The history of video games shows us that this entertainment actually has deep roots, and brings undeniable benefits that can be called into question when this passion is denigrated and deemed useless and harmful.
How many times, especially as children, have we heard mum say phrases like “ do you want to stop with those video games? They will hurt you! “, Or” still in front of those video games? Sooner or later they’ll roll you back! “.
For heaven’s sake, from a parental point of view they are perfectly understandable phrases, and certainly the indiscriminate abuse of videogames cannot lead to anything good, but some studies of recent years have come to the comfort of those who, like us, were a geek of consoles . And the extraordinary evolution of gaming platforms, moreover, testifies that videogames have become an integral part of the international play culture.
The history of video games
And to think that the age-old diatribe about the benefits or the alleged harm that electronic games bring has practically existed since the birth of video games themselves, which even took place at the end of the 40s.
The origins of video games go back a long way and from environments actually distant from the entertainment industry, and the first experiments were just simple vector pulses on the screen, experimented in research laboratories.
To have the first interactive video game you will have to wait until 1961, with the appearance of Spacewar ! , made by MIT in Boston , which began to entertain millions of kids. But the real revolution came in 1971, when the future founders of Atari coined the title ” Computer Space “, the first coin – operated video game ever.
The high and hardly sustainable cost in mass distribution led to numerous changes, both hardware and software, and in the following years the iconic Pong game appeared .
It was the prelude to the arrival of home game systems, which Atari itself began to distribute in the world starting from 1977, the period of release of titles such as Pac-Man or Space Invaders .
By now the rise became unstoppable, with the legendary Commodore 64 every Italian kid could play his favorite video games at low cost even from home.
In the mid-1980s, then, the history of video games was marked by the clash of two Japanese giants: on the one hand Nintendo, producer of the ” Nes ” console and of the characters Super Mario, Zelda and Donkey Kong (and more recently of the famous Pokemon ); on the other hand, Sega, parent of the “ Sega Master System ” and Sonic , Alex Kidd and Golden Ax .
The extraordinary battle on the market between the two manufacturers continued for years and years, producing more and more modern and powerful consoles, as well as extremely entertaining and advanced video games. On the one hand we went from the Super Nintendo to the Playstation , on the other from the Sega Mega Drive to the Dreamcast .
As we approach the present day, it was Microsoft that further disrupted an extraordinarily thriving market with the introduction of XBOX and online gaming . Titles such as Sims or Halo are still among the most popular among players of all ages.
The history of video games is in continuous and rapid evolution and today it seems it is not necessary to have a console to play: many times a tablet or smartphone is enough to connect and challenge the whole world. Fortnite is only the progenitor of a saga that, we are sure, is destined to last a long time.
The online frontier has profoundly changed the way of having fun with the game , investing not only videogames but all entertainment in general , as demonstrated by the birth of online casinos such as Gioco Digitale .
Furthermore, video games themselves have been a source of inspiration in the gambling world, as evidenced by some hugely successful slot machines such as ” Lara Croft Temples and Tombs” .
In short, videogames have evolved and have also contributed to the evolution of entertainment in general.
The cognitive benefits of video games
As anticipated initially, in the face of their (very long) history, video games have also been criticized for allegedly negative effects on players.
Having said that any abuse is undoubtedly wrong and to be moderated, certainly some studies have come to the aid of enthusiasts.
In fact, it has been shown by numerous psychological studies that video games:
1- They improve coordination (thanks to the acquisition of visuo-motor cognitions);
2- Problem solving skills improve ;
3- They enhance the memory (particularly by stimulating the visual processes);
4- They improve attention and concentration (by requiring the use of a low reaction time to each problem posed);
5- They are a source of learning ;
6- They improve the reactivity of the brain (through the stresses deriving from the continuous different problems to be solved);
7- Multitasking skills improve (raising the level of attention increases the ability to perform multiple tasks at the same time);
8- They improve interpersonal relationships.
And these are just some of the benefits, which actually seem to be even more … with all due respect to the mothers who wanted to divert us to books from the early afternoon!
