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Introduction
Video games have had a long time to develop, and while the games we think of today are very advanced, it's important to remember their roots and the companies that helped grow the industry. While some rose from nothing to now being dominant in the market, others started off well, but are now a distant memory. This timeline shows both the physical and technological development of not just consoles, but also the games themselves. -
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2nd Generation
The 2nd Generation of video game consoles is distinguished by its introduction of the game cartridge, a new way for people to buy and play games than the previous 1st Generation. This allowed you to have one system that played multiple things, instead of one system that could only do only one thing. -
The Atari 2600
Released in the US in 1977, the Atari 2600 was one of the best consoles of its time, selling 30 million copies from 1977 to 1992. One popular game that went with this was ET. -
Arcades
Before video games moved into the home, there were popular places where people would go that specifically had plenty of games for all to play. These places were called "Arcades". You would bring a bunch of spare change, and you could be there for hours playing a bunch of different things with all your friends. While places like this still exist, places like Dave & Busters and Chuck E Cheese, the video game console has seemed to have permanently moved to the household. -
E.T. the Extra-Terrestrial
E.T. the Extra-Terrestrial is a adventure game released in 1982 and made for the Atari 2600. This game was based off the movie where the player ran around as ET to collect phone parts. As you moved around, you lost energy. To counter this, you could collect Reese's Pieces. The game ends when ET runs out of energy or the player stops playing the game. Photo from DPLA. -
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3rd Generation
The 3rd generation is commonly referred to as the "8-bit generation" due to all the consoles use of 8-bit processors and more advanced graphics. Of the main consoles that launched during this time, the most notable would be the NES. -
The NES
The NES (Nintendo Entertainment System) is on the list of being one of the highest selling consoles of all time. For the 18 years that it was available, it sold an astonishing 61.9 million consoles. That's more than all other notable 3rd gen consoles combined and tripled! The reason it was so popular was because after the 1983 crash, the NES made home console video games popular again in the USA. Photo from DPLA. -
Super Mario Bros. & Duck Hunt
With the NES being the most popular consoles of its generation, it of course had its good games that went with it. From the DPLA are the game cartridges for Super Mario Bros. and Duck Hunt, both being extremely popular games that many still know today. Photo from Smithsonian Institution. https://collections.si.edu/search/results.htm?q=record_ID=nmah_1253123&repo=DPLA -
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4th Generation
The 4th generation is characterized for 2 massive additions. First was the introduction of 16-bit systems using optical discs (CD) instead of cartridges. CDs provided overall improved graphics and full-motion video. Second, was the appearance of a new way to play games. Why be restricted to only playing games in your home, when you now had the power to take them anywhere? For the most popular home consoles, look for the SNES and the Sega Genesis. -
The Game Boy
The Game Boy, developed by Nintendo, is one of the most iconic handheld gaming devices of all time. Selling over 100 million units and getting a color edition later on, this is an amazing accomplishment for technology and R&D. Before, everyone thought video games would be something relegated to the household. The Game Boy proved them wrong. Photo from DPLA. -
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5th Generation
The 5th generation can only be best described as the emergence of a now modern day titan of the industry: PlayStation. The original PlayStation is one of the most iconic systems in history and is the stand-alone great of its time. To be noted as well was a lack-luster attempt at virtual reality... -
The Virtual Boy
Being an initial leap at virtual reality, this failed attempt was designed with only one main idea: offering a new way to experience games. Its stereoscopic viewfinder was cumbersome and difficult to use, which did the exact opposite of being portable. However, this was not the end for VR, and it would return later. -
The PlayStation
The PlayStation, developed by Sony, is their introduction into the video game market, and what an introduction it was. The PlayStation is one of the top selling consoles of all time, coming in at 102.5 million units over its time. Not only did they utilize CDs with their 32-bit system, but it also brought about a new controller for people to use, and something called "memory cards", which allowed people to save their game to it for later use. -
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6th Generation
The 6th generation yet again saw PlayStation dominate with the release of the PlayStation 2. However, a new company has emerged and there were 3 consoles battling here: PlayStation 2, GameCube, and Xbox. -
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7th Generation
By this time, video games have become an important part of global IT infrastructure. It was estimated that consoles represented 1/4 of the worlds general-purpose computational power in 2007. During this generation, wireless connections, multiplayer, and HDMI were taking over. Not to mention the battle between Blu-ray and HD-DVD. Nintendo would dominate this period with their home console and handheld. -
The Nintendo DS
The DS is one of, if not the most popular hand-held gaming device in history. Selling over 154 million copies, the DS was compact, supported 2 screens, one of which was touch-sensitive, and a stylus to be used as well. It ran off of game cartridges to match its compact style and also had wireless internet connectivity. -
The Nintendo: Wii.
The Wii was the most popular console of the 7th generation, selling 101.6 million copies. It was a small, portable console that used a disc drive, but the main selling point was the handheld motion controller. Acting like a TV remote, it was the first time that an idea like this had been introduced to gaming, and it turned out to be a success. -
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The Present
Right now, we are in the middle of the 8th and 9th generation, with the 8th drawing near to a close. In terms of innovation, there are 3 big factors to look at. First, virtual reality has made a stand in the market, with Oculus being the primary VR headset. Second, gaming is becoming even more powerful with Sony and Microsoft continuing to make updates. Last, discs are starting to become a thing of the past with digital copies of games becoming more popular. The future looks bright for gaming. -
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Bibliography
In order:
E.T. the Extraterrestrial: Photo from DPLA.
NES: Photo from DPLA
Mario and Duck Hunt: Photo from Smithsonian Institution.
Game Boy: Photo from DPLA. https://dp.la
https://collections.si.edu/search