Video Game

A video game is an electronic game in which one or more people interact, by means of a controller , with a device that displays video images . 1 This electronic device, generically known as « platform », can be a computer , an arcade machine , a video game console or a portable device, such as a mobile phone . Video games are, year by year, one of the main industries of art and entertainment.

The input device used to manipulate a video game is known as a video game controller , or command, and varies depending on the platform. For example, a controller may only consist of a button and a joystick or joystick , while another might present a dozen buttons and one or more levers ( control ). The first computer games used to use a keyboard to carry out the interaction , or they required the user to acquire a joystick with at least one button. 2 Many modern computer games allow or require the user to use a keyboard and a mousesimultaneously. Among the most typical drivers are gamepads , joysticks , keyboards, mice and touch screens.

Generally, videogames use other ways, apart from the image, to provide interactivity and information to the player. Audio is almost universal, using sound reproduction devices , such as speakers and headphones . Another type of feedback is through haptic peripherals that produce vibration or force feedback , sometimes using vibration to simulate force feedback.

The origins of the game go back to the 1950s, when shortly after the appearance of the first electronic computers after the end of the Second World War, the first attempts were made to implement entertainment programs. Thus, the Nim (1951) or the Oxo (1952) were created, electronic games that are not really video games yet, and the Tennis for Two (1958) or the Spacewar! (1962), authentic pioneers of the genre. All of them were still prototypes, very simple and experimental games that were not commercialized, among other things, because they worked on machines that were only available in universities or research institutes.

It would not be until the decade of the 70s that, with the decline in manufacturing costs, the first machines and the first video games appeared for the general public. Titles like Computer Space (1971) or Pong (1972), by Atari , inaugurated the first recreational machines built for that purpose, which worked with coins. Shortly after the videogames came to homes thanks to the domestic consoles, the first of which was the Magnavox Odyssey (1972), and later the successful Atari 2600 or VCS (1977), with its system of interchangeable cartridges. At that time the arcade machinesthey began to become common in bars and recreational halls, an expansion due in part to a matamarcianos that reached great popularity, the Space Invaders

In the 80s, the American company Atari had to share its domain in the video game industry with two companies from Japan: Nintendo (with its famous NES console ) and SEGA (with the Master System ). At the same time, there was a generation of affordable personal computers with graphic capabilities that reached the homes of millions of families, such as the Spectrum, the Amstrad CPC, the Commodore 64 or the MSX . From then on, videogames started to become a powerful industry . It was also a very creative time for videogame developers; many of the mainGenres that exist today (driving, fighting, platforms, strategy, adventure ...) took shape in this decade. On the other hand, also appeared the first pocket consoles , also known as "little machines", that although until the arrival of the Game Boy of Nintendo (1989) only played one game each, they achieved great popularity among the youngest.

The 90s bring the jump to 16-bit technology (such as the SNES and the Mega Drive ), which means important graphic improvements. Enter the giant Sony with its first PlayStation (1994), while Nintendo and Sega update their machines ( Nintendo 64 and Sega Saturn ). As for computers, the progress of PCs ends up sweeping the map away from other systems except Apple. More and more technologically advanced games appear, such as 3D shooters. In 2002, Microsoft enters the video console sector with its Xbox, and in 2006 Nintendo launches its innovative Wii . Meanwhile, Sony updates its successful PlayStation (versions II and III), and on PCs , thanks to the expansion of the internet, online and multiplayer games take center stage.

Finally, in the decade of 2010, portable touch devices, such as smartphones and tablets , emerged as game platforms , reaching a very large audience. On the other hand, several technology companies are beginning to develop virtual reality headsets , which promise to bring new experiences to the world of electronic entertainment.