22 maggio 2023
In modern society, technology took an important place in people’s lives. Videogames have reached the youngest part of the population, improving their abilities and their knowledge. The history of video games began in the early 50s and 60s, when the first computers were invented and developed. However, the first videogames has been created in the 70s. One of the first successful videogames was "Pong", created in 1972 by Atari. This arcade game consisted of a virtual game of table tennis, with two players using two buttons to control the rackets. In the 80s, videogames became increasingly popular, and different types of game were developed. Console games such as the Nintendo Entertainment System (NES) and Sega Master System became very famous, as arcade games such as Pac-Man and Donkey Kong.
It all began in 1952 at Cambridge University where the video game OXO was developed, a graphical version of the game of the “tris”. It could be played on an EDSAC computer, which used a cathode ray tube as a screen.
Exactly 10 years later (1962) a group of students from the Massachusetts Institute of Technology programmed Spacewar!. The player had to shoots missiles with their spaceship, shoot down their opponent being careful of various obstacles.
The first arcane video game was produced in 1971 at Stanford University and was based on Spacewar! , called Galaxy Game. A well-known arcane video game was Pac-man, invented in 1980. It was one of the first color video games. Other popular games were the arcade video games of Street Fighter and Tekken.
Several pixel RPG games were developed in Japan, including Sonic the Hedgehog, Pokemon, Undertale, Mad Father, Ao-Oni, Ib, and The witch house. It all started in 1981 with the birth of "Jumpman" known today as Mario. The game tells of the adventures of the plumber Mario and his brother Luigi in an attempt to rescue the princess Peach from the glowing turtle breathing fire Bowser.
Some of the titles that marked the 1990s were: Super Mario World, Super Metroid, The legend of Zelda, Final Fantasy and Chrono Trigger.
Nowadays we can talk about the Metaverse, a universal virtual world accessible thanks to virtual or augmented reality devices.
The metaverso is a world which is still beginning and that attracts everyone’s attention. But what is it? The Metaverse is a digital world that allows you to live a parallel life in a digital world through an avatar. The metaverso is well represented in the film “Ready Player One” which speaks of a world called Oasis, a virtual universe created by James Halliday ;at the moment of his death, he leaves a message for his players : he will leave all his legacy to those who will find all the keys. The film switches between the metaverso and the real world since in the initial scene the protagonist wears the virtual reality viewer and catapults himself into the metaverso.
It is incredible to think that video games have reached so much to be able to overlap two worlds, the real and virtual one.
Video games have negative and positive effect on the young people. Most parents are worried because their children spend too much time playing video games. They think that it will have a negative impact on their studies. However, we must also recognise their benefits for intellectual performance.
Video games can make you happier and it stimulate sounds, colors and can connect you with many people around the world. They can also help children with dyscalculia to count better. Action games develop attention and concentration. Strategy games require players to exercise brain flexibility and to process a lot of information. Video games develop your concentration and memory skills. Video games are also designed to stimulate players over a longer period of time.
One of the main negative effects of video games on young people is the isolation, loss of sociality and feeling disconnected to the real world. Another danger of video games is the risk of developing serious mental conditions, such as schizophrenia or depression. There are also many effects of video games on the eyes, headaches, eyestrain and above all, we should be careful to the blue light from screens as it is toxic to the retina! Another physical effect of video games is obesity because video gamer have a sedentary lifestyle and therefore increase the risk of overweight and obesity.
As a conclusion we can say that video games have multiple effects on young people and, as with many things, it's all about balance. If we abuse spending too much time playing videogames it could damage our brain and health while a good balance can increase our concentration, stimulate the brain and increase happiness.
A cura della classe 3^A TURISMO
