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Video games are cutting-edge wonders that push technological limits and inspire generations. But they also exist within an immersive world that requires skill, attention, and mastery of many kinds to navigate successfully.
Researchers have observed that gamers possess more gray matter in brain regions associated with concentration and working memory. Furthermore, their cerebellum–which controls fine motor skills like walking and jumping–also shows an increase in gamers.
Origins
Video games have become an increasingly popular form of entertainment, offering hours of nonstop fun on various devices including consoles, PCs, smartphones and even the occasional handheld console. People who enjoy video gaming are known as gamers. Video game design has grown into a multibillion-dollar industry while games themselves often represent cutting edge computer technologies.
Video gaming’s roots can be traced back to the 1950s when computer scientists began designing simple electronic games to test out their computers’ capabilities. Early titles included tic-tac-toe and chase games; soon thereafter these technologies quickly found themselves becoming popular arcade titles, where gamers could compete against one another.
Spacewar was one of the early video games created at MIT during the 1960s, and featured two-player co-opetition between students to destroy each other’s spaceships while dodging a black hole at its center of the screen. Though not commercially successful, its code became widely distributed and became immensely popular with both other MIT students as well as computer hobbyists.
Magnavox and Atari both produced home video game consoles during the 1970s, with Atari’s Pong game becoming particularly popular and inspiring many arcade titles to be developed. Furthermore, due to being programmable systems these systems enabled game development from hardware design; leading companies like Activision which solely focus on developing video game software.
Characters
Video games give gamers the ability to explore new worlds and inhabit characters for themselves. While many puzzle-solving titles provide challenging mind games, others such as Nintendo’s Breath of the Wild and Ubisoft’s Assassin’s Creed series offer more immersive experiences into familiar or far-off locales with real or fictional characters interacting with each other and providing immersive stories and interactions – these are among the games which have been recognized for their level of inclusivity, impactful storytelling, and innovative game design.
Video game designers face an unprecedented challenge in creating characters that resonate with players’ moral compass. They must often rely on visual cues that convey a character’s moral standing without providing explicit details such as whether they are fair or cruel, with interactive elements giving players more time to discover a character’s sinister sides than watching a film or television series would allow.
Some notable video game characters with no moral code include the sarcastic artificial intelligence GLaDOS in Portal, Allie from Ni no Kuni Wrath of the White Witch and Sam from Death Stranding; among many others. All of these characters have become iconic figures within popular culture and inspired numerous memes on TikTok and beyond.
Genres
There are various genres of video games, with certain being more prevalent than others – for instance, shooter holds the highest market share percentage. New games keep coming out, creating new genres while others die away over time. Genres help gamers choose which titles they play while video game sellers and developers create targeted marketing campaigns; parents may wish to avoid certain genres such as ‘shooter’ or ‘fighting’ due to their potential gore and realistic violence content.
Logic video games involve logic puzzles that require players to solve problems in order to advance through the game, including tile-matching games like Tetris and maze games, with adventure and instructive titles often falling under this genre.
Role-playing video games (RPGs) have long been a fan favourite, with players immersing themselves into a fantasy world and taking control of characters to complete quests, collect items, fight, level up and ultimately reach the conclusion of various story lines. RPGs typically include world maps, inventories, skill/ability unlocks, experience points levelling systems and NPC interactions as common components.
Simulation video game genre aims to replicate real or hypothetical events/experiences through simulation, such as Gran Turismo series, Microsoft Flight Simulator, F1 racing games, farming simulators or space exploration games to name just a few.
Controls
Video games require players to input controls that define what will occur within the game, often in the form of keyboard-shaped controllers with buttons, analog sticks and motion detection systems. Specialized controllers for specific games, like steering wheels or light guns may also be available.
Since 1978, controllers used in video games have experienced considerable evolution to meet hardcore gamers’ desire for immersive, emotionally-charged story-based experiences and new input methods such as virtual reality (VR). They’ve also kept pace with advances in gaming technology that now allows more immersive experiences as well as innovative methods like VR.
A typical console controller features two analog sticks on top, two directional pads, four face buttons (X, Y, A and B) as well as triggers for L1 and R1 triggers and an Snipping Screenshot button.
One of the key aspects of good video game controls is responsiveness – that is, how quickly a system responds to player input signals and then processes and displays them on-screen. It should not frustrate players at any point during this interaction cycle. Other important components of effective controls include accessibility – that is how easy it is for disabled or learning disabled players to use the controllers.
Platforms
Gaming platforms are physical devices used to enable video game playback. They may be portable or non-portable devices that come in various shapes and sizes. Some models even feature additional features or accessories – making gaming platforms available across computers, consoles, handheld devices and mobile phones.
One of the most beloved genres in video game history has long been platform games, typically single screen titles that provide players with complex challenges and objectives to complete. Such obstacles may include deadly traps or formidable foes; most often designed from a third-person perspective but recent titles have experimented with first-person perspectives as well.
Since the late ’90s, platform genre video games have seen declining interest and now account for only 2.1% of total market. Yet recent trends indicate there may be renewed enthusiasm for platform genre titles in 2019.
PCs and consoles are among the most widely-used gaming platforms, enabling gamers to access a vast variety of games with high quality graphics. PC gaming platforms are especially versatile; gamers can access games using keyboards, mice or game controllers – as well as play online multiplayer games with exclusive features that are only accessible from a PC platform. Furthermore, this has allowed developers to create more complex titles compatible with multiple PC models.
Software
Video games offer an immersive entertainment experience that blends artistic creativity with interactive play. Combining 3D art, CG effects and architecture with dramatic performances, music and storytelling – as well as player interaction in computer simulations that enable their game scenario to play out differently every time – makes video games an exciting form of media or entertainment that empowers and meaningful for people of all ages. However, some groups have claimed they promote violence or antisocial behaviour, addiction or even suicide – yet others claim their benefits can’t compare to more traditional forms like media or entertainment.
PC games traditionally had an intimidating entry barrier; however, many developers have created simple game design software programs to make creating video games much simpler. Users can now design video games without writing code themselves – further expanding the gaming industry’s appeal and accessibility. Some programs specialize in 2-D creation while others can accommodate advanced 3-D creations; still others specialize in certain genres like fighting or role-playing games.
Given the complexity and multifaceted creative elements present in video games, it is necessary to examine how they are classified under copyright law. Different jurisdictions regard them differently; some consider them functional software while others treat them as audiovisual works. An international agreement on their legal status would help minimize abuses while guaranteeing those responsible are adequately remunerated for their work.
