Thirty years ago the fledgling video game business was struggling to make a name for itself as it competed with toys, playing cards and board games for customers. The early games like Pong, Pac Man and Donkey Kong were very basic in terms of technology, and they had very little creativity involved with their designs and functions. Today, the computer game industry is a multi billion dollar extravaganza that has progressed dramatically, and it is starting to steal some of the spotlight from the glitzy and glamorous motion picture industry.
With technological advances like next generation motion capture systems, high definition graphics, Dolby Sound and Motion Sensor Remote controls that enable the players to actually get up off their chairs and get some exercise as they kick, swat, punch, jump, fish, golf and dance their way through sessions, video games have become more than just toys. They are an escape that offers a whole new reality. Kids and adults alike are playing Xbox 360, Playstation 3 and Nintendo Wii games more than ever before and the industry itself is growing bigger every day.
You only need to look at the recent Video Game Awards on Spike TV to see just how far they have come. This televised show was an awards ceremony much in the spirit of the Oscars or Emmys, but with more attitude. It was hosted by Samuel L. Jackson, a major Hollywood movie star, and throughout the show several other celebrities like Michael Irvin, Method Man, Eva Mendez and Seth Green showed up as presenters. James Gandolfini even showed up on the live satellite screen to accept an award for the Sopranos computer game.
Celebrities are starting to notice that video games are getting a lot of attention these days. If there is an awards ceremony that is televised, you can be rest assured that they will show up to get some face time. They are like moths to a porch light with that sort of thing. While the celebrities at the recent Video Game Awards were not quite on the Hollywood A-list, it will not be long before the ones that are will be showing up. They are already starting to license their names for the games, so it only makes sense that they will all be showing up at this event in the future to accept their awards.
The Video Game Awards show began this year with a big-budget open that looked like something out of a Jerry Bruckheimer film. Samuel L. Jackson made his way from his dressing room to the stage as he encountered various strange characters along the way, much like a video game. When he arrived on stage he picked up a laser gun and began to shoot the members of the classic rock group Kansas as they played their signature song Carry On My Wayward Son. There was impressive choreography, elaborate lighting and laser effects. Guys were being shot with laser guns and flying off the stage on harnesses, and the whole thing looked like a high-tech computer game that had come to life.
While the format of the show was very much like a Hollywood award show, it had a certain independent feel to it with a bit of a raw edge. Presenters and award winners were constantly saying things that needed to be bleeped out, edgy, young bands played loud music and Samuel L. Jackson seemed like he was infused with the energy of the crowd as he scream-talked his way through the night.
Being true to the Hollywood awards ceremony format, there were clips of video games that were played throughout the show. This was one of the highlights of the show, for it allowed the viewers to see glimpses inside the worlds of these games. I am quite certain that many viewers who had never seen any of these new games before suddenly had a new found respect for them. They even had clips of games that have not been released yet, like the new one by Tom Clancy called Ghost Recon and another new one called Big Shock that is due out in the spring of 2007.
It is not by accident that the video game industry is starting to look like the film industry. Sony, who makes Playstation 3, also makes movies for Hollywood. They have incorporated many of their filmmaking techniques into the production process of their video games, as have the makers of the Xbox 360 and Nintendo Wii games. The result is that you get games that seem like movies. The camera angles, storylines, lighting and sound effects are very similar to what you would see with a big budget Hollywood movie that plays in theaters.
All of the old classic movies like Scarface, The Godfather and Star Wars have all been turned into video games. A lot of the old actors like James Caan and Al Pacino were actually involved with the making of these classic movie games in which they offered their voice-over talents.
But there is one great advantage that video games have over movies, and that is that they offer interaction. You can actually be involved with what is happening on the screen, instead of just watching it like you do at a movie theater. This gives one a feeling of empowerment that one just does not get from watching a movie. These games offer more than an escape, they offer a journey into another world where your actions have no real negative consequences on yourself.
Video games have come a long way since the days of Pong, Pac Man and Donkey Kong. While the Video Game Awards are not quite the Oscars yet, they are certainly on a pace to give them a run for their money in the future in terms of publicity. Celebrities are starting to notice that the spotlight on Hollywood is being shared by a newcomer to the world of entertainment, and they are following the light, as they do naturally. It is an inevitable natural progression, much like the relationship between a whale and a pilot fish. Big celebrity names are starting to integrate into the computer game industry, and as this happens it only means more publicity for both parties involved. This is ultimately good for gamers too, for as the industry gets bigger and bigger, the games and the consoles will only get better and better.
During the trial of an eighteen year old that was been convicted of being just one of the sniper during the 2002 shooting in the Washington area, the defense attorney argued that the teen had been subjected to violent media material, which included video games. Due to the teen been subjected to such violent material it was said that the teen had actually been desensitized and brain washed that caused the teen to kill I the first place. They even had a clinical psychologist testify who said, "Exposure to entertainment violence desensitizes people to violence, makes it seem more acceptable."
With all of these research studies trying to prove that children playing video games will develop aggressive behavior. These studies even trying to prove that these video games can cause children to run the risk of even having criminal behavior as well. Researcher have been trying to prove with their studies that the fine line between virtual reality and the real world is becoming thinner, which can be very dangerous to these youthful minds.
My question is what do these youthful minds feel about all of this research being done that is trying to prove their favorite video games are violent. I interviewed several video gamers between the ages of fourteen and nineteen to find out exactly what they thought about all of the negative publicity that video games were getting.
Akita, who is nineteen, felt that video games can desensitize individuals, but they also felt that movies and television shows do as well. She also felt that blaming children for having violent behavior on video games was simply adults looking for an easy excuse to their short comings as parents. She went on to say that it seems as if parents were much too busy living their own live to pay enough attention to their own children, so that when some thing drastic happens they want to blame the only thing in their children's lives that bring them happiness. She wonders why playing cowboys or with toy soldiers has never been blamed for the aggressive behavior in children.
Matt, who is sixteen, has been playing video games for the majority of his life, but he does not like playing any type of violent video games. Instead he prefers playing video games that allow him to be creative in the form of competition between friends. He does feel that video games may contribute to violence on some degree, but there are so many other factors that are being ignored by all of these research studies such as society.
Stephanie, who is fourteen, admits that violent video games do make her feel much more violent and even act more aggressively after playing them. Jakim, who is sixteen, states that during the Middle Ages people that did not have the luxury of video games, movies, or televisions were chopping each other's heads off. Mike, who is fifteen, feels that the research being done are being done on particular video games that he feels are bad choices. He feels that there are more violent video games on the market that are being overlooked that include constant scenes of blood and gore, but still offer a challenge to gamers, but studies are not concentrating on these particular video games only the ones where the gamer is shooting others not creatures.
Both Michael Connelly & Victor Epand are contributors for EditorialToday. The above articles have been edited for relevancy and timeliness. All write-ups, reviews, tips and guides published by EditorialToday.com and its partners or affiliates are for informational purposes only. They should not be used for any legal or any other type of advice. We do not endorse any author, contributor, writer or article posted by our team.
Michael Connelly has sinced written about articles on various topics from Mortgage, Hair Care and Finances. Michael P. Connelly is an Author, Artist and award-winning Filmmaker who writes on a variety of topics that effect people in their every day lives.