Lab+1

Lab 1 - Week 2

//Can Video Games be considered another new mass media? What makes Video Games a different medium from conventional movies and music? Why are video games catching on?//

Video Games have grown tremendously over the past couple of decades. Almost everyone remembers the classics such as Mario and Duck Hunt to the original platforms such as Atari. We all remember that one favorite game which watching clips of now makes us remember the hours we spent defeating and moving onto the next levels, personally for me it was Punch Out on the Nintendo Entertainment System (NES). Emerging technologies have enabled the use of online capabilities to connect individuals around the world to play against each other. This has brought out a new way to market video games and target the key demographics in video games usage.

The new online tool has allowed individuals to play a game from the basic concept of "One vs. Computer" or "One vs One" (in the same room) to "One vs The World" in essence. You can choose to play your friends who live in a different neighborhood or someone you've never met before around the world. Because of this, video games popularity has grown tremendously and caused phenomenons based on single games that use the co-operative type of play (eg. Starcraft, World of Warcraft).

After viewing the documentary presented in tutorial, it is evident that video games have become a new form of mass media. In East-Asian countries the popularity of video games has become overwhelming, becoming almost a form of sport full of star players and sponsors. Television channels have been created for the sole purpose of televising video games and events are sprung annually to find out who is the best with salaries reaching $250,000 per year.

Conventional movies can be viewed synchronously with those who are within the parameters of the viewing area. However, an individual sitting at home playing on a level in a massively multi-player online role playing game (MMORPG) can view the same level they are one with the same people as someone in another part of the world both receiving the game synchronously.

Video Games will only continue to adapt to the demands of consumers and adjust to the likeness of the target audience. This is a key reason as to why video games caught on in the first place and will continue to do so. Better graphics and different challenges can be created non-stop through the minds of the developers and while the cash will continue to pour in so will the ideas.