Video
games started to become a huge trend around the 1970’s, and quickly expanded to
all parts of the world, and with it came addiction. The first ever video game
console was made in 1967 and was called “the brown box”, it was the first video
console to work on a standard television (Video Game Consoles, 2012).
In
1986, the Sega Master System was released and the system quickly spread all
over the video game market. This system included many never before seen gaming
accessories such as light guns and 3D glasses, which were revolutionary and
continue to appear with video game systems to this day. These accessories added
entirely new dimensions to gaming, increasing the risk of addiction further (Video Game Consoles, 2012).
In
1989, Nintendo rose to the top of the video game market by introducing a
portable video gaming system called the Gameboy, which featured a black and
white LCD screen. This console became a massive seller for Nintendo, and in
1998, they released the Gameboy with a colour screen, which continued to
dominate the gaming market (Video Game Consoles, 2012). This console allowed users to bring their video games
with them anywhere they went for the first time, making addiction even more prominent
In
1991, the Playstation home console was released by electronics giant Sony. The
Playstation quickly became a video gaming sensation in Japan, and Sony became a
strong competitor with Nintendo, the leader at this time (Video Game Consoles, 2012).
In
1996, Nintendo needed to reclaim their reputation as the leaders of the video
game industry, so they introduced the Nintendo 64 home console. This console
immediately became one of the most popular gaming consoles, and was a strong rival
to Sony’s Playstation. The system’s popularity was partly based on the games
launched this system, which were Super Mario and Pilotwings (Video Game Consoles, 2012). Mario is extraordinarily
popular to this very day, and remains one of the most well-known video games of
all time. The Mario series was very addictive, and the old games are still
played by many to this day.
In
2000, Sony launched the Playstation 2, the follow up to their first console. This
became Sony’s most successful video game console, and hundreds of games were
developed on this system (Video Game Consoles, 2012). The huge selection of games made the console
extremely accessible, and video game addiction increased.
In
2001, Nintendo had another huge successful launch with their Nintendo Gamecube.
This was the first ever system to use optical discs, and with a large selection
of games, the Nintendo Gamecube took over the gaming industry once again (Video Game Consoles, 2012).
In
2001, the same year as Nintendo’s Gamecube, Microsoft released the Xbox home
system and immediately became a top competitor in the video game console market
(Video Game
Consoles, 2012).
In
2005, Playstation launched the Playstation portable, similar to the Gameboy
but, a lot more advanced. With a huge selection of top games to choose from and
good graphics, it took over the portable video gaming market (Video Game Consoles, 2012).
In
2005, the Xbox 360 home console was released and made Microsoft the leading
competitor with Sony in the video game market (Video Game Consoles, 2012). The Xbox 360
had a massive selection of game titles and online connectivity, bringing on a
new level of addiction to video games with the addition of a community network.
In
2006, the Nintendo Wii came out, and was an interactive gaming system (Video Game Consoles, 2012). Nintendo created a unique system that involves motion
control with your gaming, and this system put Nintendo back as a top competitor,
but it added new levels of addiction with the addition of motion control.
In
2006, Playstation also came out with its new Playstation, called the Playstation
3 with real looking graphics and a huge variety of online video games. It
became one of the most bought systems alongside the Xbox 360, and offered free
online connectivity making online addiction even more accessible to users (Video Game Consoles, 2012).
In
the present day, both Sony and Microsoft remain leaders in the video game
industry, with the Xbox One and the Playstation 4 on their way to becoming the
most purchased systems in the history of gaming (Their, 2015). Video gaming has
continually grown in users, never slowing down as companies continue to release
innovative products. With this innovation, comes greater addiction, and with
the introduction of virtual reality gaming to the consumer market in the coming
future, it is expected that video game addiction will only continue to grow.
Citations
Thier, D. (2015, May 06). PS4 Could Very Well Become
The Best-Selling Console In History. Retrieved February 20, 2016, from
http://www.forbes.com/sites/davidthier/2015/05/06/ps4-could-very-well-become-the-best-selling-console-in-history/#457647ed2153
Video Game Consoles: Past, Present,
and Future. (2012, February 10). Retrieved February 20, 2016, from
https://www.timetoast.com/timelines/video-game-consoles-past-present-and-future--2
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