Arcade Video Games
There's A Reason We Love Computer Games by J. Michael Key
Video computer games have become as much a pillar of our entertainment universe as books and movies. Why is it that so many of us are drawn to the computer monitor or TV screen like flies? A bit of history might help explain the phenomenon.
Originally computers were all work and no play, being outrageously expensive to build and operate. But computer engineers and designers, being overgrown kids after all, soon began to get comfortable with their big room-filling machines. In their idle hours it occured to them that it might be kind of cool to have the computer show some spaceships and planets cruising around the galaxy. An in the 1960s a group of fun-loving computer geniuses created SpaceWar, the father of the famous arcade game Astroids.
These games were well received by geniuses and regular folks alike, which motivated the geniuses to design some more fun stuff. They could have used the computers for a lot of diversions, but somehow the visual element of the games activated the imagination. Over time we got Pong, PacMan and a continually evolving string of games, including software that eventually could beat chess masters at their own game.
By the late 1980s computer games software was getting quite sophisticated, with the invention of Sim City. This product expanded on what was going on through all the previous games; the players were being drawn into an imaginary world. Not unlike books and movies, these video games were very satisfying mentally. Sim City actually allowed the user to create amazing cities and even worlds.
Also in the 1980s, a group of computer programmers began creating software that would show moving images all generated by computer. The images started out very simple, almost like stick figures but they could dance in time to a music track. No skin, no facial features but it was very exciting to think what might come with more powerful computers. The computing power grew exponentially and, over 20 years, we now have not only some fabulout computer generated movie effects and whole characters, but the realism of video games has taken a quantum leap forward.
A good video game will draw you in to another world and, unlike a book or movie, a computer game will offer an interactive experience. In fact, at least one computer game has become sufficiently popular to become an action movie; think Mario Brothers. But it's funny that sometimes a simple game can be as entertaining as a much more sophisticated game. Some of the most beloved games of all are Tetris (stack those blocks), Pac Man and Pong.
A modern computer will still do a great job of playing state-of-the-art video games. There are hundreds of options, including many that pit you online against other players. Then there are the specialty consoles like PlayStation, Nintendo and XBox360. With tricked-out controllers, guitars and wands, you can really develop some hand-eye coordination by playing many of the current titles.
One of the most fun educational games is Roller Coaster Tycoon, where you build your own amusement park and then operate it with "real" guests making decisions about which rides to take. If a guest loses their lunch on a roller coaster you'd better have a custodian clean it up or the guests will stay away. You must watch income and expenses and save money to build more attractions. This is a great game.
But the bottom line as to why we're so enamored with computer games software is that it captures our imagination in a variety of interactive ways. Our games are prized possessions and it is wise to treat them carefully to make them last.
J. Michael Key has written widely on a variety of subjects. To learn how to back up all of your video games visit http://www.computer-games-software.com Back Up Computer Games Software
Article Source: http://www.earticlesonline.com/Article/There-s-A-Reason-We-Love-Computer-Games/597185
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Atari/Pint Glass Set Arcade 4-Pack $34.99 Set of 4 16 ounce pints with "Asteroids", "Missle Command", "Tempest", and "Centipede".... |
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Golden Age of Video Arcade Games $78.07 High Quality Content by WIKIPEDIA articles The golden age of video arcade games was a peak era of video arcade game popularity, innovation, and earnings. The consensus as to its exact time period varies. Walter Day of Twin Galaxies places it as lasting from January 18, 1982 to January 5, 1986. Video game journalist Steven L. Kent, in his book The Ultimate History of Video Games, places it from 1979 to 1983. Other opinions place this periods beginning in the late 1970s, when color arcade games became more prevalent and video arcades themselves started appearing outside of their traditional bowling alley and bar locales, through to its ending in the mid1980s. Author: Miller, Frederic P./ Vandome, Agnes F./ McBrewster, John Binding Type: Paperback Number of Pages: 112 Publication Date: 2010/07/06 Language: English Dimensions: 5.98 x 9.01 x 0.26 inches |
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Antique Arcade Games: Mike Munves 19391962 $25.96 Mike Munves was a major distributor of electromechanical arcade games from the 1930s into the 1970s. His catalogs are now considered reference works for this unique part of Americana. This book contains electromechanical games that were enjoyed the world over long before video games existed. These are games you will never have the opportunity to see in person because they are so rare and some have disappeared completely. Includes: 1939 Catalog, 1951 Supplement, 1952 Supplement, 1953 Catalog, 1954 Price Revisions, 1954 Supplement, 1956 Catalog, 1958 Catalog, 1961 Supplement, 1962 Supplement This book also includes a full reprint of the Mike Munves minibook Profits In Pennies 1942. This book was distributed to dealers and it explained how to run a profitable arcade business. This is an amazing look back into an almost forgotten era of arcade games. These electromechanical wonders filled arcades and thrilled children and adults until they were eclipsed by the invasion of video games, but they have not lost their charm one bit. Author: Ford, Michael Binding Type: Paperback Number of Pages: 130 Publication Date: 2008/12/01 Language: English Dimensions: 8.25 x 11.00 x 0.28 inches |
