Video gaming has come a long way since the first electronic games emerged in the 1950s. Today, video games are an essential part of modern culture, with millions of people across our planet playing them on a daily basis.
The evolution of video gaming is fascinating because the changes in this area are happening so fast. Many companies in this industry embrace new technologies and implement them in the gameplay providing players with incredible moments on their devices.
In this article, we’ll explore the history and evolution of video gaming from its earliest days to the present.
How It All Started
Even though the first electronic games were introduced in the 1950s, it took around twenty years for video gaming to become a mainstream activity. Atari, the famous California-based video game developer, released Pong in 1972. This was the first commercially successful video game. That’s why most experts consider this year a founding year of video gaming.
Pong was a rather simple game by today’s standards. The objective was to hit a ball back and forth across the screen with the help of two virtual paddles. Despite its simplicity, this video game witnessed tremendous success. It helped to establish video gaming as a form of entertainment with great potential.
In the years that followed, we have witnessed the unstoppable evolution of video gaming. For instance, in the late 1970s and early 1980s, home video consoles like the Atari 2600 and the Intellivision were introduced, helping video gaming reach the homes of thousands of people across the globe.
These gaming consoles included simple graphics and gameplay but were still very popular. As a reminder, they brought us some timeless video game hits like Donkey Kong, Pac-Mac, and Space Invaders.
The Arcade Era
Indeed, home consoles were gaining popularity, but another trend in this industry worth mentioning emerged in the 1980s – the video game arcade. These arcades feature rows of machines where users can insert coins and play attractive games like Mortal Combat, Street Fighter, and Space Harrier.
This so-called Arcade Era was marked by innovation. Many titles introduced exciting features like digitized/pixelated graphics, two-player/multiplayer modes, and complex storytelling.
This was the time when the fighting game genre was founded, and as we all know, it remains popular to this day. Even today, we have new versions of games like Mortal Kombat and Street Fighter. We also saw a few unique games like Space Ace and Dragon’s Lair, which didn’t follow the predetermined directions of other video games launched before.
The Online Gaming Era
The 1990s witnessed the rise of the Internet, and video gaming was one of the first activities that embraced this new technology. The first online games were text-based, but it didn’t take much time before we got a chance to play more sophisticated titles like Doom and Quake, for example, enabling players to participate in online competitions.
This new technology has allowed modifying existing games and their interaction with other forms of entertainment like online gambling. Today, online casinos are hugely popular, with players able to play a wide variety of games like online slots, roulette, blackjack, and poker. Some providers like online casino Bodog feature hundreds of online slot games in their offers. They’re also working on providing new casino game genres like crash games, which will further advance the digital-first iGaming sector.
Yet, going back to regular video gaming, we should mention that the advent of online gaming was a game-changer because it allowed players to connect with others from all over the world in real-time. MMOG (massively multiplayer online games) like World of Warcraft and Everquest reached an incredible level of popularity.
Users spend countless hours exploring vast virtual worlds, fighting huge battles, and completing quests with other players.
The Rise of Mobile Gaming
When cell phones emerged in the late 1990s and early 2000s, they featured basic games like Tetris and Snake. However, mobile gaming entered a new stage when the first smartphones emerged, especially the iPhone, in 2007. These smartphones were equipped with large touchscreens and powerful hardware, making them a perfect gaming platform.
Mobile gaming today is one of the most used forms of video gaming. Millions of people play games like Angry Birds, Candy Crush, and Fortnite on Android, Windows, or iOS-based smartphones and tablets. Thanks to mobile gaming, we have also seen some new genres, like hyper-casual games.
Final Thoughts
Today, video games are a dominant force in entertainment. The video game industry creates more revenue than the music and movie industries together. Since this area is continuously evolving, we expect even greater success in the future.
Video games have come a long way since their inception. From the classic, simplistic 2D games of the 1950s to the immersive VR and AR experiences of today, they have evolved into a massive industry that’s here to stay.
