What is Video Games Day
July 8 is National Video Games Day. National Video Game Day, its cousin, falls on September 12. Video games are primarily for leisure (although there are professional gaming leagues), but their use has changed over the past few decades. They are stimulating and engaging, and most importantly, they are not only for children.
The first video game ever created featured straightforward table tennis. Over five million games are available right now.
The History of Video Games Day
There is a genre for everyone to love, from thrilling racing experiences to dangerous virtual dueling contests. Therefore, we observe National Video Games Day on July 8 (do not confuse it with National Video Game Day on September 12).
We’ve all come across video games at some point in our lives, and many of us can recall particular childhood memories. This day honors the games that significantly impact our lives, the creativity in their creation, and the talent that top-tier video game players possess.
Nowadays, anyone can discover a video game that hooks them. Not only does it depend on the type of gameplay you prefer, but you might also have a particular fondness for games from a specific era. While some people enjoy retro arcade games, others prefer cutting-edge virtual reality.
Unexpectedly, research labs are where your favorite video game app in your pocket got its start. In colleges like MIT and Cambridge University in the 1950s, learners developed the first video games. These led to the creation of games like Spacewar and virtual tic tac toe.
The “Father of Video Games,” Ralph Baer’s first home console, released in 1967, was the source of inspiration for the popular Atari game “Pong.” A copyright infringement lawsuit existed, but the public embraced it when Atari debuted the Atari 2600. “Space Invaders” and “Donkey Kong” are two of the best video games of the ensuing era.
Nintendo, a Japanese business, debuted on the scene in 1983 following the collapse of the video game industry. The Super Mario Bros, The Legend of Zelda, and Metroid are three of the most well-known franchises, and they are all the work of Nintendo. Sega emerged as a rival to Nintendo, pushing the market into the realm of 3D gaming.
With the release of the Xbox 360, Playstation 3, and Wii in the early twenty-first century, the contemporary era of gaming officially started. Video game apps filled the app stores after video game invasions of media platforms.
Around the world, lucrative competitions for competitive gamers are emerging. Major video game console manufacturers like Nintendo are now pursuing the exciting future of video gaming. Sony and Microsoft: video games are increasingly lifelike every day.
Fun Facts on Video Games
- According to studies, playing action video games teaches players to make decisions quickly without sacrificing accuracy. The increased awareness of video game players’ surroundings makes it easier to multitask, drive, locate friends in a crowd, and get around town.
- The early 2011 video game Homefront, which centers on a conflict with a North Korean superpower, has so far accurately predicted both the year of Kim Jong-passing Il (2011) and North Korea’s nuclear test in 2013.
- Eight of nine developers were first-time game creators in the vastly influential N64 game GoldenEye 007s.
- After linking the GTA series to crimes with scant or no evidence, there was a ban and a fine for Jack Thompson.
- GTA San Andreas lists as the largest voice cast in the Guinness World Records 2009 Gamer’s Edition. There are 861 voice actors listed in the game, including 174 actors and 687 additional performers. Many of these other performers were series fans who wanted to be in the game.
- Halo 2’s PC release postponement was because a developer hid a picture of his behind in it.
- Tomohiro Nishikado found that placing fewer space invaders on the screen significantly reduced processor lag.
- He chose to leave it alone rather than make amends, possibly establishing incremental complexity in video games.
- A 46-year-old Plymouth English man attacked a 13-year-old boy in 2011 after the latter killed him too frequently in a Call of Duty game.
- The wife of Takashi Tezuka, the assistant director, who created the Mario series, served as the inspiration for the Boo character. When Mario looks at Boo, it shrinks, but when he turns his head away, it enlarges and becomes threatening.
- Using Foldit, an online video game, there was the decoding of the crystal structure of an AIDS virus in ten days. Scientists had perplexing times by this for more than 15 years.
- Because kids were getting blisters while playing Mario Party, many people sued Nintendo and found it to be at fault.
- In 2011, Microsoft submitted a patent for media DRM that relies on user monitoring by cameras linked to a gaming console.
- Tetris is Steve Wozniak’s (co-founder of Apple) preferred video game. He provided Nintendo Power with so many high scores that they eventually stopped reporting them; as a result, he began sending in his results as “Evets Kainzow.”
- Children under 16 cannot play video games after midnight in South Korea.
- Although only 30 people sang the opening song for Skyrim, it was a three-times performance and mixed, making it appear that 90 people were singing.
- Robin Williams named his two children after video game characters because he loves them so much (Zelda and Cody).
- Due to an outdated law that labels all video games as gambling, Brazil levies a 120 percent tax on video games.
- SPARX, a depressive disorder video game, is more effective than therapy.
How to Celebrate Video Games Day
Run a Marathon With Your Friends
Take a sick day from work, pull out Mario Kart 64, and get ready to party like it’s 1999 (or, if your boss is very laid back, tell them you’re calling out because it’s gamer day). It’s usually wonderful to have a few different games available for your excited visitors to pick from, even if your boyfriend plays video games all day.
Stop by a Themed Pub
If all of your friends are at work, find the closest bar with a video game theme (if you’re over 21) and go out to meet your fellow gamers. Maybe you’ll even meet a few new people to enjoy video games day.
Dress up
Whether you see yourself as more of a Nathan Drake or a Luigi, half the pleasure of the outfit is in making it. The remainder? Displaying it, of course.
Conversely, some players might have certain gaming interests because of a specific IP, franchise, or other fandom-associated symbology.
For instance, Star Wars Holocron asks fans what their favorite Star Wars video game is and shares images of classic Star Wars games like Star Wars: Knights of the Old Republic, The Complete Saga, Battlefront 2 (2005), and Star Wars: The Force Unleashed as part of its celebration of National Video Games Day.
In honor of National Video Games Day, Stan Lee’s reps draw attention to the touching Easter egg homage to the Marvel Comics writer and creative director in Marvel’s Spider-Man: Miles Morales. Such touching allusions and situations transcend games and enable them to commemorate reminiscence profoundly.
Mevans2703 emphasizes yet another significant component of games in honor of National Video Games Day. Mevans2703 requests that players provide music or specific tracks from their favorite games, and they also toss in a Super Mario Odyssey tune.
Since then, gamers have responded with links to tracks from games like Banjo-“Final Kazooie’s Battle” theme and Persona 5’s “Life Will Change,” Final Fantasy 7’s “One-Winged Angel,” and more.
Are you wondering how your husband plays video games all day? Similar to other widely consumed types of entertainment, there is probably something in games for every player, given the variety of genres, platforms, and play styles available. In either case, gamers everywhere honor National Video Games Day.
National Video GameDay Traditions
It is an important day for all gamers and game developers worldwide, and as geeky as gamers may seem to some, they sure know how to celebrate in style. Gaming marathons and conventions happen worldwide, with competitions, cosplays, and a chance to get exclusive gaming merchandise.
Streaming of classic and new games is higher than ever on websites like YouTube and Twitch. Those who are not hardcore gamers enjoy their favorite games on their smartphones and computers. You can revisit and introduce childhood favorites like “Super Mario” and “Sonic the Hedgehog” games to the next generation who didn’t grow up with them.
You can find popular games on Apple and Android stores, and many games have special features and sales.
How many video games are there? You will get more entertainment with more game releases once the PlayStation 5 and Xbox Scarlett launch next year. More fresh ideas come up daily from Chinese studios for mobile gaming, which appears to be more viable than ever.
The lack of technical limitations in games allows creators to let their imaginations run wild, rewarding them with new storytelling techniques and genuinely authentic experiences.
With the confirmation of backward compatibility for next-generation consoles, you may insert disks from your old game collection and play them anytime you’re in the mood for nostalgia.
And on a PC, you can download any of the many hundred DOS games from the 1980s and start playing them right away. Alternately, you can simulate PS2 and Nintendo games like Zelda and God of War.
An online Pastebin user going by the handle Data Baser takes over the Goliath task of categorizing every video game produced. This individual is documenting games as old as Computer Space and Galaxy Game from 1971 with the aid of the 4chan vintage games board.
This list, which presently has 49,668 items, even includes multi-platform releases for every game. Furthermore, it would be impossible to add all of the web games that employ Flash and HTML, so they didn’t.
Uvlist.net and mobygames.com assisted this Pastebin sheet creation, which was updated in April 2015. Since then, there has been a release of several games.
Video Game Day in Numbers
- By 1980, there was a sale of 360,000 arcade machines with the game “Space Invaders.”
- A Japanese man shelled over $80,000 to play “Space Invaders.”
- By the game’s 25th anniversary, there was a sale of 40,000,000 copies of “Super Mario Bros.”
- The PlayStation game “Final Fantasy VII” required three discs to play.
- Grand Theft Auto III has 56 driven automobiles.
- “Grand Theft Auto V” needed three days to surpass the $1 billion sales mark.
- There are 13 books written about the “Halo” universe.
- Twelve million people were “World of Warcraft” subscribers in 2012.
- 7 was the initial maximum for a football squad in “Madden Football” owing to hardware limitations.
- The number of “Destiny” production children joining the Bungie family since 2010 is 92.
The Benefits of Video Games
Though not all games have the same educational value, playing ones that encourage teamwork and problem-solving can help your brain expand by increasing the gray matter. Additionally, it can enhance hardwired and learned abilities, problem-solving, and interpersonal interactions.
They Innovate and Push Technological Limits
We can’t argue that there has been much change since the invention of the first video games. Who is not completely amazed the first time they put on that VR headset or see some amazing graphics in a game? Many video games inspire future generations and push the boundaries of technology.
They Raise Contentment
That high you experience after finishing a level is a no match. According to recent studies, individuals who play video games are more relaxed and less stressed than adults who do not. It might be because playing video games allows you to escape the demands of everyday life, or maybe it’s just that they feel happier when they’re more in touch with their inner child.
Conclusion
The well-known aspect regarding holiday lovers is that it is very challenging to trace the origins of most national holidays. Although some video game historians already have some studies on National Video Game Day, the holiday’s exact origins are still mostly unknown.
There’s also the question of whether this holiday exists or whether a person loving video games decades ago invented it. All of these questions are fair to ask. Whatever the case, it’s important to understand the background of this day and appreciate its significance.