short paper
Chapter 3 Summary
Video Games and Interactive Environments No longer the red-headed stepchild of the mass media world, video games reached $111-billion in annual revenues in 2015, demonstrating that the evolution of their appeal is not waning in any way. Through humble beginnings in video arcades in the 1970s and 1980s, gaming has entered our living rooms, computers and mobile devices, slowly percolating through our everyday lives. Recent advances in gaming has proven that this industry is a socially-driven one, meaning that the games have the ability to connect people, create communities and establish culture within their user base. This is an achievement well beyond what other forms of mass media can claim—immersive experiences that stretch to personal relationships and identity. Home Consoles Reign Supreme One of the key changes in the evolution of gaming to the powerhouse it is today was the development of smaller home gaming units with lots of processing power and memory that allow for far more sophisticated, intricate and interactive gaming environments. Home gaming consoles have their roots in Atari, a video game company founded in 1972. Seeing the success of video arcades in the late 1970s, where gamers could play socially, competing with one another side-by-side, Atari sought to develop a home version of its well-known game Pong. Pong was a simple game where users controlled paddles to keep a ‘ball’ on the screen. Atari went on to develop further home games, but folded in the early 1980s. However, Atari was soon followed into the home console market by both Nintendo and Sega Genesis, both of which would prove to be revolutionary players in the industry. Sega introduced its Dreamcast console in 1999, the first to feature a built-in modem with the ability to connect to the internet. This transformed the industry as we know it, providing players with the ability to engage with other players, regardless of location. Gaming consoles today have become convergence hubs where many have the capability to stream movies through services like Netflix, play DVD and Blu–ray discs, play and store music and access social media sites. Microsoft Xbox, released in 2001, was the first to call itself an all-in-one entertainment system, attempting to become the central down-time hub in a person or family’s living room. The gamble has certainly paid off, with other consoles following suit. As of 2015, three major players compete for gamers: Nintendo (Wii), Sony (Playstation) and Microsoft (Xbox). While each has a specific niche appeal to its users, all three feature mass-audience-pleasing motion- controlled sensors, online networks and communities and Internet entertainment links that connect to streaming services. The Internet Gaming Revolution When video games moved online, they entered the field of mass communication, with hundreds, thousands and even millions of players cooperating with or competing against other players around the world. Some of the most popular online games are massively multiplayer online role–playing games (MMORPGs) like World of Warcraft. These games are set in virtual worlds that require users to play through an avatar of their own creation, providing a vehicle to a second identity of sorts. These more immersive forms of entertainment have grown increasingly popular and global, with audiences of over 50 million users for single games. ‘Communities of play’ have cropped up with certain popular games, leading to a huge social-aspect to many MMORPGs, both inside the games, in the form of organized guilds or clans, and out, in the form of web sites and face-to- face gatherings, like conventions.
Chapter 3 Summary
The idea of socially-driven entertainment has also given way to a new and growing aspect of digital gaming: online fantasy sports. In these games, users play against each other in preset groups, with each person assembling their own teams using players from real-life professional teams. Actual sports results are then used to determine scores. Games Going Mobile In 1989, Nintendo released the GameBoy, the first handheld digital gaming device. It was basic and low-tech by today’s standards, but it has paved the way for mobile gaming as we know it today. Many companies have created dedicated handheld gaming devices, but these were meant for people who were already gamers, who simply wanted to take their games on-the-go. But when Apple released the iPhone in 2007, and with it the capability to download apps, digital gaming found a whole new mobile home. With ease of access and anywhere/anytime availability, nearly everyone has become a gamer—be it casual Words with Friends, Angry Birds or CandyCrush players to Halo or Fallout aficionados. Though phone are obviously not principally designed for gaming, in recent years manufacturers have turned their focus to improving that functionality only helping to move gaming from niche to everyday entertainment. The Convergence of Gaming and Culture Other mediums have converged with gaming, including sports industries, who brand and sponsor games and the film industry, who have moved games beyond the ‘small screen’ to blockbusters like Laura Croft: Tomb Raider and Resident Evil. Meanwhile, advertisers have also been tapping into the videogame audience, injecting products and advertisements into the games, or even creating advergames, that is, entire games that are centered on a consumer product. One major concern regarding video games is their addictive nature, but the videogame industry and advocates point to the many learning benefits of video games. Along this vein, the video games of the future may expand beyond entertainment to be used for job training, in classrooms, to promote social causes and as part of multimedia journalism. We should also expect more fully immersive options, stretching into virtual reality and gamification of everyday activities.