1947

First interactive game with an electronic display created, sparking new ideas through the use of digital media.

Cathode Ray Tube Cathode Ray Tube Amusement Device

The 1950s

First video games created, setting a stage for a new and unique form of entertainment.

Tennis for Two

The 1970s

Early arcade video games like Pong are released, marking the beginnings of public interest in video games.

Pong

1972

Magnavox Odyssey, the first home gaming console, launches, making video games accessible to homes all over.

Magnavox Odyssey

1980

In the US, video games surge in popularity and were consuming 11.2 billion quarters annually, $2.8 billion in revenue.

U.S. Industry Busy Arcade

The 1980s

The estimated revenue was $5 billion, exceeding the income of the entire US film industry for the first time.

The Golden Age Popular Arcade Games from the 80s

Why did they become popular?

Interactivity

Unlike TV or movies, games let players influence outcomes, creating a highly engaging and personalized experience that other media forms could not easily recreate.

Ultima 1
Ultima 1

Technology

The popularity of video games exploded due to the many technological advances of the time. Advancments in areas such as microprocessors and graphics made gaming more accessible and visually interesting.

Microprocessors Intel 8080

Cultural Shift

Gaming spread into homes and arcades, becoming a key part of pop culture and social interaction and cultural phenomenon with mainstream appeal.

Game Culture Arcade in use

Media Convergence

What is it?

Media convergence is the merging and blending of multiple different media forms into one, creating new types of experiences for storytelling and interaction.

Video games are now integral to modern culture, influencing industries, shaping stories, and uniting players across the globe. The journey from a niche hobby to a mainstream media form illustrates their transformative power and continuing impact.

Games

There are many games created where they have direct inpiration from books or film, such as The Witcher 3: Wild Hunt. This shows how narratives can translate into video games using interactivity.

Movies and TV

Games have become sources for creating stories in movies and tv, such as in Arcane or The Last of Us. These shows show that games can provide complex narratives.

Books

There also exists books that have been based on preexisting games, such as the Halo novels, further showing how narratives can cross into different forms.

Esports

There are now games that entirely revolve around competitve gaming, which has similar culture to actual sports.

Game Over (or is it?)

Conclusion

Video games have grown exponentially from their conception creating a very influential section of modern media. Who knows how they will evolve going forward and what other forms of media will converge to create new and unique experiences

Tripod

One of the main vehicles used by aliens in "The War of the Worlds" by Herbert George Wells .

About Book
The War of the Worlds

Final Thought

"Yet across the gulf of space, minds that are to our minds as ours are to those of the beasts that perish, intellects vast and cool and unsympathetic, regarded this earth with envious eyes, and slowly and surely drew their plans against us."

— H. G. Wells (1898), The War of the Worlds

Space Invaders

The design of space invaders, one of the more successful early arcade games, was directly inspired by the work produced by H. G. Wells.

Experience the Classic Games

Play Space Invaders Play Pong Play Tetris Play Pacman

VIDEO GAMES &MEDIA CONVERGENCES