Final Edit of my Article. =D -ANNA HUANG

The History of Games

Games have improved so much since the 1950’s because of the advanced technology. Our games now are fully rendered three dimensional with high definition screens and we can play them on our television, computer, or any handheld systems. Games are a major part in our culture but it’s not always a positive thing. Without games, many people’s lifestyles would not have been the same.
The first electronic game was invented in 1958 by a physicist Willy Higginbotham at the Brookhaven National Laboratory in Upton, New York. Higginbotham’s game was a table tennis-like game that was played on an oscilloscope, an electronic device that is able to produce visual displays corresponding to electronic signals. Three years later, Steve Russell, a student at Massachusetts Institute of Technology (MIT), created another game called “Space War”, the first interactive computer game.
During 1983, the Japanese introduced the gaming company known as Nintendo with its first gaming system being Famicom. Nintendo did not plan to market the product in the U.S. because Atari controls such a large percentage of the market. So instead they offered Atari rights to distribute the Famicom Gaming System. Nintendo’s gaming system did not appear in the U.S. market until 1985, under the name Nintendo Entertainment System. The following year the Nintendo Entertainment System was released in the U.S. after being test-marketed in New York. The same year both Atari and Sega introduced their own gaming system to compete in the market.
In 1989, Nintendo came up with the handheld Game boy that was sold for $109 USD. Since games are becoming more and more popular with the public the competition is fierce and many game companies are constantly creating new games, some even containing violence. The games that involve violence became popular because of Senator Joseph Lieberman of Connecticut and Senator Herbert Kohl of Wisconsin. They launched a Senate investigation with the goal to ban all the games with violent content.
A year after the major Senate investigation, 1994, the Entertainment Software Rating Board was created. The Entertainment Software Rating Board rates the video games and then makes sure that the rating symbol is marked on every game’s packaging. That way it can help alert the buyers about the contents in the game, it’s definitely a good way for parents to make sure if they are buying a game that is suitable for their children.
By 1997, Sony’s PlayStation was at the top because it was considered one of the most popular game consoles with 20 million units sold. It was incomparable with any other gaming system. Around the same time, Tiger introduced their “multipurpose” handheld called, “Game.com” to compete with Nintendo’s Game Boy, Tiger’s Game.com also features a calculator, address book, and also a stylus for the built –in touch screen. Hoping to win over fans, another special feature was that the Game.com can have access to e-mails by connection to a PC.
In 1998, Wal-Mart decided to ban more than 50 video games that are inappropriate for underage minors. Right after the Columbine High School Shooting, in Littleton, Colorado, Sega announced that the company will not be releasing a light gun game for the Dreamcast console in the U.S. Also in addition the guns, that were originally planned to be imported to America, which is compatible with the American Consoles, were instantly banned. This results in the Americans playing the popular House of the Dead 2 with standard controllers. Everyone was afraid that more shooting incidents might occur because of the influence of violent games.
Sony’s PlayStation finally launched their PlayStation 2 in the U.S. in 2000. It was sold for $ 299.99, more expensive than any other console sold from before. But it was a big hit, selling out quickly the day it came out. The demand was so high that it was really difficult to buy a PlayStation 2 during the first shipment because there were only 500,000 units available during that time. During the same year The Sims was released and quickly became one of the biggest hits.
While other gaming companies concentrated on releasing the same old gaming systems or handheld system, Nintendo aimed for a more different and unique design for their gaming system. In 2006, Nintendo released their Wii, a gaming console where the controller was made for the purpose where the gamers actually need to move around to play the games. For example the gamers need to swing the controller like a tennis racket or just use it however depending on the games they are playing. This really appeals to a wider range of audiences, especially the older generations due to the increase in health concerns.
Nintendo’s Wii became really popular and many good games were created specifically for their game console like the widely popular game Super Mario Galaxy. In 2008 Wii officially launched Wii Fit which is a game where people can exercise indoors in front of the television. Wii Fit is a great way to get people moving and it’s a great way to get gamers of all ages to stay fit. As of 2009, Nintendo’s Wii is currently one of the most popular gaming systems and Nintendo’s Wii Sports became one of the best-selling video games.
Games have played such an important and huge role in our culture. Games are a great way to relieve stress and also to have fun. Now with the Wii, one can even exercise!