Games have been around since the beginning of
time. There is an innate part of man that wants to compete and to win but also
to be entertained. The earliest games probably evolved out of the fight for survival
and the need for some entertainment. Cavekids (as opposed to cavemen) probably
ran races mimicking their Dad’s running from a dinosaur with dinner under his arm!
Unfortunately, once man figured out how to better
fight nature, man started fighting with each other. A lot of the original stories
of the world involved massive battles between warriors.
So, the earliest of games were sports based on
man’s need to survive. These include running and tests of strength and
didn’t involve any playing pieces, sports gear or controllers!
As man became more sophisticated and had more
leisure time, games advanced as well. Games became more a test of man’s
mind than his body.
Man first had mental games that required no objects. Number and word games were invented like: Count
how many wild bears you see when running from one cave to another or How many different words can you get out of tyrannosaurus
rex? But man likes to use his hands not just his mind.
So, there was a transition from pure athletic
contests (running, jumping) to games by adding objects (rocks, javelins) and rules (out of bounds, time limits). As more than one person was involved in the athletic activity, more rules were added.
Man began to invent games with simple objects
like bocce ball and dice. Man then added other things to the game such
as playing surfaces and pieces to track each person in the game. These eventually
became board games like chess and checkers. Man began inventing other things
to use in games as well such as cards and wood letters. These eventually evolved
into well known board games like Monopoly, Sorry, and Scrabble.
The real change came when man started using electricity
and TV’s for games. That’s when many of the games already invented
were redone in some format on a television screen. This evolved from the simple
game of pong to the high tech games we have today using game consoles such as the Sony PS2 (PlayStation), Microsoft XBox and
the Nintendo GameCube. Many of these games also run on PC’s with software
bought at the store.
The true promise of games came about with the
internet for two reasons. One is that many more people have access to games online
that would not have before. The second is that games can now be played against
other people across the world.
Carrie’s Future of Games
The next big phase for games will be getting off
the 2D screen to a real 3D world. There will be a new device that somehow can
be touched and seen. You will be able to really interact with the person
you are playing then!
What makes a good game?
Have you ever wanted to make a new game? There are many things that go into a game such as:
-
New Idea - Your game needs a new idea that
hasn’t been done before.
-
Stress - There must be some tension in
the game. For example, you are waiting for your opponent to move and you are
hoping that he won’t do something!
-
Changes - The game must be different each
time you play it. People won’t want to play if the game is the same every
time!
-
Quick Pace - Nobody likes to wait forever
waiting for their turn.
-
Strategy - There must be many different
ways to win. Your game should make people plan out several moves in advance.
-
Easy and Hard - People should be able to
play right away after opening the box but the more they play it the more they can take advantage of hidden tricks and strategies.
-
Fun! - The game must be fun to play!
Video Games Consoles and Games
Ok, there are lots of different options for playing
video games including your PC, handheld devices, phones, and of course consoles that display on your TV. There are also old versions of everything that still work but new games will not work on them. Here are your options for buying something new right now:
Consoles
Approx Prices, accessories extra
Microsoft Xbox 360 Premium with hard drive $400
Nintendo GameCube
$150
Sony PS2 – PS3 comes out Nov 17, 2006
$150
Handheld Portables
Sony PSP (for Playstation Portable) $250
Nintendo DS
$140
Nintendo GameBoy Advance SP
$110
Nintendo Game Boy Micro
$100
To see a list of Carrie’s
favorite games and to also looking for something to do besides playing video games, check out Carrie’s Kid’s Activities.
