Post #4: EOTO Video Games

    Video games make up such a large portion of our modern culture. Whether it be an Xbox, a Playstation, or some other platform of gaming, your house probably has one of them. Sixty-four percent of adults and seventy percent of those under eighteen years old play video games regularly in the United States. Although they are a massive entertainment and media source, video games were not always played on a large scale like they are today.

    With the first video game ever created, titled "Tennis For Two", the history of video games begins all the way back in the 1950's. Tennis For Two was the most agreed upon "first video game" according to definition. The game was designed by Willy Higinbotham and built by Robert Dvorak. Tennis For Two's name said it all. The game featured a net in the middle of the screen and a ball that could be "hit" back and forth by two players. This game was pretty impressive for its time and could simulate wind strength and gravity. For many, this marked the beginning for the history of the modern ideology behind video games. Most of the "video games" that came before Tennis For Two were simply computer scientists trying to show off their coding skills and were not meant for the casual entertainment uses that we usually think of for gaming. Tennis For Two was specifically made to entertain people rather than to be a computer science achievement.

    While Tennis For Two was the first recognized video game, it pre-dates the first home console by fourteen years. The very first home gaming console was the Magnavox Odyssey and was released in 1972. This console would most certainly be unique if it was released today. This console came with physical items that would usually be seen with a board game or card game. Paper money as well as dice would accompany this console. The items were meant to enhance the odd "video game" experience that it provided. The console could not produce any sound. The only thing that the machine produced was a few white squares and a vertical line. These visual elements mixed with the physical overlays allowed players to play different games.

    The impact that video games have on the world is much bigger than anyone would have thought. Especially not those who witnessed the industry struggle to stay afloat in the 1980's. Nowadays, the video game industry is a multi-billion dollar industry that reaches more than sixty percent of adults in the United States alone. Through these games, developers are able to tell stories, bring people together, and give us a way to simply relax and wind down after long days of obligations. It truly is the most interactive entertainment media in the world, and it is only growing from here.