"Happy Birthday To Me"...21 Years of Gaming History

As many of you may have guess the from the title, today is my birthday. I'm officially 21, and while today I was busy working on an event called Kids on Campus. I had a brief moment  to think about what these 21 years can bring, I have seen and done many things, but in the realm of video games, there have been many developments, many changes and many advancement especially in these 21 Years. So lets take a brief look at the most prominent things in Video Game history for the past 21 years.








In 1989 (The Year I was born)

• Nintendo released the Handheld Gameboy for $109
• The Sega debuts the Genesis, the first 16-bit home game console for $249.95
• Atari enters the handheld market with the Lynx for $149

1991 (When I was 2)

• Super NES was released in the U.S. by Nintendo for $249.95

1994 (When I was 5)

• The ESRB (Entertainment Software Rating Board) is created.

1995 (When I was 6) 

• Sony brings the Playstation to America and sells it for $299. 
• The N64 was released in Japan.

1996 (When I was 7)

• Arcades redesign their markets to include more "ride and video" games that simulate a certain kinetic action like snowboarding and jet skiing. 
• The Tamagotchi V-Pet was released in Japan and the U.S.

1997 (When I was 8)

• Playstation is considered the most popular console with 20 million units sold. 

1998 (When I was 9)

• Sega introduces the Dreamcast in Japan. 

1999 (When I was 10)

• The Columbine High School Shooting, stops the release of a handheld Gun controller for the House of the Dead 2 

2000 (When I was 11)

• The Sony PS2 was released for $300 and it was sold out by the early morning. 
• The SIMS was released and became an instant hit. 

2001 (When I was 12)

• Microsoft and Nintendo release the XBOX and the Gamecube at the same time, the mark of the beginning of the Gaming Wars.
• Nintendo released the Gameboy advance. 

2004 (When I was 15)

• Nintendo release the first portable system with two touch screen known as the DS. 

2005 (When I was 16)

• Sony releases the PSP
• Sony releases the PS3, one of the most expensive game system ever...price range $600

2008 (When I was 19)

• Wii fit is launched. 

2009 (When I was 20)

• Wii Sports becomes the best selling game of all time. 

After 21 Years, the video game industry has expanded so much, introducing new games, new technology and new methods of gameplay. And since the gaming industry is constantly changing and evolving. There is no telling what is come and what we can expect in  a couple of years from now. I'm Kevin 21 James Signing Off.

Angry Birds...Why?

Let me first apologize for this late post, I have been traveling to and from DC within the past 3 days meeting with DC Alumni of my soon to be alma mater. St. John's University. 

My recent traveling has allowed me to have a lot of free time on the road in which I have been using my iPod Touch a lot. One game I have been playing recently has been "Angry Birds". Angry Birds, according to wikipedia, is a puzzle video games developed by Rovio, a developer in Finland. Since its release for Apple iPod, over 6.5 million copies of the game have been purchased....

In Angry Birds, players take control of a flock of birds that are attempting to retrieve eggs that have been stolen by a group of evil pigs. The pigs have taken refuge on or within structures made of various materials, including wood, glass, and stone, and the object of the game is to eliminate all the pigs in the level.

Using a slingshot, players launch the birds at the structure, with the intent of either hitting the pigs directly or damaging the structure, which would cause it to collapse onto the pigs. If all of the pigs are defeated by the time the last bird is used, the level is completed and the next level is unlocked. Players may re-attempt levels as many times as they wish, and may also replay completed levels in an attempt to boost their score."

There are several birds that are used to break down these structures.                                                      

Red birds are simply launched at the structure, using their momentum to attack 


Blue birds separate into three smaller birds



Yellow birds speed up and dash into their targets 


Black birds explode on command or shortly after coming into contact with an object 


White birds drop egg-shaped bombs 

Green birds go back and fly in the opposite direction like a boomerang 

Big Brother birds behave like the standard red birds, but are bigger and cause more damage. 

Now of course, I wasn't the first to jump for joy with this game, but then I downloaded the full game and then I was hooked, I am now, stuck on playing this game and I don't know why.

YES I'm Serious I don't know why? I have currently read a bunch of game reviews on this game and remain puzzled. But because I seek the truth I will give you my theories on why this game of "throwing birds at pigs" is so popular. 

1. It's a Puzzle: Angry Birds is designed to be a puzzle, you are given a limited number of birds each level and is forced to find a way to get all of the pigs. Of course, this forces the player to get deep into the game play. 

2. Star Values: At the end of every level, the game rates your performance from 1Star to 3 Stars. This adds an incentive to not only beat a level but reach a level of perfection in each level. 

3. Casual Game Play: I will admit that I play this game every time I am on the train, or in the classroom. So I think its great for when you are in the midst of waiting or even relaxing. This game rocks when I'm bored.

But do you like angry birds why and are there reasons I missed this is "Kevin Angry" James Signing Off.

The Apple Sensation That's Sweeping The Nation

Welcome back to another addition of "Video Games and More". So as many of you may not know, my birthday is October 29th, 2010. But my girlfriend decided to surprise me for my birthday by getting me a new iPod Touch (techinically refrubished, but I'm not complaining). So as of late I have been so focused on enjoying this iPod. The iPod Touch, according to wikipedia (Greatest Source Ever) is a portable media player, personal digital assistant, and Wi-Fi mobile platform designed and marketed by Apple Inc. The product was launched on September 5, 2007, at an event called The Beat Goes On. The iPod Touch adds the multi-touch graphical user interface to the iPodiTunes Store, and also has access to Apple's App Store, enabling content to be purchased and downloaded directly on the device. Apple Inc.iPod Touch units as of the end of 2009 line. It is the first iPod with wireless access to the has sold over 32 million. Now the iPod Touch has the ability to download applications  that allow you to do multiple things on the iPod, such as surf the internet, listen to the radio and even play video games.

Video Games on the IPOD!!! NO!!!


So your probably wondering what does this have to do with"Video Games". Well currently many companies are developing version of big time games for the ipod touch. Such as Grand Theft Auto and even Rock Band. And yes while many people may argue that these games can't compare to the consoles. In retrospect, they are. According to both PC Game Software & Ars Techinca, Sales of Video Games in 2009 (19 Billion) was about 3 billion less than sales of Apps (22 Billion) in 2009. To me this reflects that currently the Video Game Industry will soon seek to ensure that every game they produces has an Ipod touch or Ipad version as well.





Why is the iPod Touch a good platform for Video Games?


Well the main reason is that the Ipod touch allows for accessibility, You can play any game on the go and at any point of the day, this allows almost anyone to become an instant gamer by getting the apps.

Rock Band on the iPod Touch

And the second reason the iPod Touch is successful is that the Ipod Touch apps are affordable, unlike typical video games which can cost over $20 and more, download of apps start @ $1.00 and up, with some of these apps being free (demos).

Rock Band on XBOX

But what do you think are apps the future platforms for video games?



This is Kevin James Signing Off....

"The Game Mode"

A Note for Dr. Greh, posted earlier but made changes due to a bad HTML Code.
So whats up gaming world, welcome back to another edition of "Video Games and More", for this edition I would like to start off with a familiar topic, that I'm sure most of you know about...I'm talking about "The Game Mode". Now I'm sure that half of you all out there, (which would probably make 3 of you who follow my blog) probably just went went "oh yea", for those of you  who didn't I will explain. 

"The Game Mode" is a commonly used term for the moment a player of a game enters into their own world during a game. 


Warning: If you have ever played a game only to find you are being alienated from everything and everyone because of the way you react to every single action in a game...Then you have a type of Game Mode...seek medical attention (just kidding :) )

I however reach this point, when I play Capcom v. SNK 2 for playstation. According to Wikipedia (the best source of all time) 

"(Capcom v. SNK 2) was a sequel to the fighting game Capcom v. SNK. This game was released on NaOMI hardware in the arcade. Itt was later released for the sega dreamcast (japan Only) and playstation 2, with the GameCube and XBOx receiveing an updated version titled Capcom v. SNK 2 EO."

Now whenever I play this game, I almost sync myself with my avatar (RYU) and in my mind become him (creppy...right...I know). At this moment I become more agressive, I yell, scream and make a fuss. I say terms like "come on", "lets go" (and some terms I won't say here since my blog is rated PG. (see look I was rated). 






But why do I and so many others like myself get this way with games. Well my theory is that games have a way of tugging on the emotional side of game players and that depending on the game can warrant different feelings and emotions. Fighting Games, naturally have an adversarial approach, so in our minds we come into these games with the logic that we want to beat the game at all costs. In addition with the effect of the uncanny valley which, according to Wikipedia, is the concept that an artificial being which looks almost human but not, can evoke an empathic response from humans.  Therefore since most characters we play with in fighting games look almost human and not to overtly human, they in a sense cause use to feel connected to them in some way without turning us off to them, completely. 


So what do you think? Does a Game Mode exist? Well I decided to give it a shot, so check me in this video, becoming one with the game.




This is Kevin "Crazy" James signing off.  

 

References:

 
The Uncanny Valley, http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/The_Uncanny_Valley, accessed 10/7/10
 

Capcom vs. SNK 2, http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Capcom_vs._SNK_2, accessed 10/7/10

E.T. Phone Home, Then GO HOME, AND NEVER COME BACK!!!!!

Welcome back to another installment of Video Games and More, and boy did you guys come at a worse time. So because I'm a man of controversy I decided to review the proclaimed "worse video game of all time". E.T. Now as many of you may have guess E.T. the video game was based upon the widely successful film of the same name. During my studies of this film,  I spoke to many film students who asked me "why was E.T. The video game was deemed a bad video game when the movie was highly successful?"

Well in my opinion ET was a videogame that clearly shows us that when we rush the predevelopment and development stages of a game we end up having a poor product, even though the idea behind it was good.

So lets take a moment to relieve the massacre that is E.T.

According to wikipedia (yes I used wikipedia, it gave me the best definition of this massacre),

"E.T. is an adventure game in which players control an alien (E.T.) from a top-down perspective. The objective of the game is to collect three pieces of an interplanetary telephone. The pieces are found scattered randomly throughout various pits (also referred to as wells). The player is provided with an on-screen energy bar, which decreases as time passes. To prevent this, the player can collect Reese's Pieces, which are used to restore the energy of the character; when enough are collected, the player can call Elliot to obtain a piece of the telephone. After the phone pieces have been collected, the player must guide the character to a call-ship area, which allows him to call his home planet. When the call is made, an interplanetary spaceship appears on-screen, and the player must reach the spaceship in a given time limit. Once the spaceship is reached, the game starts over, with the same difficulty level, while changing the location of the telephone pieces. The score obtained during the round is carried over to the next iteration. The game ends when the energy bar depletes, or the player decides to quit.^[2]"


I couldn't help but laugh when they said "or the player decides to quit" (UNDERSTATEMENT OF THE YEAR!!!!)


Now for the sanity of myself I will focus on two reasons why this game was so unsuccessful:


1.The product was rushed: Because the E.T. movie was so popular, the video game industry wanted to capture some of it's success, so in July of 1982, plans starts to developed this game and by the end of that year the game of finished (5 MONTHS). Most game take at least a year to be fully developed, if not longer. Due to this, the gameplay, was lousy which leads to multiple forms of frustration to the game player.


2. The Gameplay was too difficult to use: since the game was in fact rushed, the game play had cut-screens that just happened which throws the player off, scenes where people randomly come out of no where. And probably the worse issues that this game had (besides the horrible color) was that the game was only one continuous level, where even if a player was to beat (and I say this phrase loosely) the game, the game would simply restart and put the items ET collected in other places.


Such Madness from a video game like ET caused massive riots, which ultimately lead Atari to destroy the games in New Mexico. (Sad ending to an even sadder game)

In fact, the game was also marked as a contributor to the Video Gaming Industry Crash of the 1980s. 

But if you would like to explore my own experiences with this madness watch my V-Log.  

Sorry about the cutoff, I don't have good video making software.