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The Video Game Revolution

Posted by michael on from the turn-turn-turn dept.

SH10151 writes "PBS will be airing a special, The Video Game Revolution, this week. "The Video Game Revolution examines the evolution and history of the video game industry, from the 1950s through today, the impact of video games on society and culture, and the future of electronic gaming." Just a heads-up for all the game junkies out there."

14 of 51 comments (clear)

  1. No Elite? by meowsqueak · · Score: 2, Interesting

    I can't find any mention of Elite. How can this be a complete history if it doesn't include Braden and Bell's groundbreaking space combat and trading simulation? I'm not sure about the date but I think it was first published in 1984 on the Acorn BBC. Various ports and sequels as well as many games inspired by the original have been written, but none were as revolutionary. For the first time, players were able to invest 'progress' in their games. Rather than single (sometimes long) sessions shooting/running/collecting more and more points in an effort to beat their previous best, Elite pioneered the concept of a persistent session and the idea of the 'save game'.

    1. Re:No Elite? by ObsessiveMathsFreak · · Score: 2, Insightful

      Other games that will not be shown include, but are not limited to....

      1. Any RPG Whatsoever
      2. Half Life(Though Counterstrike MAY be shown)
      3. Street Fighter 2
      4. Sonic The Hedgehog
      5. Centipede
      6. Maniac Mansion
      7. Nethack
      8. Outrun
      9. Soul Calibur
      10. Command and Conquer
      11. Duke Nukem Forever

      Go figure I suppose :E

      --
      May the Maths Be with you!
    2. Re:No Elite? by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 2, Informative

      They've mentioned Street Fighter 2, go here and click the 1991 tab. They also mentioned the first RTS game, Dune II, rather than Command and Conquer.

    3. Re:No Elite? by Pluvius · · Score: 2, Interesting

      Actually, the first RTS was Herzog Zwei for the Sega Genesis. (You might be able to name one earlier than that depending on your definition of "RTS.") Dune 2 was the RTS that everyone else copied (or in the case of Westwood, rehashed). It's similar to the difference between MIDI Maze and Wolfenstein 3-D in the FPS genre.

      Rob

    4. Re:No Elite? by Lonath · · Score: 2, Funny

      11. Duke Nukem Forever

      Nice troll.

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  2. Deer Hunter but no Half Life? by meowsqueak · · Score: 2, Interesting

    Their timeline is odd. There's Deer Hunter but not Half Life? I'd be hard pressed to find anyone I know who would consider Deer Hunter to be a gaming 'milestone' but nobody would claim HL wasn't I'm sure.

    1. Re:Deer Hunter but no Half Life? by BlueCodeWarrior · · Score: 3, Interesting

      Wasn't Deer Hunter one of the best selling games of all time?

      I'm definitely not putting down HL in any way, I love the game, it should be on there...but Deer Hunter was pretty big.

    2. Re:Deer Hunter but no Half Life? by 0racle · · Score: 2, Interesting

      Was Half-Life really a milestone though? Yes it was a good game, but everything it did had been done before. I really can't think of a single new or 'revolutionary' feature about Half-Life.

      --
      "I use a Mac because I'm just better than you are."
    3. Re:Deer Hunter but no Half Life? by servognome · · Score: 2, Informative

      Doom I think was where modding really started picking up. Wolfenstein 3D had mod tools available, but it was not as popular as doom mods. Barney Doom and others were available on BBSs in the early days.
      I think what made Deer Hunter a milestone was that it made people realize how pervasive gaming had become. The people interested in computer games weren't just pale overweight nerds, it was also the beer drinkin' gun shootin' blue collar man.

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  3. What? by focitrixilous+P · · Score: 4, Interesting

    The timeline on the site is odd. Mentions Sega Saturn over Playstation, Pocket Pikachu over Half-Life, nothing of Xbox-live, didn't even mention Doom or Wolfenstein. Lame.

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    SAILING MISHAP
    1. Re:What? by DrEldarion · · Score: 2, Informative

      Uh, yeah it shows the picture of the Saturn and not the PSX, but did you even read the notes? It specifically says that the Saturn didn't sell well and that the Playstation went to sell 2 million consoles that year.

  4. Re:Saturn? Modem? Wha? by Mandoric · · Score: 3, Informative

    The Saturn Net.Link was indeed available. Support was mainly limited to FPS and RTS, IIRC; never owned one and too lazy to rummage through the magazine stack.

    That said, the SNES and Genesis also had the XBand 3rd-party line of modems, so by this time a game-use modem attatchment wasn't completely new.

  5. Wallpaper and Icons by contagious_d · · Score: 2, Informative

    The nostalgia downloads section has some wallpaper and buddy icons of suprisingly good quality if anyone cares.

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    - /home is where the food is.
  6. Re: PBS effect of gaming by Time+Clock+Software · · Score: 2, Insightful
    They focused more on the effect of the content of games on our society, but I almost think that the time and energy dedicated both to playing and creating games has had a bigger effect on us than the content.

    Still, a lot of good info.

    Eric
    ---------------

    --
    fresh ideas for writers