So we must begin by asking the question: What are Video Games?
Simply put, the textbook definition of video games is, “Playing a game on an electronic using an input device to manipulate visual outputs.” In our world, video games hold an important place in the hearts of many as they are the most widespread, the most innovative, and the best form of entertainment in the highest quality possible today.
A Brief History of Video Games
The earliest examples of video gaming are from the late 1940s. The first ever video gaming device was from the year 1947. It was called the “Cathode Ray Tube Amusement Device” and was filed for a patent on 25 January 1947, by Thomas T. Goldsmith Jr. and Estle Ray Mann, and issued on 14 December 1948. It was an analog computer in which players controlled a reticle on screen to simulate missiles being fired. From there, video gaming devices evolved as they grew ever more popular and by the 1970s, there were arcades which were public places where you would be allowed access to a whole host of arcade cabinets. These were specialized consoles designed to let you play a single game using joysticks and buttons at the cost of a coin. However, gaming at home wasn’t a thing until 1977. With the release of the Atari 2600, a new era began where you could own your own, compact console and buy a collection of video games. The controller comprised a joystick and a single button. This was the First-Generation of video games with many other companies releasing their own home consoles. When desktop computers gained popularity, in the early 1980s, home computer games became popular following the video game crash of 1983. In the 1990s, PC games lost mass-market traction to console games, before enjoying a resurgence in the mid-2000s through digital distribution. This brings us to the present; 2020. We are currently in the 8th generation of consoles with the 9th generation just around the corner.
Gaming Today
At the present, we are in the 8th generation of gaming consoles, with the 9th generation just around the corner. There are only three kinds of consoles in the current generation; namely the PlayStation 4, XBOX ONE and the Nintendo Switch. PC gaming is the highest quality of gaming and is the most widely preferred all over the world. The games themselves have evolved for the better, they are capable of telling a deep and intricate story exactly like a movie if not better than one. The realism and immersive-ness fabricated by present-day video games are unmatched by any other form of entertainment.
The Future of Gaming
The 9th generation of consoles is set to take gaming to a whole new level. Consoles will be able to output displays up to 8K UHDR (Ultra High-Definition Resolution) which are locked at 60-120 FPS (Frames Per Second). Despite PC being the most powerful gaming device, it is in fact a new generation of consoles, that sets the standards for PC upgrades that appear in the market about a year after the initial beginning of each console generation. There are thousands of brands of PCs so gamers have an endless variety to choose from, not to mention the various customizations available that have an equally infinite catalogue. Also, haptics and tension triggers on future controllers on consoles can help you actually FEEL the tools your character is using and explosions and impacts can be felt through controller vibrations while the tension that is normally felt while using a gun or a bow can be felt through the triggers.
Why Gaming?
Gaming puts you right into a fascinating world and be the very character you see on-screen. Various games even let you build and design YOUR OWN structures and drastically hone your creativity. One of the reasons why video games are more immersive than movies is that in a movie, you get to see the action, whereas in a video game, you get to live and BE the action. You get to interact with the whole world around you and manipulate it however you wish. Nowadays, the difference between a movie and a video game is very simple. In one, you get to watch a series of events, generally through a third-person perspective. In the other, you get to experience it right through the eyes of the protagonist and is just as good as BEING present right there to experience it along with the whole host of characters the game provides you with.
And THAT, is why I believe gaming is THE best hobby and form of entertainment today.
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