Types of Video Games

 

Video games are a modern phenomenon that has become the entertainment of choice for millions of people. The humble history of video games can be traced back to the early 1960s, when games such as Space Invaders and Gun Control were created. These games provided users with the first form of artificial reality that has ever been attempted. In the decades since, video games have grown to include thousands of different types of titles. All of these games are designed to provide their users with some form of entertainment, some physical and some virtual.

To the untrained eye, video games can appear to be nothing more than complex computer software or a new form of board game. However, to anyone who is familiar with the history of video games, it becomes clear that video games are in fact an interactive medium that enables its users to take advantage of visual information and interact with other individuals through the use of a television screen and a keyboard. A video game or video computer game is simply an electronic program that involves interaction either with a human user interface or a device that provides input by the user.

In the mid sixty-eighties, a man from Canada named Larry Glass developed the first electronic games that involved racing across virtual tracks using a primitive form of steering wheels and pedals. He named his creationascar, and soon it was adopted by competitors around the world including Atari. Soon after, competitors were coming up with similar ideas, creating a space for electronic games that were more technologically advanced. One of the pioneers of this genre was Chrisfield, who programmed Spacetwars, one of the earliest forms of computer games that involved playing a sci-fi war with a variety of real armaments. His goal with this game was to create a simulation of combat that was both incredibly realistic, and one that could be played repeatedly.

The field of arcade games took a major leap when two men got together in California and founded the Atari. Atari released the game Donkey Kong, which pitted players against the game's worm. When coin-operated arcade games hit the airwaves, they included a coin function that allowed the player to "store" coins in a special slot at the edge of the playing field, which was analogous to the modern-day "play money."

Arcade games exploded into a huge success, and the main reason was that they were compatible with all types of computers and electronic games that were becoming popular. Coin-operated arcade consoles were replaced with video game systems that used their own processors, memories, and other components to run video games. Most early video game consoles featured the same types of components as those found in computers today. This made them very affordable for nearly everyone.

Coin-operated video games also benefited from the popularity of game consoles that were integrated with audio devices, graphics, and additional mechanisms that allowed the user to interact with the video games. Early coin-operated games required the use of a push button to control the character; this meant that, unlike the more technologically advanced video games of the time, a person had to use their fingers to play. In order to gain a competitive advantage over competitors, coin-operated operators added a mechanism that allowed them to add a different type of bonus to each game. These "killer" features became standard features of all types of coin-operated video games. Early versions of video games also incorporated randomization, which made it possible for the player to re-win a game if they lost the initial match.

Video arcade machines gave way to video games that were designed specifically for use with personal computers. Initially, these video games were text-based, but gradually, graphics and sound took hold. Today, the most commonly used type of video games are those that include graphics, special effects, and many other mechanisms that make playing a video game much more entertaining. Many video games that are developed for personal computer users are programmed so that they work well with the computer's hardware and software.

Video games have become extremely popular with children and adults alike, because they provide a way for people to interact in an interactive way. It is common for most parents to purchase video games for their children at retail stores. Parents can play video games with their children at home or in the company of a spouse, and the video games that are purchased for the home usually carry a guarantee that they will work with the specific hardware and software that are used by the manufacturer. Many retail stores offer demos of video games at various price points, and parents often buy video games that are not installed when they purchase them. This allows parents to play video games with their children and help teach them about how to play certain types of games.