The Rise and Rise of Video Games

Super Mario Bros., Sonic, Skyrim, Legend of Zelda, and Pac-Man are all examples of classic video game titles that almost anybody who has even touched a video game would know. Video games have had a major influence on those that grew up between the 80s and now. The popularity of video games has only rose since its debut in the 70s. The main causes for this rise were the decisions early on in the design of video games, the addictive nature of video games themselves, social media and its effect on video games, and esports and its fanbase attracting more gamers every day. These causes have many big effects such as the use of virtual reality in the treatment of Parkinson’s disease as well as mentally helping people and socializing with online friends. Video games have not only affected society in a big way, but will certainly stay popular for a very long time.

Video games would not be as popular as they are today without the changes it went through during its early life. The first type of popular video game were ones that you found at arcades which rose to popularity in the 70s and 80s. According to Jeff Tyson from howstuffworks.com, “In 1972, Atari introduced Pong to the Arcades which then became the first truly successful commercial arcade video game”. Pong was a simple game as you just moved the cursor up and down the move the rectangle and hit it back towards the wall. This was huge because at the time nothing like this existed and for the 70s it was pretty advanced while nowadays it doesn’t look like much. This was a huge step for video games which led to the Odyssey being developed. According to the same article by Jeff Tyson, “It was the first home video game system that could just sit in your house and play and while it took a lot of work to set up, it was a huge step in the right direction for video games. Moving forward in time there came the release of the NES in 1985”. The NES introduced three very important concepts to the video game industry: using a pad controller instead of a joystick, creating authentic reproductions of arcade video games for home systems, and using the hardware as a loss leader by aggressively pricing it, and then making a profit on the games themselves”. These important concepts shaped the way video games were produced and sold from then on and shaped how they would be advertised from then on. The NES on top of changing the aspects of video game design created many iconic game titles that most people are very familiar with today. There was Legend of Zelda, Super Mario Bros., Kirby, and Tetris which have all gotten reincarnations on the newer platforms that are out today showing how popular they are. More companies learned from this such as Sega and Sony which created their own home video game systems which also became very popular. Nowadays, the certain aspects of home video game systems, such as the design and ideas companies had at the time, are reality as in almost every home, you will find a home video game system. This was a big cause to how video games became so popular but there is also the cause of how addicting video games actually are.

Video games are not only fun and challenging, but they are also very addicting and make people keep buying new games or even replaying a game multiple times. The psychological effects of video games are one major cause of the rise in popularity. According to an article by Andrew Braun from maketecheasier.com, “Dopamine, a neurotransmitter in our brain that helps us regulate pleasure and reward center, is behind a lot of what we do. This system can be hacked by video games such as when you complete a task which triggers an in-game reward also triggers a chemical reward in our brain which encourages people to move on to the next task”. Many people can ride this feeling for a very long time as most games can last a good twenty to fifty hours long with the amount of content you have at disposal. Braun goes on to further explain the compulsion loop, which has four steps. “The first step is the player gets a task to complete and promised reward upon completion, the second step is where the player is given a clear pathway to completing the task. The third step is where the player completes the task and get the reward which is when the dopamine hits, and the final step is that the player gets another task and the formula repeats”. Many games such as Skyrim or Fallout have hours upon hours of this loop where there is a mission or quest you have to complete to where you can get a nice reward upon completion, and once you complete it, you get the urge to keep doing more to get more or even better rewards which can make the player play the game for possibly weeks. This has happened to me personally several times with many games that I play. I could spend hours upon hours on the latest Call of Duty and not get enough of it has the dopamine either triggers for me when I win a match or level up which makes me want to level up more to get better things. This is a huge factor in the popularity of video games and is the reason they are so playable. This also leads into social media and its influence on people picking up these highly addictive games in the first place and one of the main causes in the rise of the popularity.

Most people don’t learn about video games on their own. A majority of people have heard about video games and systems from a second source. The popular website YouTube is one of the major informers of video game related content. If you look up the newest hit game, I guarantee that there will be many videos about it or just discussing it. Most developers for games such as Activision which is responsible for the Call of Duty Series heavily uses YouTube to advertise their games. They often have a trailer uploaded on YouTube which is then spread out to other social media such as Twitter of Facebook getting millions of people to view the trailer and consider buying the game. Soon this trailer blows up and many people make their own YouTube videos covering the trailer and discussing possibly what the game will be like and certain leaks that have come out about the game. Fast forward a couple months to when the game is actually out. If you haven’t already preordered the game like most people to get the bonuses that come with a pre order such as more in game rewards, you are one of those on the edge to actually buy the game. Most would go to their favorite YouTuber that has gameplay on the game itself to decide if they want to get it. Some want to be like that YouTuber and get the game themselves or some just get the urge after watching the game themselves to play it themselves. The influence of these YouTubers and social media sends the amount of players skyrocketing giving the game developers loads of money giving them the amount to make another where the cycle continues with the next game. This cycle has certainly led to the rising popularity of video games and the rising amount of people that play the games. On top of these YouTubers that produce content on the games themselves, there is also the professional players of the games.

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Most people have their favorite player for whatever sport is their favorite, the same applies for the professional gaming world. Esports is what professional gaming is referred to where there are teams of gamers that compete against each other to compete for a certain title or trophy. This has been a major factor in the popularity of such games as Overwatch or CSGO which are both games that require teamwork and coordination in order to win. Most of these players that compete in these start off as streamers which are people that livestream gameplay usually on the popular platform Twitch to thousands of people. Their high level of skill gets them recruited to join teams to compete against other gamers. According to an article on Esports by Douglas Heaven called the ‘Rise and Rise of Esports’, “Professional gaming has been big in countries like South Korea for more than a decade. When the national soccer team reached the semi-finals of the 2002 World Cup, top StarCraft players were brought in to boost the squad's morale” (Paragraph 3). Since that time, the sport has only gotten bigger as popular faces such as XQC and Muma who are both very popular Overwatch players that compete against one another to win the championship each season. If you ask someone who their favorite player of whatever game they follow that involves competition, most will be able to name it right off the bat. Who doesn’t want to be like their favorite player and either get to their level of skill or play the same character that they play. According to the same article, “Pro video gamers are no less dedicated than mainstream athletes, says Wyatt. To become the best golfer in the world you have to spend hours upon hours on the driving range. ‘These guys do exactly the same’, he says. ‘There's no difference in skill level between these guys and the very best sportsperson in the world’”. (Paragraph 6). Not only have these players influenced the popularity of the video games, but have inspired people to be able to compete like they do. Another crowd besides the Esports fans are those that enjoy the potential of virtual reality in video games.

According to an article by NeuroRehabilitation on virtual reality, “VR is a computer-generated technology that enables the interaction between the user and virtual environments” (Paragraph 4). While VR has been out for some time, it didn’t work the greatest and had problems with control. Within the past few years, the technology for VR has drastically improved and the amount of VR content has increased tremendously. Along with the increasing amount of content comes more people interested in VR itself and more purchasing of VR setups themselves. The same article talks about one effect in its rise in popularity is the use of it on those with Parkinson’s disease. According to the article, “Parkinson’s disease (PD) is a neurodegenerative condition caused by the progressive loss of dopaminergic and cholinergic neurons from the substantia nigra of the midbrain and basal nuclei” (Paragraph 1). Parkinson’s has been around for a long time and VR technology has recently been tested on those with the disease. Those with Parkinson’s are often limited in their body movements and the control of their bodies. Physical activity is often recommended to those with Parkinson’s. In fact, the article says, “Physical activity is recommended to prevent complications associated with a sedentary lifestyle and often leads to improvements in the symptoms of patients with PD, with consequent improvements in aspects of gait” (Paragraph 2). This means that the more activity patients engage in, the better their symptoms are and their overall condition improves. In VR there are a lot of physical movements and you are engaging in constant activity. The effects according to the article, “This technology is currently considered a viable therapeutic modality in motor rehabilitation processes, as it provides individuals with PD the opportunity to perform a vast array of movements without the adverse effects of pain or discomfort often associated with conventional therapy” (Paragraph 4). This makes patients feel better and have a new experience while still experiencing the exercise needed to ease their symptoms. This has been very helpful to those that struggle with Parkinson’s, but don’t have the will or motivation to do regular therapy. As well as having physical benefits, the popularity of video games has also benefited some mentally.

There are many out there that try to blame video games for many problems such as the most brought up one which is that video games cause violence and bad behavior. There is no evidence to this claim, but many older people support it, so they can justify the crime rate of teens and young adults. Nobody talks about the real benefits that come with video games which there are quite a few. According to Kevin Anderton from Forbes.com, “In an online poll, gamers were asked what they believed to be the main benefit of gaming. Over 40% said that gaming improves emotional well-being. That’s a serious benefit if you consider that one in five people in America experience mental health issues each year” (Paragraph 2). This means that most gamers are benefitting from the so called ‘video game’ problem and feeling emotionally better. It doesn’t just make people feel better, but also is a social platform where you can meet people you might never meet in real life which could end up being the closest of friends. According to the same article, “Around two-thirds of gamers claim that they have met up to five friends while playing games and another 37% say they have made even more” (Paragraph 3). This just proves my statement that it is perfect for making friends as well as a way to get away from life for a little bit. For me personally, it is an escape from my life and I feel ten times better than my usual state when I’m playing with my friends and actually enjoying myself. This effect has not only benefited me, but others as well.

Ever since the beginning of video games in the 70s, the popularity of video games has only risen. Video games are extremely addictive and the way they influence the brain especially has kept many people playing for a long time. Social media has only boosted its popularity with YouTube and Twitter. Esports has rallied gamers to support their favorites in fierce competitions and show their support by playing the game as well. Virtual reality has benefited those with Parkinson's physically. The amount of gamers who have met life-long friends has also benefited those mentally. These causes and effects have all contributed to the rise in popularity of video games.