Gaming has become an international phenomenon. There are now millions of people from all around the world playing video games together at home, in the office, or while traveling. These video games are available on several different platforms, including personal computers and other hand held devices, entertainment systems, and even video game consoles. The proliferation of video games is largely due to their ability to stimulate a person’s mind in a way similar to that found in many forms of art. Art can be defined by those things that are perceived as having a great deal of difficulty in perceiving through the five senses; a video game, by comparison, is not perceived as having a great deal of difficulty in this regard.
A video game or console is an electronic game that entails interaction with a user interface or other input device, including a joystick, mouse, keyboard, or other motion sensitive device. The earliest consoles were essentially simple versions of computers; they used keyboards and joysticks, and could be used for basic gaming, though they generally weren’t ideal for complex games. In response to the need for more advanced and creative applications for gaming consoles, personal computers evolved to support a wide variety of input methods including infrared, optical, and laser. Video gaming then began to take off, and today there are thousands of different types of video games available, ranging from licensed titles to modified hardware that enable the user to play older games without having to pay a penny. Many personal computers have specialized operating systems that allow users to play video games using specialized game emulators.
In the early 2000s, game consoles experienced a resurgence in popularity due to the release of highly popular games such as the X-Box, whose games were designed by the famous designer George Lucas. After a few short years, the Wii was introduced, and although it wasn’t initially a huge success, the Nintendo Wii is currently the fastest selling console ever. The introduction of the Xbox 360 by Microsoft revolutionized the gaming industry, as it was designed to be the first console to streamline many gaming experiences via one unit. The Wii can also be considered to be a revolutionary system, as its wireless nature allows it to be used in the living room, even without the presence of other electronics. Today, there are literally thousands of different kinds of gaming consoles available, and the future looks bright as new games are developed for this ever-expanding technology.