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The game industry is one of the most lucrative branches of entertainment nowadays, and for a good reason. We learn through play, and having the ability to boost our cognitive skills and enjoy some top-notch aesthetics, is going to justify our expenses for purchasing games. Moreover, there are so many smartphone owners now, and apps and games that are made for phones are really accessible, so it’s easier to get into gaming now than it was a few decades ago. Considering how games have become part of our everyday lives it would be interesting to go back to the 20th century and see how it all started.
First players
Even before computers people invented games for the purpose of entertainment, competition and learning. So it is only natural to come up with new games that are closely tied to the new available tools. The first games were designed and played in the 1950s and 60s, by the computer scientists, and these were mainly simple games and simulators that could be used for scientific experiments.
Mainstream popularity
The time games became more mainstream was during the 70s and 80s. It is during this period that we had arcade games as well as consoles for gaming that relied on joysticks. This period is marked by the Atari 2600, console that kids played with in front of their TV, and it clearly inspired work like Ready Player One. A few years later or during the 80s computers started getting more games, and handheld consoles started to make their appearance.
Console wars
That’s right console wars did not start with Sony and Xbox, it actually started in the late 80s, with Sega and Nintendo. To be precise it was between the Sega Master System and NES in North America. It is around this time that we got a legendary title for Sega, Sonic the Hedgehog, and soon afterward we got some of the longest-running franchises today like Mortal Kombat and Street Fighter.
Furthermore, games started to gain in popularity so much that producers decided to make live-action movies that were based on these games. So we got Mario Brothers, Mortal Kombat and Street Fighter movies. Unfortunately, apart from iconic names, these movies did not have much going for them.
As far as the winner in the console war is concerned it was Sega, but it was not as successful in Japan, and a new war was already looming on the horizon.
Sega vs Sony
The first main leap in gaming was going from cartridges to CD games, and that happened with the appearance of Sony Playstation. Not only did the games look more impressive, but the console was also significantly cheaper than its rival Sega Saturn. Things did not look well for Sega, and they really started to think outside the box when it comes to marketing. Probably the best thing that came out of this console skirmish were Segata Sanshiro commercials, so you are highly encouraged to check them out.
However, as it’s already clear Sony won that war and it’s one of the most popular consoles up to this day.
Sony brought us 3D games, which really revolutionized the game design for all future generations. If you think about it, the joypads are really similar to the first ones, with some tweaks and additions here and there, but it proves that the core design was spot on.
You probably know the rest consoles started getting better, graphics started to get more amazing with each passing year, and PC was the number one platform for FPS games and MMO RPGs.
