| *Thirty Five Years Ago | | | | Hollywood is being shared by a newcomer to |
| | | | the world of entertainment, and they are |
| The fledgling video game business was | | | | following the light, as they do naturally. It |
| struggling to make a name for itself as it | | | | is an inevitable natural progression, much |
| competed with toys, playing cards and board | | | | like the relationship between a whale and a |
| games for customers. The early games like | | | | pilot fish. Big celebrity names are starting |
| Pong, Pac Man and Donkey Kong were very basic | | | | to integrate into the computer game industry, |
| in terms of technology, and they had very | | | | and as this happens it only means more |
| little creativity involved with their designs | | | | publicity for both parties involved. This is |
| and functions. Today, the computer online | | | | ultimately good for gamers too, for as the |
| game industry is a multi billion dollar | | | | industry gets bigger and bigger, the games |
| extravaganza that has progressed | | | | and the consoles will only get better and |
| increasingly, and it is starting to steal | | | | better. |
| some of the spotlight from the glamorous | | | | |
| motion picture industry. | | | | Recently, many new online gaming services |
| | | | have been introduced. The world is having a |
| With technological advances like the next | | | | visible affect on the online gaming industry, |
| generation motion capture systems, high | | | | as more and more people turned towards |
| definition graphics, Dolby Sound and Motion | | | | playing and enjoying online games. Games on |
| Sensor Remote controls that enable the | | | | the Internet were once an imaginary phrase, |
| players to actually get up off their chairs | | | | but since the introduction of thousands of |
| and get some exercise as they kick, punch, | | | | user friendly and easy operating games on the |
| jump, fish, swing, golf and dance their way | | | | Internet, people are finding that fiction has |
| through sessions, video games have become | | | | become reality. |
| more than just toys. They are an escape that | | | | |
| offers a whole new reality. Kids and adults | | | | *Chill out and Play Games |
| alike are playing Xbox 360, Playstation 3 and | | | | |
| Nintendo Wii games more than ever before and | | | | One of the best ways the majority of us |
| the industry itself is getting bigger and | | | | relax, stay engaged, stave off boredom, or |
| bigger every day. | | | | even burn away hours at work is to play games |
| | | | video games, online computer games (if you |
| But there is one great advantage that video | | | | dont know there are probably a few addictive |
| games have over movies, and that is that they | | | | games in your word program, right?), or |
| offer interaction. You can actually be | | | | online games. |
| involved with what is happening on the | | | | |
| screen, instead of just watching it like you | | | | While we now know, too, that when you play |
| do at a theater. This gives you the feeling | | | | games (of any mode and of certain types), |
| of empowerment that you just do not get from | | | | those games help to sharpen some of our |
| watching movies. These games offer more than | | | | mental faculties, Alzheimers, and, in my |
| an escape, they offer a journey into another | | | | coo-coo world, the insanity of such needful |
| world where your actions have no real | | | | mental aberrations as ADD, ADHD, and |
| negative consequences on yourself. | | | | OCDthough this last benefit is not |
| | | | necessarily empirically proven. There has |
| Video games have come a long way since the | | | | been quite a bit of research done on this |
| days of Pong, Pac Man and Donkey Kong. While | | | | topic and you can bet there will be a whole |
| the Video Game Awards are not quite the | | | | lot more to come. |
| Oscars yet, they are certainly on a pace to | | | | |
| give them a run for their money in the future | | | | So lets sit back, kick our shoes off, and |
| in terms of publicity. Celebrities are | | | | relax playing your favorit games. |
| starting to notice that the spotlight on | | | | |