Video Games College Students and Gaming • Play games once in a while? • Games help you make new friends? • Do games take time away from friends & family? • How do you feel about games? • Pleasant, exciting, challenging OR • Frustrated, bored, stressed • Do games keep you from studying?Video Games College Students and Gaming Pew Internet and American Life Project • Play games once in a while? 64% • Games help you make new friends? 20% • Do games take time away from friends & family? 35% • How do you feel about games? • Pleasant (36%), exciting (34%), challenging (45%) • Frustrated (12%), bored (11%), stressed (6%) • Do games keep you from studying? (48%)Video Games • Where did they come from? • What are they? • What is on the horizon? • Who is your daddy? • Don’t bring that in my house. • [Insert your trash here]Video Games • Teens 12-17 Demographics • 99% boys, 94% girls • 97% computer, web, portable, or console games. • 50% of teens played games yesterday.!• 86% play on a console Xbox, PlayStation, or Wii. • 73% on a desktop or a laptop computer. • 60% portable gaming device like a Sony PlayStation Portable, a Nintendo DS, or a Game Boy. • 48% use a cell phone or handheld organizer to play games.Video Games Where did they come from? • Willy Higinbotham • Brookhaven National Laboratory • 1958 • Tours • Oscilloscope • Never patented itVideo Games Where did they come from? • Space War • MIT – Tech Model Railroad Club • PDP-1 • E.E. Doc Smith – Lensman • Sci Fi club • Steve RussellVideo Games Where did they come from? • Space War • 1962 • Online • Don’t patent • PDP-1 • Machine costs $120K • Becomes a free demo • Distributed across ARPANETVideo Games Where did they come from? • Nolan Bushnell • 1971 • Developed Computer Space • Not successfulVideo Games Where did they come from? • Nolan Bushnell – 27 • 1972 • New company • Syzgy – already taken • Playing Go • Check in Go is Atari • Sounds • No ROM or processorsVideo Games Where did they come from? • Nolan Bushnell • Puts in Bars • Makes $100/wk in quarters • PONG cabinets $500 -- $1200 • Sell 8500 machines • 2000 pinballs was considered goodVideo Games Where did they come from? • PONG at home • 1974 • Atari employees propose home unit • Make one – but not promising market • Sell idea to Sears in 1975 • Sells for $100Video Games Where did they come from? • Split • Arcade • Console • Computer • OnlineVideo Games Where did they come from? • Arcade • 1971 – 1973 – 30 arcade games by 11 man • 74-75 – 57 games • 76 – 53 games by 15 man • Most Pong knock offsVideo Games Where did they come from? • Death Race -- 1976 • Exidy • Based on Death Race 2000 • B-movie – Roger Corman • http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=o6LahtrxVhg • People were horrified • Pulled of marketVideo Games Where did they come from? • Space Invaders -- 1978 • http://www.freeinvaders.org/ • Taito – Pachinko • 1978 • Licensed to Atari • http://www.80smusiclyrics.com/games/new3/spaceinvaders.swfVideo Games Where did they come from? • Asteroids – 1979 • Atari • High Score initialsVideo Games Where did they come from? • Puckman – 1980 • Moru Iwantani – tired of shoot’em up • Namco • Puckman • Pakupaku – flap one’s mouth open and closeVideo Games Where did they come from? • Pac Man • Joy stick • Colors • Song -- http://bit.ly/bmzyRm • Buckner & Garcia • Packaging • For women • Ms PacmanVideo Games Where did they come from? • Laser Disk • Dragon’s Liar • http://bit.ly/cvGDBA • Limited interactivity • Unreliable • Coin drop problemsVideo Games Where did they come from? Home • Game consoles • Hooked up to TVVideo Games How do Video Games work? Game essentially a broadcaster.Video Games How do Video Games work?Video GamesVideo Games Where did they come from? Atari VCS (Video Computer System) 1977 • 1.19 MHz processor • Uses ROM cartridges • Comes packaged with Combat • $249 • 1979 –1980 – 12 new games released $49Video Games Where did they come from? Atari VCS • 1980 – licenses video arcade game • Space Invaders • Rick Mauer • $100M for Atari • He earns $11K • Next 2 years • 25M VCS soldVideo Games Where did they come from? Identity Problems • Consoles added keyboards • Wanted to be computers • Not successful • 1982 • Arcade video games make X3 movie • Then hit wall • Same thing with homeVideo Games Where did they come from? 1983 • $950M in 82 to $3.2B • Then public backs out • Loses appetite • Not until next spate do we see increaseVideo Games Where did they come from? 1985 • Nintendo • Super NES (Nintendo Entertainment System) • Control pad • Arcade quality games • Hardware as loss leader Starts the rise that we feel todayVideo Games Where did they come from? Computer games • Text based adventure games • Zork – 1977Video Games Where did they come from? Computer games • Limited graphics • Leisure Suit Larry – 1987 • Storage Space • 5.25” drivesVideo Games Where did they come from? Online Games • Candystand • Kohler Toilet Online Branding Advertiser Tie-InVideo Games Controversy • Violence • Death Race • Doom • Mass Murder Simulator • Columbine • GrandTheft Auto • Carjacking • Prostitution • Race crimesVideo Games ESRB • Entertainment Software Rating Board • 1994 • Self-regulationVideo Games Game Mechanics integrated into so many things FourSquare is