Before "gamers" and video game chairs, coin-operated amusement hit bars and bowling alleys, and "quarter-play" swept the nation.
On the arcade scene, Atari developed Pong Doubles (the first 4-player game), and Gran Track, a first-person driving game with a sit-down cabinet. Microchips and two-player action hit arcades.
The '50s brought computers with room-size mainframes; in the '60s college students designed game programs, and in the '70s computer games and home consoles were evolving.
Crashing the Market
The '70s launched non-violent games (Pac-Man) and platform games of collecting objects, dodging obstacles, and jumping on enemies (Donkey Kong and Mario). Shoot 'em up and multi-directional space games dominated the '80s - for the first time, characters were being annihilated.
Apple, Commodore, and Tandy controlled home computers; Atari and Magnavox ruled the console market. Multi-game cartridges were marketed. The '80s introduced three-dimensional game play (Dungeons and Dragons), mouse-driven games, and click-and-point action.
Eventually, gamepads replaced joysticks, paddles, and keypads as the default controller. Advanced 256-color graphics and sound chips arrived. Online games formed with multiple-user interaction.
Shareware graced the '90s; demo disks offered partial game play with options to buy. Real-time strategy arrived, and 3-D accelerator cards assisted computers with game logic and graphical tasks. Mods allowed players to modify games.
Video game chair quarterbacks rivaled while playing realistic sports games on PlayStation and Nintendo 64. Zelda emerged as the critics' favorite. The 21st century introduced X-Box with Halo 2 (a best-seller in a week's time) and Nintendo GameCube with Resident Evil 4. Advancements continued with Sony's PlayStation 3, Microsoft's X-Box 360, Nintendo's DS Lite, and the Nintendo Wii, where whatever is done in real life affects screen activity.
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Critically Thrashed
Critics labeled games like Death Race 2000 (where players ran down gremlins) as vehicular homicide. They scorned the values of Grand Theft Auto where gamers steal, kill, and perform violent sex acts, and Vice City for gang warfare between Haitians and Cuban refugees.
Video games like Final Fantasy, Castlevania, and Dragon Quest brought protests from religious groups, even after references to crosses and biblical figures were censored from U.S. releases. Claims of violence, sex, and occultism offended many.
Give 'Em a Hand
Gamers took their games on the road when the handheld market exploded with Nintendo's Game and Watch Line, which ran on inexpensive watch batteries. Units the sizes of watches were sold. Nintendo marketed the Game Boy in 1990; today, Game Boy and Game Boy Advance lead in handheld sales.
