Two paddles, one ball, and the rush of scoring more points than your opponent. Pong, that is, the first ever video game released by Physicist William Higinbotham in 1972.
Today, September 12, is National Video Games Day, and in order to celebrate, let’s look at how the video game culture has developed throughout the years.
Being the first video game, Pong started one of largest growing industries to date.
With the help of dedicated fans, video games have had massive influence on today’s society in areas such as cosplay, major video game competitions, pop culture, art, and music.
For most people, video games create an escape from the average day and provide an immersive adventure in a world filled with many different lovable characters and challenging quests.
For others, it may be a way to get a one up on their friends by dominating them in a of match Call of Duty or Counter Strike.
Regardless, of the reason for playing games, every game offers the player a different experience, teaches cooperation among friends, and bringing people together from around the world.
Besides being fun to play, video games are inspiring youth to pursue careers in computer programming, graphics design, animation, writing, acting and even music creation.
With an industry growing as rapidly as our advancements in technology, like virtual reality and artificial intelligence, we can expect a growth in the realism and complexity of games in the years to come.
Gamers are everywhere, from the woman playing candy crush on the subway, to the pro gamer making his living broadcasting his skills to thousands around the world.
Whether you game for fun or are trying to make a career out of it, video games are offering you an outlet and opportunity for creation, adventure, and fun for many years to come.
