History of Video Games

History of Video Games The History of Video Games One of the youngest forms of entertainment to date, the path that led the video game industry to be the giant multibillion dollar industry that it is today is about as humble as World War II. Mounted in mystery and finding its roots in gambling dens and the minds of defense contractors, the history of video games is obtuse and then some. This essay will present a summary of the history of videogames, as it started in the mind of Ralph Baer, the ‘Father of video games, to its place in present and future society as the place holder for billions of dollars in the entertainment industry. Although he is barely spoken of today, except by those the behind scenes, the idea of interacting with televisions further than changing the volume and channel sprang out of the mind of Ralph Baer. After escaping Germany with his parents at the age of 16, Ralph came to America and began working in a television and repair factory. In 1943 he was drafted in the United States Army and served in World War II in Army Intelligence. (Game Informer, 2009) Baer learned much of his knowledge in electronic technology while working for Loral, a military contractor that specialized in airborne technology. Loral approaches Baer with a mission: He is to make the best television technology and money can create. It was at this time that Baer had an idea to make a television that people can be actively engaged with. Loral wasnt nearly as enthusiastic as Baer was and shot his idea down, an action that may have been hastily made. (gamespot.com, 2009) In the year of 1966, Baer approaches his associates with a full page paper on his idea, which is now in the Smithsonian. â€Å"That Document was basically the Magna Carta of the home game industry. Within a year and a half, we were playing video ping-pong, hand ball, and shooting the screen with light guns,† Ralph Baer told Game Informer Magazine. (Game Informer Magazine, Gamespot.com) Sanders and Associates gave Baer the thumbs up. They provided Baer with the backing he needed to start development on his beloved idea. Baer successfully created interactive games such as a chase game, a video tennis game, and a game involving a toy gun that could distinguish between different of types light emitted from a television screen. Baer and other engineers on his team begin creating a prototype. In 1968, the Brown Box was created, named for its faux wood-grain housing. All that was left for Ralph Baer was to put his brainchild in the hands of the populous. This was much more difficult than expected. Sanders asked Baer to find a production partner for his invention. Many of the television and entertainment companies that he approached enjoyed the idea but did not want to enter into contractual obligations. Then he found Magnavox. In 1972, the Brown Box was released as the Magnavox Odyssey. One of its first games was the forever famous, Pong. (Game informer Magazine) Before the first home console hit the stage, in 1958 the very first invention to resemble a video game was a table tennis like game played on an oscilloscope. Willy Higinbotham sought to keep visitors to the Brookhaven National Laboratory interested. A year later, he added a fifteen inch monitor to his unique device. He never placed a patent on his machine. (gamespot.com) An MIT graduate by the name of Steve Russel created the first computer game, called SpaceWar. SpaceWar was played on a rigged up Digital PDP-1. This machine spurred the mind of many imaginative thinkers, one such being was Nolan Bushnell. (gamespot.com) During his academic career, Bushnell sees SpaceWar and is left an everlasting impression. While working a summer job at a carnival, he sees the local coin-operated arcade filled with dozens of computer machines. Realizing it is only a dream, he sees that the cost of computers in that day makes this feat impossible. (gamespot.com) In the early 1970s, Nolan, with the help of Ted Dabney, wanted to make an arcade booth with a SpaceWar based game. The result was Computer Space, the first video arcade game. Placed in a futuristic housing cabinet and crowned with a whopping (for those days) thirteen inch television, Bushnell and Dabney immediately gained support from Nutting Associates, an arcade game manufacturer. 1972 heralded the publics mass exposure to video arcades. Computer Spaces success was short lived, as the public found the gameplay too challenging. (gamespot.com) 1972 was a busy year for video games. The dynamic duo Bushnell and Dabney, left Nutting to start Atari, naming it after a word equivalent to ‘check in the Japanese game Go, which is similar to chess. The two enlisted the help of Al Alcom to program the games. Alcom was given a preliminary assignment, and programmed the first ever Pong. A Pong machine was thrown together and placed in a bar, Andy Capps. Less than two weeks later, the machine broke down. The culprit was the coin storage bin, which was flooded with quarters. Pong was a hit, and paved the way for modern day arcade games. (gamespot.com, Game Informer) Years later, Baer took Bushnell, along with several other video game companies, to court for Bushnells version of Pong. A settlement was reached out of court, where Bushnell finally agreed to pay the licensing fees. (Game Informer) Nintendo, a Japanese word meaning, â€Å"leave luck to the heavens,† is one of the oldest gaming companies today. Its roots began in the year 1889, as a Japanese playing card company. Nintendo quickly gained a following, as the Japanese mafia, the Yakuza, began using Nintendos cards in their illegal gaming and gambling dens. This provided a steady income allowing the company to flourish. Nintendo first appeared in the United States in 1907, creating American styled cards. Impressed with Nintendo, Disney approached the company in 1959, commissioning Disney character cards. This brought Nintendo into the home of more upstanding families. In the late 1970s to the early 1980s Nintendo put its foot in the door for electronic gaming, creating sundry unsuccessful arcade games, that is, until Donkey Kong. 1981 saw the flight of Donkey Kong, a game which took the nation by storm. It success was only bested by games with the likes of Pac-man. This movement caused Nintendo to switch gears, and give serious thought to the video game industry. In 1985, it put the Nintendo Entertainment System (NES) in homes worldwide, giving itself the concrete foothold into the home console market that became the mainstream concept of most gaming companies of the day. (Wii for Dummies, nintendo.com) The other large scale production companies of the day were Sony and Sega, both starting out as electronic repair and development companies. Those companies, along with Atari, Activision, Coleco, Magnavox, Mattel, and Nintendo, produce more than 15 home-based consoles in the span of six years, while gaming was only out of the womb for less than five years. (Game Informer) Original games such as Pong were played on a very limited plane comprised of dots and squares. The first games were also immovable programs that came with the consoles, which usually only had a few games. Optional peripherals could be purchased to slightly increase gameplay. In 1976, cartridges debuted, allowing games and consoles to be purchased separately, and for more games to be created and implemented well after a consoles release. Cartridges, along with VHS tapes, held strong until 1992 when the compact disk killed cartridges for most consoles. Other than computers, the Sega Genesis was one the first consoles to use this form of the medium . Today, handhelds are the only platforms to see their usage, and we are actively watching them disappear and go the way of the VHS. Most games today float through airspace, are on CDs, or flow through cables. (gamespot.com, Game Informer) Games also have under gone massive prosthetic changes. In the days of Odyssey, games were pixilated and simple to look at. In 1981, one of the first three dimensional games was created: Battlezone. It was also one of the first first-person games. One player played as a tank and faced enemies in a battle like simulation. It was met with much success and gratification. It even fell into the lap of the US Army, and an enhanced version was commissioned and used as a battle simulator to train troops. (gamespot.com, Know the Score) Today, games continue to push the envelope. In 2000, Sony placed the Playstation 2 in the market, dazzling gamers with its almost lifelike games. It was met with Nintendos Gamecube and Microsofts Xbox. Four years later, the Xbox 360 hit the scene, with graphics that looked like works of art. A year later the Wii and Playstation 3 burst into the market, after much speculation about both. The Wii falls short of the other two consoles at first because of its graphics, but quickly gains fame do to its new wireless motion sensed controller. By November 16, 2006, it had sold more than fifty million units worldwide; more than that of Sony and Microsoft Combined. However, the undisputed champion of sales, is that of Nintendos first handheld, the Gameboy. The Gameboy sold over one hundred-sixty million units worldwide. (nintendo.com, Game Informer) The gaming phenomenon has reached heights that were never expected, especially given its complicated history. Its memorabilia have gained collective value faster than any franchise before it, with games less than 20 years old being bought and sold for more than three-hundred-fifty-thousand dollars. They are even moving in the direction of removing controllers from gameplay by having cameras capture and process movement and simple or complex gestures to advance the player in the game, such as Project Natal. (Game Informer) This essay has captured the rocky surface of the video game movement. It began with its speculated beginnings, and ended with its present and future outlook. Video games have stretched the relative views of space and time, pointed out infinite possibilities, have been emulated on the ‘Big Screen and allowed expressive outlets for the mind and bodies of my generation, and will continue to dazzle and amaze us for the remainder of our lives. References Corporate history (n.d.). Retrieved November 13, 2009, from http://www.nintendo.com/corp/history.jsp Game Informer. (2009, May). Ralph Baer. Game Informer Magazine, 193, 30-31. Game Informer. (2009, June). The Fate of a Generation. Game Informer magazine, 194, 16-17. Herman, L., Horwitz, J., Kent, S., Miller, S. The history of video games. Retrieved November 13, 2009, from http://www.gamespot.com/gamespot/features/video/hov/ Orland, K. (2008). Wii for dummies. Indianapolis: Wiley Publishing. Skurzynski, G. (1994). Know the score. New York: Macmillian.

education and philosophies :: essays research papers

In light of this course, I would say that my philosophy of education has changed. My first paper, in retrospect, reads almost like a fantasy of what teaching should be like. I think in this aspect I have matured enough to realize that everything in this profession is not "Disney" material. There are going to be students who do not follow directions, and worse who don't care about succeeding at all. I would feel responsible for these children if I thought that there was a chance to help them. Unfortunately, there are some children that will never buy into schooling and education in general. I do, however, still believe that I can positively impact that type of child in the area of life, or even "street knowledge." I am not saying that I will be able to relate to all walks of life in the classroom. That would be an overstatement. I do believe that I possess the common sense and approachability to be a "stop" on a child's problem solving route. My first paper focused more on personal feelings and avoid ed issues that were raised in this class. After taking part in discussions, I began to focus more on the system and the political atmosphere of education, ranging from diversity in the classroom to violence in schools in general. I think that due to the Federal Government being in control of school funds, some carpet decisions favor some schools while other schools are left hurting. I believe that these decisions should be put in the hands of the parents and school board, for parents should be allowed to pick and choose what their children are learning. I know that when my child attends school I will thoroughly investigate the curriculum and take any means necessary to avoid liberal nonsense in the classroom. education and philosophies :: essays research papers In light of this course, I would say that my philosophy of education has changed. My first paper, in retrospect, reads almost like a fantasy of what teaching should be like. I think in this aspect I have matured enough to realize that everything in this profession is not "Disney" material. There are going to be students who do not follow directions, and worse who don't care about succeeding at all. I would feel responsible for these children if I thought that there was a chance to help them. Unfortunately, there are some children that will never buy into schooling and education in general. I do, however, still believe that I can positively impact that type of child in the area of life, or even "street knowledge." I am not saying that I will be able to relate to all walks of life in the classroom. That would be an overstatement. I do believe that I possess the common sense and approachability to be a "stop" on a child's problem solving route. My first paper focused more on personal feelings and avoid ed issues that were raised in this class. After taking part in discussions, I began to focus more on the system and the political atmosphere of education, ranging from diversity in the classroom to violence in schools in general. I think that due to the Federal Government being in control of school funds, some carpet decisions favor some schools while other schools are left hurting. I believe that these decisions should be put in the hands of the parents and school board, for parents should be allowed to pick and choose what their children are learning. I know that when my child attends school I will thoroughly investigate the curriculum and take any means necessary to avoid liberal nonsense in the classroom.

Osmosis: Concentration

OSMOSIS and TONICITY IN POTATO STRIPS The purpose of this experiment was to make observations and conclusions about the ability of cells to adjust to varying chemical concentrations in the environment and to observe the effect of isotonic, hypotonic and hypertonic solutions on cells. Hypothesis If a solution is Hypotonic, then water will move from the beaker into the potato because water outside the cell will be in higher concentration than water inside the cell. If a solution is Hypertonic, then the solution will move into the cell from the beaker and water will move out of the cell into the water because of a difference in concentration. If a solution is isotonic, then the cells will remain the same because the solution concentration is the same as in the cell. Materials Fresh potato, knife or scalpel, three test tubes, test tube rack, dropper pipette, paper towels, electronic balance, timer, three provided solutions labeled A, B, and C. Procedure Obtain three test tubes and a test tube rack. Label the test tubes A, B, C using a wax pencil. Cut three French fry type strips of potato 7cm in length, no thicker than 5mm. Pat each potato with a paper towel. Measure the initial mass of each strip and record it before putting each in a test tube. Use a dropper pipette to cover the potato strip in test tube A with solution A, the potato strip in test tube B with solution B, and the potato strip in tube C with solution C. Place the tubes in a test tube rack and wait one hour. Remove the strips from the test tubes after one hour and pat dry with a paper towel. Measure the final mass of each strip and record it. 10. Examine each potato strip and observe any changes in texture. Results In Solution A, the potato slice in the water did not change, indicating the solution contained an equal amount of concentration. In Solution B, the potato slice in the water is larger, indicating that more molecules went into the potato than came out, because there was a higher concentration of water outside the potato. The potato slice from Solution C is much smaller indicating that more water molecules came out of the potato than went in because there was a higher concentration of water inside the potato. Conclusion In conclusion, the hypothesis was found to be correct. Solution A was Isotonic because the final mass of the potato slice was 2. 9 as opposed to 2. 8 at initial mass, which basically stayed the same. Solution B was Hypotonic because the initial mass for the potato slice was 3. 3 then expanded and weighed 3. 6 at final mass. Solution C was Hypertonic because the potato slice lost water and became much smaller in which the initial mass was 2. 8 and the final mass weighed in at 2. 2. In all three solutions, water is moving across the membrane to establish equilibrium. Based on the Diffusion-Osmosis Review on page 26, and not knowing the definite solution in each tube I am going to conclude that there was Saline in Solution A 0. 9% Sodium Chloride which makes cells neutral. In Solution B, therewas a small percentage of salt predicting . 9%. In Solution C, salt was higher than . 9%. All had salt in the tubes but different tonicity. The water could go in or out of the potato to equalize the concentration of salt in the solution. Based on this experiment and using this in real life, it taught me that when mixing the intravenous fluid for a patient to make sure only 0. 9 percent of salt is added in order for the saline to be isotonic to the red blood cells. If not, the red blood cells will expand and complications will arise.

Analysis Of Ralph Ellisons Invisible Man - 756 Words

Slavery, despite being abolished about 160 years ago, we as a society continue to emote those racist and bigoted feelings that those times fermented. Ralph Ellison’s Invisible Man portrays how the narrator, Invisible Man (I.M), must confront the society that he resides in, where one’s skin color plays a huge factor in one’s success. With the intent to build a better life without the higher, more formal education planned to use, he was denied of that after being exiled from his college in the South and, consequently, forced to adapt to the North. Resulting in I.M confronting many challenges and situations where most of them, if not all of them, were provoked by the dark complexion he was born with. Despite this hindering factor, I.M†¦show more content†¦Being at the pinnacle of success after coming from such poor beginnings he reached a point to where, â€Å"†¦ The white folk tell everybody what to think—except men like me. I tell them .†112, thus revealing his true nature. Arrogant, backstabbing, and malicious were the few words to describe Dr. Bledsoe after disregarding the founder’s wishes to keep the narrator in school. I.M kept the founder content with the his loyalty to the founders wishes and non of the mishaps that occurred were his faults, though Bledsoe expelled him without telling him directly. With an oblivious, comprehensive and submissive conscious, the narrator is sent to the North with only a briefcase of demeaning recommendation letters, a final insult to the protagonist. A brotherhood consists of compassion, honesty and a â€Å"honor amongst thieves yet we are humans, and humans are beyond predictable. We emote so many emotions, we create so many thoughts, we are so imperfect that anything is possible from us. Brother Jack the man who â€Å"saved† I.M from the brutal atmosphere of the North, leader of the organization of the Brotherhood, is human as well. His brotherho od revolved around the ideology of creating a society that reflected the people’s wishes and the role of the Brotherhood was to fulfill those wishes. Thus, giving I.M the role of main speaker of Harlem after proclaiming him to be â€Å"†¦the new Booker T. Washington, butShow MoreRelated Analysis of Ralph Ellisons The Invisible Man Essay934 Words   |  4 PagesAnalysis of Ralph Ellisons The Invisible Man The prologue from The Invisible Man deals with many issues that were palpable in the 1950s, and that unfortunately are still being dealt with today. An African-American man who refers to himself as the invisible man goes through life without being truly noticed as a person. He states that because of his skin color he is only looked down upon, if he is ever noticed at all. 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