Video Games; Past, Present and Beyond

Games have become an integral part of the lives of many over the years and if like us, you crave the excitement of a decent gaming session, you’re certainly not alone. From humble beginnings to an industry that’s valued at $135 billion in the US alone, just where this ride will take us could be anyone’s guess.

Although we weren’t around back in the day, the birth of the video game was certainly a standout moment in time and as we look across their evolution, which have been the biggest standouts, profit spinners and all time classics?

• Back In The Day

1962 saw the world’s first video game developed by MIT student Steven Russell, Spacewar!, which  you would hardly say was an overnight success. A handful of people had access to the technology of computers at all but what it did do was pave the way for entertainment within the confines of computer technology and for that, Mr Russell will always have our eternal thanks and respect.

By the time the seventies rolled around, Computer Space by Nutting Associates became the first commercial arcade video game. It was from the genius of Nolan Bushnell who a year later formed Atari and the legend that is Pong was born. Who knew that such a basic game could have such an impact. Many still play it today!

Microprocessor development and increases in RAM saw advancements in circuit boards and before anyone knew it, a wee company called Nintendo came out with the Legend of Zelda. That was back in 1986 and began a home video game system war that saw Sega and Nintendo battle it out for the best of the best.

• Current Times

These early years laid down the pinnacle platforms for the likes of Playstation and Xbox to really build an empire on. Yes, Sonic and Zelda are still going strong decades later but it’s the likes of Tetris and Minecraft that have blown all others out of the water in terms of overall sales, Tetris lifting the title with over 500 million worldwide.

For us, Grand Theft Auto V is one of the greatest games that we’ve seen and with current sales topping 150 million, we’re hardly alone. That great combination of action, exploration, combat and story puts it at the pinnacle of games developed to date and a benchmark for future games. But don’t push aside that Nintendo genius just yet either; their Pokemon franchise is the highest grossing the world over with $90 billion in revenue. And they’ve also got Mario and Wii!

Online gambling also plays its role with some amazing opportunities to be had, the least of which can be found in new online casinos Canada offers, like those at new-casino.ca. Not just a great break from your gaming but also a great way to supplement your income these days.

But when it comes to consoles, more players in our era have picked Sony’s Playstation as their console of choice, and it’s certainly our favorite. But that’s all well and good to say for now, just what will things be like in 27 years from now, which is how long the Playstation has been around!

• Beyond

Virtual Reality has been making such a noise these last few years that one would nearly be forgiven for forgetting it’s still not mainstream. So, what’s the hold up? The technology is certainly there but to really hit the big time, you’ve got to be affordable for the masses and that’s what the developers haven’t quite nailed yet. So when? Guesses are a plenty but certainly by 2025 we’ll all be stocking some decent VR kit to really salivate over.

But it will no doubt be the combination of VR and AR with a little of something we haven’t even thought of that the future of gaming will see. Cloud gaming will see affordability and ease of use for all, Artificial Intelligence will test our skills and push our limits and certainly the Metaverse will play its part.

But what we can all agree on is that this multi-billion-dollar industry is set to completely boom in the coming decades, and we cannot wait for what’s in-store. Who needs a good life when we can just invent our own, online!