create huge worlds in them. Platformers, strategy games, racing games and even more were created during this time. Then, the release of Wolfenstein 3D in nineteen-ninety-two created a drive for a whole new game, the first person shooter. And video game consoles had become more powerful, with such consoles like the X-box and the Playstation being two of the most popular examples.

Video games today have become more than just games, and are now social norms. Video game conventions, movies based on video games, books, toys and even more have become popular over the years, all thanks to video games. Video games have brought people together and let them experience worlds never seen before. And new video games are being developed to be in virtual reality, which allows the player to be put into the eyes of whoever they are playing and be fully immersed in the world of the game.

From Pong to COD, video games have come a long way. Kids and adults alike play video games and bring enjoyment to people all around the world. With all the amazing advancements in technology being made, who knows what video games will be like in the next decade.