Video Games Overview
The gaming industry has exploded in recent years as games are not only enjoyed by young generations. Adults participate too. Thanks to computers, which are one of the major contributors to this gaming phenomenon, the gaming industry has been very busy with the race of who will create the most attractive game to take over the market.
The popularity of video games and the computer as a whole has been increasing steadily. The average age of the video game player is now 29 years old, debunking the myth that video games are largely a distraction for teenagers.
Surprisingly, computer games are becoming more and more popular and widely accepted by all generations. Especially in recent years, so-called “console games” have spread all over the world.
The end of 2005 and 2006 saw the next generation of console games in the form of continuous advancements in processor technology, graphics technology, design innovation, and even platform-specific gaming community infrastructure.
Sony, Nintendo and Microsoft are participating in this “technology race”. Microsoft’s second-generation offering, the Xbox 360, is powered by a multi-core CPU. The PlayStation 3 runs on cellular processor technology. And Nintendo Revolution allows the player to interact with the game through a wireless motion sensing controller.
Some of the most popular today are computer games, or sometimes called PC games, online games, console games, handheld games and even, believe it or not, mobile phone games.
Computer games are often more powerful than console games due to early market releases of their external architecture and graphics cards. They are played on the personal computer with standard computer interface devices, such as the keyboard and mouse, or additional peripherals, such as joysticks.
Online gaming originally started with PC games, but over time they have expanded to include most modern consoles. It is now a key feature of modern games, with the inclusion of internet connectivity on consoles like PlayStation 2 and Xbox, and also on mobile phones.
Console games are specialized computers specifically designed to play games of a certain format. The player generally interacts with the game through a controller, and video and sound are generally delivered to the player through a television, although most modern consoles support additional outputs such as surround sound settings.
Handheld games are played on handheld game consoles, such as the Nintendo Game Boy, Nintendo DS, and Sony PSP. Because they are designed to be played on the go, they are generally small enough to fit in an average pocket (the virtual kid is an exception to this). Due to their small size, portable consoles have reduced processing power compared to larger consoles, which means that games are shorter and, until the launch of the DS, were limited to 2D only.