UNIT 6: VIDEO GAMES. Main Article The image of the video game geek is changing. Not so long ago, gaming was seen as a hobby for lonely teenage boys –

UNIT 6: VIDEO GAMES

Main ArticleMain Article

• The image of the video game geek is changing. Not so long ago, gaming was seen as a hobby for lonely teenage boys – but nowadays, the average gamer is 30 years old, and there’s a 42% chance she will be female. Video games are truly taking over the world.

• More than half of modern American households have a games console, most likely an “eighth generation” device such a Sony Playstation 4, Microsoft Xbox One, or Nintendo Wii U. However, it is thought that this generation of consoles may be the last, due to the increasing popularity of tablets. If this prediction comes true, it will be the end of an era which began in 1972 with the very first home console, the Magnavox Odyssey.

• The Magnavox Odyssey retailed at less than $100 and had just 27 games. One of them, Tennis, was copied by Atari to produce their famous Pong, which many people wrongly believe to be the first ever video game. The Odyssey’s inventor, a German-American named Ralph Baer, took Atari to court in 1975 and won; however, it is still Atari, and not Magnavox, which is a household name.

• During the late 70s and early 80s, the so-called “golden age” of video gaming, most people did not own consoles. Instead, they visited arcades to play Pong, Space Invaders or Pac-Man on coin-operated machines. Games like these, which were ground-breaking at the time, have now become classics and are still available as apps.

• It was the release of the Nintendo NES (also known as the Famicom) in 1983 which really marked the beginning of a new era in home gaming. It sold almost 62 million units, replaced joysticks with joypads, and introduced the cheerful plumber Mario to the world.

• Soon afterward, Sega launched its Master System, and the two Japanese companies remained market leaders for consoles throughout the 1990s. They also manufactured handheld machines, of which Nintendo’s Gameboy was perhaps the most enduring. Their only real rivals were home computers produced by brands such as Sharp in Asia, and Commodore in the USA and Europe.

• One of the biggest shifts to take place between the 1990s and the present day was the move from 2D to 3D games, during the fifth generation of consoles. It was also when discs began to replace cartridges. The best-selling 3D games of this time, such as Tomb Raider, paved the way for the more realistic and complex adventures on sale today.

• The R-rated Grand Theft Auto V is considered to be one of the best open world games of 2013. In it, players control three criminal characters in order to complete various missions. The game is huge and almost infinite, because of its online multiplayer option.

• It is interesting to note that Grand Theft Auto V is not available for tablets, although earlier versions of the game can be downloaded in this format. This has led some people to comment that, contrary to expectations, eighth generation consoles may not be the last.

Dialogues

Amy: Hey, look! You can try out the next generation consoles in that store.Neil: Shall we? I’ve heard the X2 is much better than the P5.Amy: Really? I heard the opposite.Neil: Well, let’s see. I’ll play on the X2, and you take the P5.Amy: Right! Oh, look at this joypad. It’s made of clear plastic so you can see inside.Neil: That’s neat. But how does it feel?

Scenario 1 Two students are playing the demo sets of the next-gen game consoles,

X2 and P5, in an electronic entertainment expo.

Amy: Hmm, comfortable and light. How about yours?Neil: I don’t know until I start playing! Aha, they’ve got Final Fighters. I love this game.Amy: OK. I’ll play that too. Actually, I’m not sure about this joypad. It feels like the buttons are in the wrong place.Neil: Well, this one is brilliant. It moves really smoothly. Check out these graphics, too!Amy: That looks amazing. Maybe you’re right – maybe the X2 is better.Neil: I told you! Here, take the joypad. Try it for yourself.

Scenario 2 Two hosts of a game website are commenting on the Game of the Year.

Ben: It’s the moment you’ve all been waiting for.Cara: That’s right, Ben. Today’s the day we announce our game of the year.Ben: Thanks to everyone who’s visited out website to vote. It was

a close competition because so many awesome games have been released in the last 12 months.Cara: They have. But there can only be one winner.Ben: OK, Cara. It’s the moment of truth. The winner is … Dead Sea Adventure.Cara: Wow, congratulations, Dead Sea Adventure!

Ben: What do you think about that result?Cara: I think this game deserved to win. It’s innovative, funny, and has exceptional gameplay.Ben: I agree. Although I’m also sad that Mercury Mouse didn’t win.Cara: Mercury Mouse is another fantastic game, but it doesn’t have the re-playability factor. It’s possible to complete it in a few weeks, whereas Dead Sea Adventure has infinite possibilities.Ben: Did you really complete Mercury Mouse in a few weeks? You’re a better gamer than me.Cara: Ha ha! Have you only just realised?

Cultural Notes

• Note 1 Problems with video games

• Is there a dark side to gaming? Some people think so. Video games have been accused of causing health problems, normalizing violence, and encouraging addiction.

• The main health problems associated with gaming are injuries to the wrists, neck and eyes. However, links have also been made between video games and epilepsy, a condition which causes people to have fits (sudden violent shaking of the body).

• On top of this, some commentators have suggested that video games are responsible for an increase in violent behavior in teens. Because players are exposed to continued, extreme violence in games such as Grand Theft Auto V, they begin to think this is normal in the real world as well as the virtual one.

• Finally, there have been cases of people becoming addicted to video games. Australia, Canada, China, the Netherlands and South Korea have even set up clinics for people suffering from this condition, whose symptoms include anger and depression.

http://us.playstation.com/ps4/index.htm http://rookerville.com/2013/05/22/xbox-one-for-dummies/

Sony Playstation 4 Microsoft Xbox One

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Wii_U

Nintendo Wii U the Magnavox Odyssey

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Magnavox_Odyssey_series

Ralph Baer

http://www.jcpe.tv/project/vice-ralph-baer-father-of-videogames/

Space Invaders

http://www.gameogre.com/reviewdirectory/reviews/space-invaders.php

Pac-Man

http://www.arcade-museum.com/game_detail.php?game_id=10816

joysticks

http://www.syntaxerror.nu/joysticks.html

joypads

http://wall4all.me/wallpaper/854230-Nintendo-joypads

Nintendo’s Gameboy

http://revsym.blogspot.tw/2011/05/nintendo-always-gets-it-right.html

Tomb Raider

http://www.gamersheroes.com/game-pages/tomb-raider/#

The R-rated Grand Theft Auto V

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Grand_Theft_Auto_V

X2

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Mega_Man_X2