History of Video Games Timeline

History of Video Games and the Evolution of Male Romanticism in the Gaming Industry Jordan Cave If you want to take advantage of the links at the end of this paper, open it in Adobe Reader. Click here A Brief Definition of Male Romanticism: Male Romanticism is a type of romanticism which appeases to males. Unlike sensual, or female, romanticism, the qualities that excite men usually do not involve any form of relationship with males and females, unless the romance is highly sexual, but lacking in sensual. Including sexual relationships, male romanticism often includes heavy degrees of violence and high-paced scenes of action and athleticism. This excitement increases if the person in question is allowed to manipulate the characters and their actions. Male romanticism is easily associated with competition, which allows one to show who is the best within the group. With the gaming industry steadily rising as the largest media entertainment in America, comes a large variety of gaming companies and thousands upon thousands of different games for people to purchase and enjoy. While female gamers are rising in numbers, male gamers are still a dominant majority in the gaming world. The average age for gamers is 29, meaning that most gamers are of a mature age; the gaming industry is aware of this fact, and over the years, mature games that appease the majority and bring in large profits for the company and the game creators are produced. But what led to this? How is that gaming evolved from the arcades and the 2 enthusiast’s basements to a staple of American households across the country? And how does male romanticism evolve from simple competition to questions of morality and sexual satiation? This brief history of gaming should help to show what led to this change - and what the future holds. Pinball Machines (1930-1972) -Considered to be the first “gaming” peripheral of the 20th century, Pinball was first invented in the 1930’s. -All pinball devices were made of wood, and often involved hitting a metal ball into a set of holes to determine who could earn the highest score. -First companies and pinball machines created: Gottlieb and Company (Baffle Ball) -Bally Corporation Company (Bingo) (Bally Hoo)Bingo Novelty -Pinball would not receive its’ name until 1936, possibly derived from a similar Japanese craze, Pachinko. The first coin-operated pinball machine was created by Raymond Maloney in 1931. Maloney 3 founded the Bally Corporation, making Bally Hoo the first official pinball game. -Pinball undergoes a series of transformations and improvements, including the addition of a glass frame and electric back-lights 1933, “bumpers” (Barriers that could obscure the balls path, found near the lower edge of the playing area) in 1937, and “flippers” (Batting objects in which the the player was given control over where the ball could go) in 1947; this was followed by another pinball release, “Humpty Dumpty” by Gottlieb. -In 1934, a “tilt” mechanism was created to prevent the player from cheating by tilting or bashing against the machine in order to control the ball. “Tilting” the machine would usually result in an instant loss, or would jam the system. -Digital scoring is invented in 1950’s. -Dot-matrix (Modern) display systems would be invented by Data East in 1991, allowing for scores and animations to be shown to the player as he/she progressed. -Pinball is renowned as an open-ended gaming 4 system; that is to say, anyone of any age or gender could find interest in playing these games. Pinball has a very simple concept that any person can quickly adapt to, and doesn‘t vary from machine to machine. A master of one pinball machine could easily play a new machine without feeling overwhelmed. Although there were many companies that would arise to help evolve pinball machines to their current state, Gottlieb and Bally, as well as Data East, would be the most well-known. Neither Gottlieb or Bally, however, would delve into the videogame industry outside of pinball machines and simulators. -Akin to the route that video games would take, pinball was seen to many as a passing fad, in which interest would rise, then wane, as the years went by. -In 1942, New York City placed a ban on pinball machines, due to the fact that some considered it a game of luck over skill, and associated it with gambling. Some even felt pinball supported an illegal crime organization. The results of this ban lowered the profits of many industries, as not only did sales in New York come to a halt, but also because many people began thinking of pinball as an immoral pastime that wasted one’s money without reward. With the nation still in the grips of the Great Depression, it was easy for some to make this 5 association. While sales do weaken for pinball industries, this ban isn’t enough to knock the industry into bankruptcy, as pinball is still a fun, easy, and cheap pastime for many who played. This ban would last until 1976, and even then, laws have been placed on modern machines in order to increase the influence of “skill“ over “luck“. This goes to show that even a concept as simple as controlling a metal ball with a couple of flippers can be conceived as menace to society! Today, pinball machines are still being made, usually themed with various video game concepts and movie releases. Some have even gone as far as to develop “storylines” around pinball play (Gilligan’s Island, and the pinball simulator, Pinball Quest for the Nintendo Entertainment system). Unfortunately, their popularity is currently low, and are usually played leisurely, or by older persons. At this point in history, “male romanticism” is completely non-existent in gaming. 6 Arcade Games (1971-1985) Originally started with Space War/Computer Space in 1971, by Nolan Bushnell. Bushnell would later open the gaming company known as Atari. Most of the games during and after the release of Pong were unisex games that appeased mostly to all crowds. These games included Time Pilot, Pac-Man, and Defender, among others. Gaming machines were often found in locations in where adult men often hung out at, including bars, bowling alleys, and “penny arcades” which held a large number of game machines. Most of these arcades were often smokefilled and, at times, unsanitary. However, at the time period, arcade gaming was just starting, and much like pinball machines, appealed to a variety of gamers of various ages and genders. Pong, being one of the first games to be created had originally sold over 1 million units over the country. Most of the game companies and creators, including Nolan Bushnell Ed Logg (Centipede), Dona Bailey (The first woman game designer in the industry, co-creating Centipede), and Dave Stubben (Football) knew each other very well, and even talked to each other about future game ideas. 7 Originality was vital to the gaming industry at the time - once a particular genre was covered, it could not be attempted again unless there was something innovative about its’ gameplay. Sequels were often just recreations of the original game with more levels or altered game mechanics. The Pac-Man series, created by Namco in Japan, is the most prominent example with the releases of numerous sequels, including Super Pac-Man, and Ms. Pacman. Gaming up to 1985 was nothing more than a fad, as no one thought of games as more than hitting a few buttons. The market inevitably became oversaturated by the mid-80’s with more and more games being released, and with few places to put them. Many game companies ended up losing profits because the market was stretched too thin. Many arcades end up shutting down, taking the machines with them. There would be no revival until 1992, with the release of Street Fighter 2 by Capcom. “Male Romanticism” slowly begins to evolve with the release of more complex gameplay. But most games lack actual storylines, and only encourage players to improve their skills over pulling gamers in through game architexture. This encouragement, however, does help to form competitive attitudes among gamers, giving them a chance to show others they are better. While not truly “romantic”, this 8 feeling of competition does help influence the development of male romanticism. Today, the arcade industry is still in existence, although attendance is moderate at best. This is because many games released in arcades are also released on console systems, which encourage gamers to purchase the console version for 24-hour access instead of using their money in arcade machines. People often use arcades as “arenas” or “showcases” to show others the skills they have obtained from, but rarely play in arcades for practice. Game Companies during the 80’s, including gaming consoles made during this era: Mattel (Intellivision) Atari (Atari 2600) Activision Williams Namco Nintendo Sega 9 Personal Computer Games (1985-Present) One of the first games to appease to “male romanticism” was Doom for the PC. This game was the first “First-Person Shooter”, in which a player assumed a persona and saw everything their character sees in a First-Person perspective. It was the equivalent to being in the game without actually being there. Some people spent days downloading the demo when it was first released in the early 90’s. Current Games: Metal Gear Solid series: Game series in which a player took a “Bond-like” role, as players were required to infiltrate enemy bases without being seen. The aspect of the game was not to kill as many people as you could, but to use strategy to avoid being detected. The game itself is very Hollywooddesigned, with impressive, but unrealistic, stunts, and an extensive script. Damage is not realistic, either. Morality issue with Metal Gear Solid 3: In previous installments, players could either kill or incapacitate enemy guards, but received no incentive from keeping guards alive over dead. This game actually “punishes” players for being murderous by having them confront all guards they have killed in the course of the game 10 near the game‘s end. The goal of this was to make the player feel guilty or upset over their actions, and to make them wish they had chosen better courses. The Guy Game: A game that appeases to a different kind of male romanticism. This is the interactive version of “Girls Gone Wild”, in which players would answer questions and the likelihood that “stereotypical” females would be able to match (or screw up) the question. The rewards often included virtual strip shows and panty shots. Sales of Halo 2: 11 million units, bringing in a net of over $125 million dollars. The numbers are still climbing today. Secrecy and individuality are a huge importance of today’s industry. While there are several conventions in which game companies display their new games to the public, the ideas and developments plans are kept under high levels of security, not only to ensure that other companies don’t capitalize on their ideas, but also to ensure that the public doesn’t gain wind of their plans. Outside of company collaborations, companies take great risks to ensure that gaming ideas remain their own. There are two reasons behind this: The first being that the public watches the gaming industry with a very close eye, and gamers don’t want them to gain wind of their ideas unit they’re certain the game is ready for release. The second reason is that anyone who knows how to hack into a computer 11 database can steal the game’s source code (the variables that make the game what it is), and keep it for themselves. Usually, these hackers will alter the code for their own personal interests, or “pirate” (produce illegal free copies of a game to give/sell to others) the game to other gamers and take away profits from the company. This actually happened fairly recently with HalfLife 2 - a hacker had stolen the source code from Valve and offered the source to others online. As a result, the game’s release date was pushed back to make alterations to the code (and to remove any further bugs), and to ensure that no one could hack into the database. Gamers who purchase Half-Life 2 must also download the rest of the game from Valve’s server in order to play it - this is another way Valve increased game security. Large-Name Game Companies Today Konami Nintendo Capcom Bungie/Microsoft Blizzard BioWare ID Software Valve 12 History Timeline: Resources gathered from numerous gaming websites and magazines, including IGN, Gamespot, RetroGames (www.retrogames.co.uk), Segagaga Domain (www.segagagadomain.com), and Dave‘s Sega Saturn Page. (www.sega-Saturn.com). Others to be listed as I come across them. 1930’s - The first pinball games are released. 1948-1972 - Pinball is banned in New York, for accusations of the machines supporting organized crime and gambling. It doesn’t kill the pinball craze, but it does hurt sales, and stands in history as the first “banned’ gaming peripheral in history. 1971 - Computer Space is released by Nolan Bushnell. It doesn’t sell well. 1972 - Pong is released to the United States, beginning the arcade craze of the 70’s. 1977 - First gaming console is released by Magnavox (Odyssey) and Atari (Atari 2600). Most people purchase early consoles to play Pong at home. 13 Early-Mid 1980’s - Arcade market begins to become over saturated, many arcades are closed down from lack of business. During this time, the most wellknown arcade games are released (Centipede, PacMan, Galaga, Missile Command, Pole Position, etc.) Console sales rise as gamers now have access to their arcade favorite in their homes. During this time, gaming slowly grinds to a halt as many begin to “leave the fad behind”. 1985 - Japan enters the console gaming scene, with Nintendo releasing the Family Computer (Famicon) to the Japanese public. Despite skepticism of the console having any success in the United States, it is released as the Nintendo Entertainment System, and becomes a huge success. Popular games include Super Mario Brothers, Legend of Zelda, Mega Man, and Metroid. 1987 - Sega, a Japanese industry which once made cars, goes into the gaming business with the release of the Sega Master System, boasting similar game specs to that of the NES. While Nintendo is a raging success in America, the Master System brings in better sales in Japan. 1989 - Gaming becomes portable. 14 Including the Game and Watch handheld gaming peripherals, Nintendo releases the Game Boy, a monochrome gaming device which used cartridges much like the NES. It not only becomes a success, but survives heavy competition from later company releases, and still stands today as the most popular handheld gaming system in history. 1989 - SNK, a Japanese industry, goes into the gaming industry with its’ release of an innovative arcade system, known as the Neo Geo Multi-Video System, or MVS. Unlike other machines, Neo Geo MVS machines allowed for up to 6 game cartridges to be inserted and played with a simple push of a button before starting. This allows arcades to save money by buying fewer arcade machines and making more games available to the public. SNK is most famous for its’ Metal Slug series as well as the King of Fighters series (a compilation fighting game consisted of original and borrowed characters from SNK’s other releases). 1989 - The Sega Genesis soon follows suit, boasting better graphics and game designs than Nintendo. More “mature” titles go into development, as the gamers who loved the NES begin to mature in age. Games would include Sonic the Hedgehog, Thunder Force and a more violent version of Mortal Kombat. 15 1990 - Another rendition of arcade-to-home conversions comes to gamers from Neo-Geo, known as the AES system. This literally was an “arcade in a console”, as it allowed gamers to buy actual arcade carts used on the MVS system and play them on the AES. Many considered it to be the perfect arcade console. The AES, however, only appealed to the hardcore gamer, as the price of the system averaged nearly $500, and the games $200 apiece, a price very few could justify. To this day, the prices for some games can reach the thousands. 1991 - Nintendo releases the Super Famicon, or Super Nintendo Entertainment System, to the US, possibly to rival their competitor, Sega. Some controversy begins to arise about the purchasing of newer consoles when older ones become obsolete. The system is more “family-oriented” than its’ competition, and more violent ports of games are dumbed down. Early 90’s - Id releases the first “3-D” gaming perspective, later to be known as the First-Person Shooter, or FPS, for PC systems, called Wolfenstein 3D. Not only is the game an instant hit, it brings a new level to gaming that no one comes to expect - 16 including gratuitous amounts of blood and violence. 1 1994 - Parents and government officials become concerned with the amounts of violence within gaming and their influence on the public, especially since these games were easy for younger gamers to access. With the support of congressman Joe Lieberman, The IDSA creates the Entertainment System Rating Board, or ESRB. The ESRB is a rating system run by an independent organization that categorizes games into age groups, and warns potential buyers of the game’s content, from violence, to sexual references and nudity. Since its’ development, numerous improvements have been made, including more extensive rating lists. 2 One detail to note is that these aren’t the first “mature” game titles to be released. There were previous games, such as Splatterhouse, and Mortal Kombat, that were incredibly violent and appeased to male romanticism. FPS games, however, put the player into the perspective of their character, and gives them the sense that they ARE the characters within the game, rather than just a sprite or a figure on a screen. 2 Even with the ESRB in effect, some people still ignore the ratings and buy inappropriate games for their children. While a necessity in order to prevent government intervention in gaming development, it is far from perfect, and to some, the ratings are unclear. The ratings range from EC (Early Childhood) all the way to AO (Adults Only), with most games falling into E (Everyone), T (Teen), and M (Mature). 1 17 1994 - Sega begins to stretch itself too thin by releasing the Sega Saturn in the US, 6 months before it‘s scheduled released. Previous system releases by Sega (Including the 32X, and the Sega CD, as well as their portable handheld, Game Gear) had failed, and the Saturn fares no better in the States, although it does do well in Japan. Very few Western-released video games take full advantage of the system’s hardware, and many of the games were just not fun to play. 1994 - This year also brings about the release of the Neo Geo CD system, which converted its’ MVS cartridges to compact discs. This made the games more affordable, but at the cost of effectiveness. The games often ran too slow and the CD drive only allowed for single-speed reading, making loading times a chore to deal with. Many consider this to be the worst CD drive system of its’ kind. 1995 - Sony steps into the gaming industry with the Sony Playstation. After the insuccessful attempts made by Sega, and Nintendo’s newest console still in development, the Playstation takes the world by storm. The engine was much easier to program for than the Sega Saturn, and using CDs were much cheaper and more effective than cartridges. It doesn’t hit its’ true peak until 2 years later. Popular games 18 included the Tomb Raider series, the Final Fantasy series (which were previously released on Nintendo systems) and the Metal Gear Solid series, among many others. 1996 - Nintendo releases it’s next game system, the Nintendo 64. While the game system does boast a stronger gaming engine than the other two systems, it still runs on a basic cartridge system, which was cumbersome and more expensive (Cartridges averaged $60-$70 compared to $40 CD games). It also lacked some of the larger third-party game support that it’s previous systems had supported. (Konami, Capcom and Squaresoft, among others). 1996 - Gaming goes online. Quake, an FPS developed by iD Software, goes public with online game support. This allows large groups of players to play against each other from any location on the planet, and begins the internet craze. More and more PC games begin to support online multiplayer gaming, and slowly becomes a necessity for new game releases. Late 90’s - 3D Polygon gaming becomes a staple in gaming development. Using 3D engines, developers are now allowed to take gaming into the next 19 dimension. More details can be added to the landscapes, and new game mechanics that were impossible with previous systems now become reality. 1998 - Sega releases it’s last gaming console, the Sega Dreamcast. Known as the first 128-bit gaming console, the Dreamcast was ahead of it’s competitors. Not only was it the first off the ground with a stronger console system, it also was the first console with online internet support. Unfortunately, too many business mistakes and overzealous ideas make the system too far ahead of it’s time for gamers to hold interest. The more popular games released include Soul Calibur and Shenmue. 2000 - The Sony Playstation 2 is released to the American public, crushing any hopes of Sega’s Dreamcast making a recovery. With a stronger game engine, a wide variety of games at launch, internet support, and backward support (The ability to play Playstation 1 games on a PS2, eliminating the need to buy a PSOne as well as a PS2), the PS2 launches the world into the next generation of gaming. This is also the first console to use DVD discs to store game data instead of CD games.. 2001 - Microsoft steps into the gaming franchise with 20 the revealing of it’s first console, the Microsoft Xbox. With it’s release comes it’s flagship game title, Halo, as one of it’s first releases. The game is an instant success, and propels Xbox sales. To many, this is the sole reason to own the console. 2001 - Nintendo releases it’s newest console, the Nintendo Gamecube, with Sega as a third-party game supporter. Although it doesn’t have the financial security of Microsoft or the popularity of the PS2, it is economically the better purchase, being released at $249, compared to the $299 release prices of the other two. Early 21st Century - The gaming industry evolves into the largest entertainment media worldwide, surpassing movies, television, and radio. Flagship games are released during this time, including the Halo series, the Metal Gear Solid series, numerous Mario titles, the Zelda and Metroid Series, the PC releases of Doom 3 and Half-Life 2, among many others. The three largest gaming industries exist in Japan, the United States, and Europe. While each country takes a slightly different approach to appeasing their audiences, all of them unanimously release titles for a mature gaming audience. With Halo 2 alone selling well over 10 million copies within it’s first month of release, and other titles averaging anywhere from 1 to 21 5 million overall sales, it’s hard to say whether or not the industry is heading for another commercial relapse. Literary Qualities: Within female romanticism plotlines, the story is shaped in a sort of triangle, usually involving 2 or 3 main characters within the “triangle” with a large slew of minor characters “outside“ the triangle. Usually the subject matter deals with a topic appeasing to female romanticism, in which the main characters interact within a closely knit environment, in the hopes that they can better themselves and their community. The story rarely leaves the local or domestic setting - this means the story usually starts, progresses through, and finishes within a small location (usually a hometown). Most of the interactions that takes place are between the main characters interacting with each other, while minor characters offer moral support for one or two of the main characters while presenting challenges for the others. If there is a “central” character, it is usually female; otherwise, each character is given an equal amount of attention. This means that the readers are allowed to see numerous perspectives and develop a relationship with all three characters, both “good” and “evil.” There is no true “villain” in female 22 romanticism - even characters portrayed as a “villain” don’t always seek out the harm of one (or both) main characters,; usually, they aren’t aware of the harm they’re causing, or are oblivious to it. The characters NEVER leave the triangle - if the characters leave their current domestic setting, all main characters will follow suit to keep themselves within the triangle to form a new domestic setting. Any main character that strays from the triangle often ends up in despair, whether physically or emotionally. With male romanticism plotlines, the story is more in the shape of a circle, in which there is a variable amount of minor characters, who all interact with one central character. The subject matter deals with a topic appeasing to male romanticism, in which the central character (which can be either male or female) is given a daunting task that involves (whether directly or indirectly) minor characters in a very large setting, like a country or a planet. Almost always does the story take place outside of the domestic setting this usually involves a journey on the character’s part. The central character often will develop relationships with other characters, and these other characters will often have a storyline as intricate as the central character; the audience, however, develops the greatest relationship with the central character, as they’re usually the most fleshed out in terms of 23 characteristics, history, and personality. They‘re also the character the audience sees the most of as well. Much like female romanticism, the minor characters offer support and challenges to the central character. The storyline’s journey will always end in one of two locations (assuming that the base of the circle is “home” for the character): 1. In a location that is completely opposite to where the character starts, at the top of the circle (for example, starting at Heaven and ending in Hell) OR 2. Back at home after their travels to reflect on their journey (or, in some cases, to finish the business they couldn’t handle before the journey). If the character can’t return home, then something equivalent is put in place instead. The subject may or may not have the ability to return to their “home” mid-journey, but in order for the story to progress, the character HAS to move away from where their journey started. Unlike female romanticism, if the character refuses to leave the domestic setting, then the story will not progress. If 24 the story does take place in a domestic setting, then the central character usually does what he can to better his/her situation, or will try to escape the domestic setting altogether. There is usually some clear “villain” or “antagonist” that the central character must challenge. In terms of video games, most story lines follow the male romanticism course. Very few games stay in one location for too long. Even games that are limited to one or two cities usually give the characters a large amount of locations to travel to, or allows the character to try to escape if they do well enough. (The Grand Theft Auto series, as well as Rockstar’s Manhunt are good examples of this, in which the entire game takes place in one grand location). Gaming Websites www.ign.com (IGN - An entertainment website with a large plethora of gaming news and highlights) www.gamespot.com (Gamespot - More devoted to games than IGN, including game movies and replays) www.segagagadomain.com (Segagaga Domain - A website dedicated to Sega and their games released.) 25 www.classicgaming.com (Classic Gaming - find out about older gaming systems and arcade classics. Numerous detailed history details can be found here) www.shmups.com (Shmups.com - A personal favorite, this website is dedicated solely to the arcade shooters that were popular during the earlier years of gaming, including an active forum) http://grandtextauto.gatech.edu/ (Grand Text Auto Scott Rettberg’s GTA blog filled with insights in electronic and video game media www.gamefaqs.com (Gamefaqs - Website devoted to details within video games, from reader reviews to player guides.) www.romnation.net (Romnation.net - Emulation website where users can download and play older games on their computer. Be advised - ROM usage IS illegal and I accept no responsibility for what happens if you are caught or prosecuted.) http://www.academic-gamers.org/ (A University of Florida website - interested in a scholarly approach to the gaming industry? This website includes essays, bibliographies and more to give readers a serious insight into the video game industry.) 26 www.zophar.net (Zophar.net - A game website dedicated to hosting a variety of emulators as well as files to edit and create your own games using classic gaming material.) www.konami.com (Konami’s official webpage) www.capcom.com (Capcom’s official webpage) www.nintendo.com (Nintendo’s official webpage) www.sony.com (Sony’s official webpage) www.penny-arcade.com (Penny Arcade - Popular long-running web comic which parodies and satirizes the gaming industry, including extensive blogs from the creators) www.vgcats.com (VGCats - Popular web comic along the lines of Penny Arcade) Miscellenaeous www.livejournal.com (Livejournal.com - Make a gaming/personal blog of your own!) http://www.broom.org/epic/ (Epic - A flash movie based in the future which explores the defeat of the 27 printed word to the growing industry of electronic media in the news and journalism. A definite watch.) 28