Video Games: Good or Bad?
Posted: Wednesday, November 16, 2011
by MKDS
Storm Multi-Media Technologies Ltd
Summary:Sometimes a true Gamer with the right balance of experience in the 'Hands On' gaming world could be the only candidate to put forward a justified statement, whether the statement is in favour or objection of the electronic projects that have generated more than $2 trillion worldwide, only by putting together that which will enlighten the world of these past-time gadgets and consoles will we truly understand the concept.
It is only when you include and refer to the fourth generation from the past, which we see a totally different picture of when it comes to Entertainment. The fourth generation will talk of those physical games or no games at all but that of reading a book, listening to the radio or even brushing up on their sports. Many instances have been declared by the parents from these generations as catching up with homework, doing their household chores and even work experience elsewhere outside of the school's learning curve.
A Mother once told me that she and two of her brothers would play endlessly in their Aunties garden which by the description given to me, it was far from a small garden that lacked that essential imagination of where to go and what to do. It was this garden that the woman and her brothers loved to be and a place that brought back many fond, happy and funny memories of years gone by. All the same they were without video games, satellite television and music cd and they still knew how to have fun.
As a sixties child myself, the whole concept of Games Consoles were only made aware to me near to the turn of the 1980's, when my very first physical touchy feely of a computer was that of a BBC Acorn - the awful beige colour of the keyboard and casing is an early indication of how all computers were back then - until Sir Clive Sinclair brought forth one of the very first Personal Computers (PC) that could be used in Residence opposed to an Office or Laboratory.
The computer technology race had begun in my absence while my youth was spent climbing trees and finalizing plans to take on the world after leaving school. And the very first taste of the Games Console introduction came in the form of a hand held game - Demon Racer - that had the visuals of a £Pound Shop gadget for a five year old who new nothing other than it made a noise, lit up with lights and the batteries never lasted more than a couple of hours. Of course, the first consoles such as Demon Racer, which, if anyone remembers the basic outlay of the motorised driven road matt that ran along rollers under a fixed tiny plastic car, that could be maneuverered side to side as the user skilfully kept to the road to avoid oncoming traffic which were painted on the matt. From Demon Racer to Demon Rider and other hand held consoles with better graphics their came more developed gadgets.
From Out Of the Shadows
Still with thoughts on the 1980’s, the one memory that will always stick in my mind is “The Midway Boys”, who, even to this day I have no idea of their real true identities. The Midway Boys were programmers of games suitable for the use on the Sinclair, Commodore, Amiga and Amstrad personal computers, which included great games like “Stunt Car Racer” and “Marble”. With a huge fan base knocking on their door for more great and playable games, it was the Midway Boys who always came through for them.
Soon after the Sinclair 128 was launched, along with other Technology Runners such as Atari, Amstrad and Commodore, the games manufacturers began to make personal appearances to the people who were buying their games. And it was not too long before we merged ourselves into the 1990’s, where more of the “Think-Tank” resources were taken up on Development – and so the Sony Playstation 1 was created – as well as introducing a hand held console, too. It was this PSP that was far from being the very first “Hand Held” in the world, as it has already been mentioned that “Demon Racer” was the first.
The Playstation, Game Cube, 3DO, and Xbox 360 console range were never designed to be unique, only upgrades of previous ideas that merely needed additional parts putting on them to pass the “Gamer Test.” Once it had passed the Gamer, it was a dead cert that the future would be fantastic for these machines that only needed the CD/DVD Drives to enable gameaholics the chance to prove their worth when it came to “Shoot ‘Em Ups” and “Race Track Racing”.
With Need for Speed on the 3DO starting the competition within the “Racing Games” area, it was quickly followed by GT1 (Gran Terismo), and for the Off-Road Racer there was “Ridge Racer” to keep your heart beating that little bit faster.
With much controversy and public outcry that accused Sony’s Playstation as being “Demonic”, it soon made the console so popular that Sony found themselves in a position where the stock numbers couldn’t be produced fast enough before they were being whipped up at retail outlets. In some areas this was a good thing, while in others it was a “Ghost Signature” of disaster, as well as mass envy from other Console Manufacturer’s around the world. The quicker a Console was made and sent off the production line, the less likely it was to be checked by the Quality Controllers for fear of missing a shipment target. This laid way for many of the machines to be returned to the Manufacturer, which in turn made the console a grey product to purchase; people needed to know that they had spent good money on a reliable machine, and that the least of their problems would be if the machine broke down would they get a replacement?
Today there are more than half a dozen Games Consoles available for the Gamer to buy, and yet, there are at the least fifty thousand games to accompany any one of them. The future appears to be bright for many Manufacturers, and while the High Tech, High Spec Think-Tanks are out there making up this stuff for a better Gaming Experience, who are we to argue? Are Video Games Good? Yeah, I'd say so within moderated play. Are Video Games Bad? Well, that all depends on the person who is playing them to decide. It clearly states on the cover of all games that if the buyer is not completely satisfied, then they can return the game with the original receipt to the shop they bought it from for a Full Refund.
For those who go out of their way to discredit the Manufacturers and those small Programming Companies for the content without just cause, what is happening there is a huge favour where the popularity soars through the roof. Games are not created to kill in real life, nor are they made to settle political scores - at least not yet anyway.
© Marcus De Storm 2011
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