The Video Game Explosion: A History from PONG to PlayStation and Beyond

401 Pages·2007·6.85 MB·English

by  Mark J.P. Wolf

T V G E
HE IDEO AME XPLOSION
A History from PONG to
®
PlayStation and Beyond
Edited by Mark J.P. Wolf
Greenwood Press
Westport, Connecticut London
(cid:127)
LibraryofCongressCataloging-in-PublicationData
Thevideogameexplosion:ahistoryfromPongtoPlaystationandbeyond/editedbyMarkJ.P.Wolf.
p.cm.
Includesbibliographicalreferencesandindex.
ISBN978–0–313–33868–7(alk.paper)
1. Videogames—Socialaspects.2. Videogames—History. I.Wolf,MarkJ.P.
GV1469.34.S52V52 2008
794.809—dc22 2007033893
BritishLibraryCataloguinginPublicationDataisavailable.
Copyright©2008byMarkJ.P.Wolf
Allrightsreserved.Noportionofthisbookmaybe
reproduced,byanyprocessortechnique,withoutthe
expresswrittenconsentofthepublisher.
LibraryofCongressCatalogCardNumber:2007033893
ISBN:978–0–313–33868–7
Firstpublishedin2008
GreenwoodPress,88PostRoadWest,Westport,CT06881
AnimprintofGreenwoodPublishingGroup,Inc.
www.greenwood.com
PrintedintheUnitedStatesofAmerica
Thepaperusedinthisbookcomplieswiththe
PermanentPaperStandardissuedbytheNational
InformationStandardsOrganization(Z39.48-1984).
10987654321
C
ONTENTS
Illustrations ix
Acknowledgments xi
Introduction xiii
ABriefTimelineofVideoGameHistory xvii
PartI LookingatVideoGames 1
Chapter1 WhatIsaVideoGame? 3
MarkJ.P.Wolf
Chapter2 ImagingTechnologies 9
MarkJ.P.Wolf
Chapter3 ModesofExhibition 13
MarkJ.P.Wolf
Chapter4 InfluencesandPrecursors 17
MarkJ.P.Wolf
Chapter5 TheStudyofVideoGames 21
MarkJ.P.Wolf
PartII TheEarlyDays(Before1985) 29
Chapter6 MainframeGamesandSimulations 31
DavidH.Ahl
Chapter7 ArcadeGamesofthe1970s 35
MarkJ.P.Wolf
vi Contents
Chapter8 VideoGamesinEurope:TheEarlyYears 45
DavidWinter
Sidebar SystemProfile:TheMagnavoxOdyssey 50
DavidWinter
Chapter9 EarlyHomeVideoGameSystems 53
LeonardHerman
Chapter10 CompanyProfile:Atari 59
LeonardHerman
Chapter11 SystemProfile:TheAtariVideoComputerSystem(VCS) 63
LeonardHerman
Chapter12 VectorGames 67
MarkJ.P.Wolf
Chapter13 VideoGameStars:Pac-Man 73
MarkJ.P.Wolf
Chapter14 TheRiseoftheHomeComputer 75
BobRehak
Chapter15 GenreProfile:AdventureGames 81
MarkJ.P.Wolf
Sidebar CompanyProfile:ElectronicArts 89
AlisonMcMahan
Chapter16 ArcadeGamesofthe1980s 91
MarkJ.P.Wolf
Chapter17 LaserdiscGames 99
MarkJ.P.Wolf
Chapter18 TheVideoGameIndustryCrash 103
MarkJ.P.Wolf
PartIII TheIndustryRebounds(1985–1994) 107
Chapter19 SystemProfile:TheNintendoEntertainmentSystem(NES) 109
DominicArsenault
Sidebar CompanyProfile:Nintendo 113
DominicArsenault
Chapter20 ANewGenerationofHomeVideoGameSystems 115
LeonardHerman
Contents vii
Chapter21 CD-ROMGames 121
CarlTherrien
Chapter22 GenreProfile:InteractiveMovies 127
BernardPerron
Chapter23 ArcadeGamesofthe1990sandBeyond 135
MarkJ.P.Wolf
Chapter24 HandheldVideoGameSystems 143
LeonardHerman
Sidebar CompanyProfile:Sega 149
AlisonMcMahan
Chapter25 SharewareGames:BetweenHobbyistandProfessional 151
BrettCamper
PartIV AdvancingtotheNextLevel(1995–Present) 159
Chapter26 TheLaterGenerationHomeVideoGameSystems 161
LeonardHerman
Chapter27 OnlineRole-PlayingGames 173
KellyBoudreau
Chapter28 SystemProfile:SonyPlayStation 177
DominicArsenault
Sidebar CompanyProfile:Sony 181
MarkJ.P.Wolf
Chapter29 VideoGameStars:LaraCroft 183
AlisonMcMahan
Chapter30 GenreProfile:First-PersonShootingGames 187
BobRehak
Sidebar Retrogames 194
BobRehak
Chapter31 IndependentandExperimentalVideoGames 197
BrettCamper
Chapter32 VideoGamesinEurope 203
LarsKonzack
Chapter33 VideoGamesinAsia 211
BenjaminWai-mingNg
viii Contents
Chapter34 VideoGamesinAustralia 223
ThomasH.Apperley
PartV ACloserLookatVideoGames 229
Chapter35 TheVideoGameDevelopmentProcess 231
FeichinTedTschang
Chapter36 GraphicsinVideoGames 239
CarlTherrien
Chapter37 SoundinVideoGames 251
EricPidkameny
Chapter38 VideoGameGenres 259
MarkJ.P.Wolf
Sidebar Best-SellingVideoGames 275
MarkJ.P.Wolf
Chapter39 TheVideoGameasanObjectofControversy 277
DominicArsenault
Sidebar VideoGamesRatingSystems 281
MarkJ.P.Wolf
Chapter40 Morals,Ethics,andVideoGames 283
MarkJ.P.Wolf
Chapter41 VideoGamesandTheirRelationshipwithOtherMedia 293
MartinPicard
Sidebar HowtoGetaJobintheVideoGameIndustry 301
MarkJ.P.Wolf
Chapter42 TheFutureofVideoGames 303
MarkJ.P.Wolf
GlossaryofVideoGameTerminology 311
ResourceGuide 317
Notes 329
Index 343
AbouttheContributors 377
I
LLUSTRATIONS
Figure7.1Theeight-playergameIndy800(1975). 38
Figure7.2Anearlyattemptata3-Dlook. 42
Figure8.1TheMagnavoxOdyssey. 46
Figure8.2IntertonVideo2000(Germany,1975). 47
Figure8.3ThePing-O-Tronic. 48
Figure8.4TheVideoSportMK2. 49
Figure15.1Examplesofdifferentgraphicsstandards. 85
Figure15.2Anadvancementininteractivity. 86
Figure15.3TheQuiki-Martin1987and1991. 87
Figure16.1Gottlieb’sExterminator(1989). 97
Figure25.1AdversariesinBeast(1984). 153
Figure25.2Sopwith(1984–1986). 154
Figure25.3Tinyturn-basedtankswithabigbangfromScorchedEarth. 154
Figure25.4OneMustFall2097(1994). 157
Figure31.1FallingdownstairsinPorrasturvat(2002). 199
Figure31.2BuildingupamakeshiftshipinTUMIKIFighters(2004). 200
Figure31.3Scenesfromexperimentalgames. 202
Figure36.1TwoscreenimagesfromAdventurefortheAtari2600. 240
Figure36.2IsometricperspectiveinZaxxon(1982). 241
Figure36.3Close-upsinKing’sQuestV(1990)andLoom(1990). 242
Figure36.4KingofChicago(1987). 243
Figure36.5Decomposedrunninganimation. 244
Figure36.6Full-motionvideoevolves. 244
Figure36.7Atari’sarcadegameBattlezone(1980). 247
Figure36.8TwoimagesfromAtari’sarcadegameI,Robot. 247
Figure36.9Lightmapsandtextured3-DcreaturesinidSoftware’sQuake(1996). 248
Figure36.10ValveSoftware’sHalf-Life2(2004). 249

A
CKNOWLEDGMENTS
Iwould first like to thank all the contributors to this volume, who are some of the best
people writing about video game history today: David H. Ahl, Thomas H. Apperley,
DominicArsenault,KellyBoudreau,BrettCamper,LeonardHerman,LarsKonzack,Ali-
sonMcMahan,BenjaminWai-mingNg,BernardPerron,MartinPicard,EricPidkameny,
BobRehak,CarlTherrien,FeichinTedTschang,andDavidWinter.Withouttheirwork,
this volume could not have appeared. Thanks also to Kristi Ward at Greenwood Press,
whoinitiatedtheproject.Earlier versionsof someofmyessaysin thisbookappearedin
my books The Medium of the Video Game (2001), Virtual Morality: Morals, Ethics, and
New Media (2003), and The World of the D’ni: Myst and Riven (Italian version, 2006),
and in Paul Messaris and Lee Humphreys, editors, Digital Media: Transformations in
Human Communication (2006); I am thankful for these presses’ interest in my work.
Thanks to Keith Feinstein, Sascha Scheuermann, Adrian Purser, Cody Johnson, Bill
Esquivel, Andreas Kraemer,Henry Jenkins,and Tom Krenzke, who also provided assis-
tanceforwhichIamgrateful.ThanksalsotoConcordiaUniversityWisconsinforthesab-
baticalin spring of 2006 thatgaveme additionaltime towork on thisbook,and tomy
wife, Diane and my sons, Michael, Christian, and our dear departed Edward. And, as
always,thanksbetoGod.