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But now instead of those video games we have brand new systems with graphics (pictures created by a computer) that would leave you drooling. Not only do they have good graphics but interesting controllers as well. Most people don’t realize what really makes up a video game system. Video game systems have what is called a picture-processing unit (PPU), the part of the system that receives messages from the central processing unit and changes them into video signals. The Central Processing Unit (CPU) is the computer’s "brain". The CPU receives instructions and sends messages to other chips. Random Access Memory (RAM) is the part of a system’s memory that allows information to be stored temporarily. Since RAM is only temporary, any information left in RAM is lost when the computer or video game system is turned off. In video games, RAM chips keep track of your moves and points. A motherboard is also in a computer; it contains the computer’s main parts. In video game systems the motherboard contains the CPU, PPU, and RAM. Unlike RAM, Read-Only Memory (ROM) is the part of a computer’s memory that permanently stores information. Video game systems also have a Radio Frequency (RF) modulator. The RF is the part of the system that receives video signals from the PPU and translates the signals into pictures. Handheld games such as Gameboy have what is called a liquid crystal display (LCD). An LCD is a type of display that uses liquid crystals and an electric charge to create graphics on a screen. Besides LCD there are pixels, which are tiny dots or squares that make up a complete picture, as on a TV screen. Handheld systems also have a RGB (Red-Green-Blue) monitor, which is a color monitor that displays sharp, clean images. RGB monitors are often used for viewing videotape or arcade games. Although many people play video games there have been some debates about them. Some of the debates stated that people spent too much time and money on them. While others state that video games help people develop their reflexes and concentration, as well as introduce people to computers. |
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Video games are some of the most popular things in the world. They went from
arcades to homes to even handheld. Although some people are against video games,
most people agree that video games are one of the most exciting and amazing
things to ever hit the world. But video games didn’t start out like they are
today. They didn’t have millions of game cartridges or cds. They didn’t even
have the amazing graphics we have today. Even without those things, video games
soon became a phenomenon that no one would forget.
The video game phenomenon first hit the world in the early 1970’s when the
Atari Company created Pong. Pong games took the place of pinball machines all
over the world. The point of the game Pong is for a player to try to move a
paddle up and down the screen to keep a ball from bouncing past them or to knock
the ball past the computer opponent. This game was played with one player
against the computer, but two people could play against each other as well. In
1972, the Magnavox Company introduced the video game system Odyssey. Odyssey was
very similar to pong but the only difference was Odyssey you played on a TV
while Pong you played at an arcade. In 1977, the Atari Company released the
video game system known as Atari 2600.
The second video game to hit the charts was in 1979, Space Invaders. The
point of Space Invaders a player had to shoot down ranks of aliens as they march
down the screen. The popularity of the game Space Invaders gave the video game
industry a period of rapid growth. As well as Space Invaders, Asteroids was
famous and one of the first video games ever released. The point of Asteroids
was a player needed to destroy asteroids before they crash into the player’s
ship. In both games the longer the player survives the harder the game becomes.
Between 1980 and 1981 sales of video games rose from $9 1/2 million to $27
million. But people in the U.S nowadays spend about $5 billion a year on video
games and systems. After several years of enormous growth, the video game
industry collapsed in 1983. The main reasons of the collapse was that the large
number of games on offer confused consumers and many video game users were
disappointed with the games they had purchased. Even though the video game
industry was left in ruins, the arcade game industry thrived with the creation
of Pac-Man.
The video game Pac-man first came out in the early 1980’s, and with it came
instant success. It became one of the most popular and fun video games of the
1980’s. In the game Pac-Man, players maneuvered a button-shaped character with
a large mouth around a maze full of little dots. The point of the game was to
gobble up all the dots without being touch by one of the four enemies who are
chasing you. Another popular game was Frogger, in which players try to guide a
frog safely across a series of obstacles, including a busy road.