Video games are becoming a very important part of our culture, and it will undoubtedly continue to be such even if their method of delivery is constantly changing. Before we can talk about modern video games however it would help for you to know where they came from and why they have managed to make such an impact.

To begin we will talk a bit about the original game consoles. There were consoles long before the Nintendo Entertainment System was introduced of course, but the Atari game console was the first game system to be widely sold in the American home. It introduced games such as Pong and Defender, but there were also a few games that no one truly wishes to remember. These games include E.T. The Extraterrestrial as well as a Buffalo Bill game that brought the console down to a new level.

These were not the only games for the console, but they did cause problems, and the lack of good games for the Atari system caused the video game industry to crash until 1985 when Nintendo finally took itself out of the toy industry and allowed their former maintenance man to create the Nintendo Family Computer or Famicom. In America this system was known as the Nintendo Entertainment System and it sold extremely well. Games like Super Mario Brothers and Duck Hunt spawned a gaming revolution that we are still feeling to this day.

Consoles such as the Super Nintendo, the Gameboy, and the Sega Genesis brought gaming back to life, but people tend to forget that without the games, these consoles would have failed miserably within the first few months.  Something to remember is that video games are not native to consoles, in fact some of the original video games were played on home computers, and this was of course the beginning of the online gaming era.

Online games started with the original Neverwinter Nights from AOL and eventually evolved into games like Doom and Duke Nukem. First Person Shooters and Online Role Playing Games got their start many years ago and over time they became the monsters that they are today. Modern consoles have redefined the look of these games, and high end computer hardware has changed the way play our games.

Adventure games are quite popular as well, and they started with games like Myst. Myst was a game that relied solely on still images and an external media player to handle the more complex items, but it was a visually appealing game that many people still play to this day. Though the Myst series has official ended, it will still hold a special place in our hearts for many years to come. That being said, games like Safecracker and Syberia have final come about and redefined our opinion on the adventure game genre.  They might not be as mentally taxing, and some of them will not have the same level of graphics, but that doesn’t make them any less fun.

The biggest jump was the jump from two dimensions to three as in the early First Person Shooters one could only move forward, backward, and side to side. The original Doom from ID software permitted an individual to move in a three dimensional space, but there was no ability to look up and down. The game featured stairs, various elevations, and of course enemies of different heights, and at the time the environments seemed incredibly realistic.

Fast forward to today with ID Software’s Doom 3 and Resurrection of Evil and you will see an environment that not only looks real, but one that feels real as well. In addition to that it also had extreme levels of connectivity so that one could play a multiplayer game over the internet with virtually no problem.

First Person Shooters were not the only games that evolved and eventually came into their own. Survival Horror is one genre that nearly died out but made a comeback.  Games like Resident Evil and Silent hill revitalized the genre, permitting people to live out their worst nightmares and experience the greatest thrills possible on both handheld gaming systems and PC’s.

The question that many people have right now pertains to just where video games are going at this point.  New control schemes and graphics possibilities have been explored, the most recent example being the Nintendo Wii. This is a console that integrates motion controls along with the classic digital controls.

It is unclear as to what the next evolution of gaming will be, but you can be sure that the games to come will feature better graphics, more sophisticated control schemes, and ultimately allow you to become completely immersed in your gaming experience. The biggest question people have right now is whether or not games will develop better storylines. Something to remember is that video games are not movies, and it can become rather difficult to introduce a decent story.

So far there have been a few good stories, and there have been a few games that featured excellent gameplay, and the best part is that there is a game for virtually anyone. From the adventure enthusiast to the military strategist, there is always something fun to do, and once you determine just what it is you like, you will be able to choose a game and watch your favorite genre develop. It’s a rapidly evolving industry, and you have the chance to be a part of it.