The video games industry today has evolved, adapted and advanced dramatically involving profoundly new and improved technologies, increasing communication (online and through the social aspect of gaming) and entertainment, since it first emerged in the 1920’s with the early pinball machines, continuing further into the 1960’s, with the first videogame called ‘Space War’ produced in 1962 by Steve Russell (Merino 2006) and further developing to become the successful multi billion global phenomenon that it is today. It can be argued that this popularity and success has only been brought about by the processes of localisation and convergence. It is believed that these notions are an ‘integral part of the development cycle’ (Merino 2006), providing the videogames industry with significant factors and features that have influenced its development into the vast, successful and lucrative industry it has become in contemporary society. Video games can be described in a broad sense as ‘electronic games, computer games and video games’ (Encyclopoedia Brittanica 2001), ranging from pinball machines to handheld game consoles, used for amusement and entertainment. I am going to be discussing the significance of the two concepts, convergence and localisation and express the importance and impact they have upon us in helping us to understand today’s global videogames industry. Convergence is the ‘integration of the entertainment industry’ (Whiteman 2010), and the assimilation and incorporation of communication, ‘computing and media technologies, and hence the integration of the businesses, markets and the social interaction associated with them’ (Hartley 2002: 39). This means that technology has evolved so much so that products are bec... ... middle of paper ... ... Studies, Volume 7 (1): 33-43 Hartley, J.(2002). Communication, Culture and Media Studies, The Key Concepts. New York: Routledge. Merino, M. B. (2006) ‘On the Translation of Video Games’, The Journal of Specialised Translation, issue 6, http://www.jostrans.org/issue06/art_bernal.php [accessed 11/03/2010] Mongiron, C. and O’Hagan, M. (2006) ‘Game Localisation: Unleashing Imagination with ‘Restricted’ Translation.’ The Journal of Specialised Translation 6: 10-21 Sony (2010) http://www.scei.co.jp/corporate/data/bizdatajpn_e.html [Accessed 13/03/2010] Thayer, A., Kolko, B.E. (2004). ‘Localization of Digital Games: The Process of Blending for the Global Games Market.’ Technical Communication 51 (4): 477-488. Whiteman, N (2010) ‘Videogames and Games Cultures in a Global context’, The Media in the International Context, University of Leicester
An examination of videogames in popular culture is a complicated one. There is a large debate as to what is the very first video game. The supposed earliest known video game was created by Thomas T. Goldsmith Jr. and Estle Ray Mann on a cathode ray tube in 1947. The game was a missile simulator similar to radar displays from World War II, and overlaid sheets of paper were used for targets since graphics were unknown at this time. On May 5, 1951, the NIMROD computer was presented in Britain. It used a panel of lights for its display and was used to play a game called “NIM”. Later, in 1952, Alexander S. Douglas made the first compu...
Kent, S. (2001). The Ultimate History of Video Games. New York City, New York: Three Rivers Press.
Video games started as arcade machines with simple graphics and even simpler stories, soon evolving into home gaming with The Magnavox Odyssey, the world’s first home-gaming console. It invaded living rooms in 1972, selling 300,000 units. Since then there has been many consoles and games released, some have been huge commercial successes which
Jenkins, H. & Squire, K. (2002): The Art of Contested Spaces. In King, L. (ed.), Game On: The History and Culture of Videogames. (p.64-76) London UK: Laurence King Publishing.
Key Changes in the Video Game Industry The first wave of home video games was launched nearly 30 years ago. By the early 1980s, this electronic entertainment medium had emerged as a cultural phenomenon, thanks to classics such as Asteroids, Centipede, Donkey Kong, and Pac-Man. The world of video games has, of course, changed drastically since then. For starters, Microsoft, Nintendo, and Sony are now the key players in the console industry, having replaced Atari, Coleco, and Mattel for those top spots. Advances in technology are making game worlds more realistic and interactive than ever before.
Video games first appeared in the 1950s and were urbanized all through the 1960s. They came to importance in the 1970s and established an original and unlike entertainment industry in the world. These games have evolved notably with time and have become a culture on their own. Nevertheless, questions were raised about their effects on people which led to debates in societies about whether or not they should be banned. However, video games should not be banned in this age and time.
In our modern age there is a constant need to point fingers and call something evil that was only made to better people’s lives. It happened with the television, it happened with the internet, and now this epidemic has set its sights on videogames. This media has been unfairly criticized, mainly by parents, since its release. They claim it causes violence and isolation but more over, in their arrogance, claim it is nothing more than a blatant waste of time. What these people don’t see is the true nature and potential for videogames and those who partake in the experiences they have to offer. Videogames provide a person with not only the opportunity to enhance their social and analytical skills, but also offer them the potential for tangential learning.
Although video games have become more and more popular as time changes, it still has to face the criticism, ‘media panic’. Meida panic happens when a new media appears; people will have a highly emotional discussion about it (Drotner, 1999).
Gamers are gamers regardless of where they live. There are many gamers around the world, and one of the largest gaming populations is located in Japan. Niizumi Japan has been, and continues to be, one of the largest developers and creators of both video gaming consoles and video games around the world. Japanese video games are beneficial to society and are an excellent source of employment for many in Japan. To understand how video gaming relates to Japanese culture, we need to understand more about the country of Japan.
Video games have come a long way. They have evolved from the simple game of Pong into a complex, multi-platform, multi-genre, multi-billion dollar industry.
3. “Video Games” by Chris Jozefowics. Published by Gareth Stevens Publishing 2010. Pleasantville, NY 10570-70000 USA. Produced by Editorials Directions Inc.
In society’s current era of technological advancement, video games have gone a long way since they were first created. Video games in the twenty-first century are no longer just toys or junk in the lifestyles of the youth. They have become innovative inventions that not only entertain its users, but also help aid the people in both the academic field and in jobs. The influences that video games bring about in the culture of the youth today are, in fact, not the negative influences that most people think. Video games are actually this generation’s new medium for educating the youth. The information they learn are also mostly positive and useful things that they may apply in their future lives (Prensky 4). In a generation that revolves around technology and connectivity, developers and educators have already been able to produce fun and interesting games that can teach and train people. Video game developers and educators should continue to collaborate in order to create more positive, educational, and appealing games.
Bell, Chris. "Video Games: The Sport of the Future?" The Telegraph. Telegraph Media Group, 26 June 2013. Web. 11 Dec. 2013.
Video games have been around about 50 years and they contribute a big part of the U.S. economy. People interact with video games every day throughout different ways, such as cell phone devices, computers, consoles or whatever which has a screen on it. In fact, it has always affected people’s lives. However, not so many people understand the benefits of video games. With video games, people can not only relieve themselves from stress and suffering, but it also improves people’s social experiences while they are exchanging and absorbing knowledge with other people; more than that, people can learn many other things from video games which can help them to achieve great things in lives.
The experience of game play can be described as an activity in which the player is virtually embodied in the game world. Anyone who has experienced the world of gaming knows how the engaging experience can manifest itself with “sweaty palms and chills down the spine” (http://www.eludamos.org/index.php/eludamos/article/viewArticle/80/147) when coming face-to-face with alien creatures; or with the adrenaline rush we get when racing a high speed automobile head-to-head with a friend. Gaming is an excellent source of entertainment. It provides an opportunity for social growth, provides a meaningful form of exploring expression, and provides heightened sensitivity.