Video games became a worldwide trend during these past few years. Now with the rivaling releases of the Xbox One and the PS4, thousands of fans are hyped over the most current breakthroughs in video game history; however, do they know how it all started?
Most people can remember their first video game console being manufactured by Nintendo. The first generation (1972-1976) of video games began back in the late 1960’s, with Ralph Baer and his “Brownbox,” (the first “in-home” video game) who would play simple games consisting of squares and lines which eventually evolved into the “Magnavox Odyssey.” . The only problem with this was it was poorly marketed and people didn’t understand this “new” technology; it wasn’t until the second generation that video games got their kick.
Most people are familiar with the company “Atari,” which helped with early game console manufacturing. It was with these consoles (i.e. the Atari 2600 and the Atari 5200) that people began to popularize the idea of playing video games. The ability to play as little pixelated people, animals, or vehicles excited many. The video game industry sales in the second generation (1976-1983) reached to almost two billion dollars in the United States.
For a while, it seemed that the video game industry was striving until they hit a “depression.” Starting in the early 1980’s, videogames began to lack exciting and fulfilling plots as well as characters; 3.2 billion sales downgraded to a mere 100 million.
All hope was lost, or so it seemed until a certain trading game company decided that they would give game video manufacturing a shot.
When Nintendo began to participate in video game making business, they didn’t want their consumer to feel like they were buying a console, but rather, a toy. Their first creations included “R.O.B. The Robot” as well as The Zapper, which was a mechanical toy gun that you would connect to the Nintendo Entertainment System (NES). Nintendo saved the third generation (1983-1987) of consoles, with the eventual creation of their most important game: Super Mario Brothers.
Now video games had what they lacked before, a mascot, who boosted marketing and commercialization.
“My first game system was either a PlayStation 1 or a Sega genesis, which I loved,” said Kayvon Calaman, a senior in Entrepreneurship. ”When I was playing on the Nintendo, the first game I’ve ever beaten was the old Super Mario World game series. It was long, tedious and annoying but if I was asked to play it again, I would leap at the chance.”
The fourth generation (1987-1993) of games gave birth to one of the biggest rivals Nintendo would ever face: Sega. The Sega Master System had an extensive selection of games that were different from Nintendo; however, not many people knew about it and it later evolved to the Sega Genesis. The separation between Nintendo and Sega began with the SG, as they also adopted a mascot: Sonic the Hedgehog, which started the war between Mario and Sonic fans. Nintendo momentarily won the battle with the release of the Super Nintendo Entertainment System.
It was a fight to the death during the fifth generation (1993-2001) of video games, with other manufacturers in the background of the Nintendo/Sega war. Now the people who made your T.V., Sony, were now making video game consoles; the Sony PlayStation slowly nudged itself into the market and would later be extremely successful, with the PlayStation becoming more successful than the Nintendo 64, despite Nintendo’s creation of Super Mario 64 and Legend of Zelda: Ocarina of Time.
With Sony creating games that had deeper plots, and with Nintendo fighting back for first place, the sixth generation (1998-2009) began its journey. Sega went down to become a software producing company which created games for other consoles. The second product of the sixth generation was the PlayStation 2, which soon became the SNES of the sixth generation.
Microsoft, the people who made your computers, was now giving the gaming market a go. They come out with the Xbox, which was a horrendous loss, but a good first step. They had nothing on Nintendo or Sony, but nonetheless, it began the creation of one of the future most known console in the world.
“I’ll always love my original PlayStation games, although the Xbox has a wider range of games,” said Suzzane Rachid, a freshman in Anne Arundel Community College. “The graphics are better, some of the gameplay is more interactive and it gives more of the problem solving feeling. “
The seventh generation (1998-2009) was sort of a sneak attack from everyone’s part: Microsoft came out with the Xbox 360, Sony with the PlayStation 3 and Nintendo with the Wii. The Xbox began two of the features that later next generation consoles would follow: online gaming as well as game accomplishments, or achievements. Popular games like Minecraft and Halo dominated the 360 and now the Nintendo/Sony war became the Microsoft/Sony war. This didn’t mean Nintendo was stepping back; on the contrary, they made the Wii, which allowed you connect to the internet as well as make a customized character. With the future revolving around the internet, nearly all new gaming systems can connect wirelessly to a router as well as new remotes. Except now Nintendo added a different new interactive way to play: motion detection, meaning you move along with the character. People found that moving around the T.V., pretending to play outdoor activities, was great family fun, which really brought it in for Nintendo.
This is the end of the previous generation and now we are currently facing our eighth, but certainly not our last, generation of gaming consoles (2012-2014).
With the releases of the Wii U, a portable and more hands-on way of playing, and the release of the PS4 and the X-Box One, fans worldwide couldn’t wait for their favorite brands to bring out the best advancements in videogame history people have ever seen.
Video games consoles now aren’t just toys for kids, but for everyone. This is the tipping point of the future, who knows what will be made in 30 years from now. All we know is that from now, they can only get better.
