If you ask anyone walking down the streets if they've ever heard of Pac-Man, chances are the response will be "yes" (unless, of course, they're some small child born after 2010; then the chances are reduced). Games like Pac-Man, Dig Dug, Galaga, and others are memorable because of the sheer volume and impact that they had at the time. They were revolutionary. Arcade games were just a blip on the pop culture map prior to the start of this so-called golden age. Sure, people knew what Pong was, and Pinball was pretty dope, but the introduction of arcade games with their shiny new graphics and bright colors really knew how to draw people in.
I think these games were particularly unforgettable because of the time they came about and the impact that they had following it. They were almost annoyingly immersed into every facet of life outside of the home, popping up in even the weirdest places like funeral homes (thanks Wikipedia, for that fun fact!). You would have had to never gone to a diner or driven around your town to not see one of the 400,000 arcades littered across America. Because of this, it comes as no surprise that everyone remembers these fun little games. I think part of its lasting impression comes from nostalgia, but there are also elements to these early arcade games that have had effects on the video games we see today. When we think about games like Frogger, I immediately think about its similarity to the very popular “Crossy Roads”, which was, in essence, an endless game of Frogger with just one life and one “frog”. Even Disney made a spin-off of the game (Disney Crossy Roads), and to be quite honest, I spent an embarrassing amount of time playing that game. I just wanted to collect all of the characters! Nintendo even saw huge success when it released its “Super Nintendo Entertainment System” for the second time just last year, and, okay, so the games weren’t exactly from the golden age of video games, but come on. The system sold out pretty much immediately, and it was because people were super excited to see the video games they played as kids revived in this day and age of Call of Duty 100 (I don’t even know how many of them there are). But even shooting games like Halo and COD are basically super cool, modern spins on the games that came from this age. And actually, just learned this from googling, but apparently COD: World War II (the revamp of the game that rolled out last year) lets you play some retro mini-games within the game kind of like Animal Crossing let you play Balloon Fighter in its games. Honestly, that’s pretty funny, but obviously someone back at HQ thought that was a cool enough feature to implement into their game, so obviously there’s some very real and lingering effects of the golden age still alive and well today. As far as how these classic games stand up to modern games, I just don’t think you can really compare it. These classic games were built with different software at a different time. Gameplay was (typically) super simple and easy to pick up. Some of the video games of today are so difficult I have no idea what to do with them. Just this past fall break, I was in Seattle at the MoPop (Museum of Pop Culture), and they had an exhibit on Indie video games. Inside this exhibit were iPads, computers, monitors, and different video game consoles with some beta games that were released. I’m just gonna say this now, but some of them were just weird. I’m all for the advancement of technology, but if we’re going to use it to make some whack games like this, I don’t really want any part of it. Anyway, that being said, I’m certainly guilty of becoming addicted to my phone games like Candy Crush, and that’s stuck around for a surprisingly long time, but will we remember it 20 years from now? Will the next generation? Probably not. With this current age of total information overload, I think it’s going to be difficult to have a lasting impression like these golden aged video games.
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I don't consider myself a gamer. Sure, I might have played a ton of video games as a kid, but I stuck with the Pokemon series (which I was obsessed with starting from age 2), Mario games, and Animal Crossing. I remember getting my first Nintendo DS and being super stoked, but I still don't think I was a gamer. It was just a way to pass the time. I never knew much about its history and where it came from. This past week, I heard a lot about the origins of video games, and it was kind of cool to learn about.
The first commercialized use of video games occurred with the (somewhat repetitive) introduction of the TVG#1 (TV Game Unit), which utilized the TV as a console. The video we watched in class showed variations of the same type of code (a dot on the screen that could be controlled by the user) with different "overlays" (physical pictures that depicted "boards") that a family could tape (?) or stick onto the TV, thus changing what sort of game was being played (hockey --> tennis!). Early video games were a step in the direction of modern video games. Modern video games took the idea of using the TV as their platform in order to get their devices into many homes across the nation. Thanks to this foot in the door, Pong, which is considered by many as the first successful video game that was introduced and stuck, was born. What came of Pong was Atari (co-created/founded by the same person, Nolan Bushnell), which we all know pretty well. Pong, though not revolutionary in its gameplay, was the stepping stone to creating the billion dollar industry we know today. By getting the Atari system into the home, it paved the way for the modern gaming systems we know today created by giants like Nintendo and Sony. It's honestly pretty amazing to think about how much video games have evolved from simplistic back and forth play to complicated, well-thought-out, graphical masterpieces of the games we know today. However, with the introduction of video gaming, some challenges were met. There were many who did not think that video games were worth the investment. It was also a different sort of obstacle technologically since early video games were limited in their platforms. For example, "Tennis for Two", the game that most would consider the first video game ever, could only be played on those super huge computers that take up entire rooms that most people have only seen in movies or pictures. Back then, early video games lacked portability and affordability, putting a stop in its development for some time. With the help of the TV, however, it was able to get back on track since it was no longer limited to the mechanics of a giant, expensive computer. Developers were able to be a little more flexible in their work, and players were able to enjoy the games without spending an arm and a leg. This past week, we got to play Pong and Space Wars in class. To be quite honest, I didn't really get Space Wars, but I can see how it would have been a really cool thing to have when it was first introduced. Pong, on the other hand, is so simple and kind of silly when you think about how much time could be spent playing it. People have been playing games for thousands of years, but what about them has made them last for so long? I would say that they are typically stimulating and fun, diverse in the ways they reach various audiences and entertain people of all ages. Games would not have stuck around for so many years if there wasn't something about them that drew people in and kept them coming back for more. Whether it's for the competition and thrill of playing (and winning) the game or getting in some quality time with the folks you are playing with, games of all kinds have persevered the test of time.
My favorite non-video games to play growing up were probably Uno (card game), Pick Up Stix, and The Game of Life. I remember as a kid always having these games accessible. I liked games that featured lots of color and forced you to think and strategize. The colors captivated me and the stimulation kept me playing. Much like a video game, I was tantalized by cool "graphics" and a clear goal. I also liked that it was an easy way to bond with whoever I was playing with. It was also an obvious fun way to pass time during boring family get togethers at my grandma's house. Although some board games appear to be making the transition to video games (such as the Monopoly or Words With Friends phone applications), I do not think that all of these games are conducive to playing online. Sure, something single player like a Crossword or Sudoku would be really easy to implement onto an online platform. However, with multiplayer games, there is the drawback of not getting that instant gratification of having the player complete their turn and know that theirs will return again once the players sitting beside them have made their moves. Board games occupy far more time but they are in chunks -- instead of playing a single game over a period of days (or sometimes weeks!), the game starts and finishes within a couple of hours. In this way, I do not think that online games could replace board games, so I do not see them fading away into history quite so easily. On the flip side, video games can also be seen as superior to board games because of their flexibility and complexity. While a board game is typically set and has repetitive gameplay, a video game has the complexity of levels and often times a storyline. Though both video and board games have "goals", video games tend to have multiple goals that can and will change over time. In this way, I think video games have more staying power. However, once you beat the game, it is unlikely that the player will return. Unlike a board game, the "newness" of a video game tends to be what keeps the player around. You typically play to win, while a board game can have a win or lose outcome. I am guilty of not having played board games in a while. Because of their lack of portability, I tend to stick to my phone games instead of a board or card game. However, when we played games on Thursday (I played Pandemic), I had a ton of fun and wanted to keep playing once class was over. That probably partially had to do with us losing and me wanting to win, but it was still enjoyable. Yay, games! |
AuthorJulianna Yee. ArchivesCategories |