10 Paragraphs about Video Games

Paragraphs on Video Games

  1. The video game industry made its commercial debut in the early 1970s, when the costs of manufacturing electronics were much more manageable. But since the late 1950s there were precursors in technological institutes and universities, such as “Tennis for Two” (1958) or “Spacewar!” (1962), considered non-commercial pioneers of video games, since they required sophisticated machinery for the time, such as oscilloscopes. However, with a version of “Spacewar!” for a PDP-6/PDP-10 computer, the first video game championship in history was held in 1972.
  2. Every video game is a software entertainment, contained on discs or some type of physical support and executed on an electronic or computer device, which can be a traditional computer, a tablet, a smartphone or a home video game console, that is, a playful device that connects to the television screen and receives instructions from the user through different types of commands or controls.
  3. At the end of the 20th century, the video game industry went from being an oddity to occupying a very prominent place in the commercial entertainment sector, especially in industrialized nations. It is estimated that in 2010 its total sales have been around 22.4 billion dollars, only in the United States. The global video game market is controlled by the oligopoly of its three main developer companies: Sony (13% economic participation in the sector), Microsoft (12%) and Nintendo (12%). However, there are many other “indie” companies, that is, independent ones.
  4. Video games, in general, offer a gaming experience based on multiple sensory stimuli. They combine visual animation with music and sound effects, as well as vibration of controls or force feedback, in some cases. Its purpose is to provide the player with some kind of story or interactive situation, through the use of artificial intelligence.
  5. Originally, video games were sold on their own small electronic device, that is, to change the game you had to buy an entirely different device. Later, video game consoles appeared, in which you could switch between one game and another by inserting the cartridge, disc or device that contained the game. And then computer games arose, which required installation on a personal computer. The most recent trend in this regard has to do with video games. on-linethat is, they are played on the Internet and require more of a fast connection than a physical support, whether on computers, computers, phones or tablets.
  6. The long-term effects of video games in childhood have always been a controversial topic. Many times the industry has been blamed for the violent behavior of some young people or even for the appearance of epilepsy. Today we know that video games are not more dangerous than other forms of entertainment, but that many times the lights and visual effects they have can trigger dangerous episodes in epileptic or photosensitive people.
  7. Videogames constitute at the beginning of the 21st century one of the forms of entertainment most consumed by the youth population, although there is also an audience of adults between 30 and 50 years of age. Its popularity and acceptance have been such that since the late 1990s formal championships have been held e-sportsthat is, electronic sports or cyber sports.
  8. Many video games are considered forms of narration close to art or properly artistic, with an aesthetic, sensitive and human content comparable, for example, with that of literature or cinema. In the first decades of the 21st century, many industrialized nations characterized video games in their laws as “cultural assets” that deserve legal protection and that are part of the cultural heritage of nations.
  9. One of the biggest health concerns around video games has to do with compulsive gambling or gambling addiction, especially in the child or youth population. This phenomenon can hinder people’s academic, social, and even intellectual performance, just as any other form of addiction could. There is, however, debate as to what would be a healthy amount of video game exposure time.
  10. When classifying video games, gameplay is usually taken into account, rather than visual or narrative differences. Thus, we can distinguish between:
    • Fight games. The player controls a character and must fight others who oppose him, either in turns, such as in a wrestling contest, or continuously, as progress is made through a scenario (“Beat ’em up” or “Hack n’ Slash”). For example: “Street Fighter” (1987), “Marvel vs. Capcom” (1996) or “Super Smash Bros.” (1999).
    • Arcade games. They are repetitive in nature and simple in appearance, generally two-dimensional, and the player relies entirely on their reflexes and continuously pressing a fire button, endlessly advancing through the level. They are associated with the infancy of the industry, when there were gaming machines (“maquinitas” or Arcadian) activated by coins. For example: “Space invaders” (1978), “Pac-Man” (1980) or “Duck Hunt” (1984).
    • platform games. The player controls a character who must move through a two-dimensional world, avoiding physical obstacles with jumps, climbs, and other types of physical actions. They are generally inclined towards linear adventure or action stories. For example: “Super Mario Bros.” (1985), “Megaman” (1987) or “Crash Bandicoot” (1996).
    • Shooters. The experience consists of hitting a weapon (or several) at the enemies that appear successively, while going through some type of scenario. Depending on your perspective of the character, these games can be first person (FPS or First Person Shooter), third person (TPS or Third Person Shooter) either Shoot ’em up (Arcade type two-dimensional, generally seen from a wide shot). For example: “Doom” (1993), “Call of Duty” (2003) or “No more Heroes” (2007).
    • Role playing games (RPG or Role Playing Game). The player controls a character through a long and complex adventure, accumulating items, experience points, and making decisions related to the plot or individual character development. For example: “Final Fantasy” (1987), “Mass Effect” (2007) or “World of Warcraft” (2004).
    • Strategy games. The player must control numerous variables, elements, characters or objects in a tactical way, to face adverse situations, using logic more than reflexes. They can address very different themes, from war to building civilizations. For example: “Civilization” (1991), “Heroes of Might and Magic” (1995) or “StarCraft” (1998).
    • Simulation games. Situations are recreated realistically and in the first or third person, such as driving a vehicle, going to war, driving an artificial life or taking the reins of a government. For example: “Microsoft Flight Simulator” (1982), “Sim City” (1989) or “The Sims” (2000).
    • sports games. The player must compete against artificial intelligence or against other players in a specific sport. For example: “Super Tennis” (1991), “Tony Hawk’s Pro Skater” (1999) or “Wii Sports” (2006).
    • Adventure games. The player accompanies a character throughout a story and is in charge of making the pertinent decisions for him or solving enigmas and riddles. Some involve much more text than hand-eye reflex situations (called “adventure games”). For example: “The Legend of Zelda” (1986), “The Secret of Monkey Island” (1990), “Grim Fandango” (1998).
    • horror and survival games. The player must face terrifying or paranoid situations, told in the first or third person, in which the psychological factor is very important. For example: “Resident Evil” (1996), “Silent Hill” (1999) or “The Last of Us” (2013).

It is important to take into account that these categories are not mutually exclusive, so we can play a role-playing and strategy game, or a combat simulation, for example.

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