There is 8 billion people on the earth and about 40% play video games. In other words, about
3.1 billion people worldwide play video games! The rise of video games began in the 1970s. The
first game that set the stage was Atari’s PONG. It brought joy to millions of homes worldwide.
Since then, video games and consoles have been constantly innovated upon. From cartridges,
compact disk, CD, and finally digital distribution.
As the years went on, people played more games, and interest grew. Inspiration through
society was a norm for conception. All types of video games tell stories. Social-historical context
is most often portrayed through a game’s narrative. For example, one of the first commercially
made games, Spacewar, was created when nations were racing to be the first in space. After man
was put on the moon, arcade games like, Asteroids, Galaga, Space Invaders, and more were
created (The Strong, 2016). In present times, the Call of Duty series is a modern representation
of society and history inspired games. The series has a variety of societal and historical contexts
as the games are set in World War II, Cold War, and Modern War. In addition, the series offers
teaching from the history, particularly the World Wars, and consequences that followed. As with
everything in life, society has an influence on creation. New games are made to be bigger and
better.
Such as literature and film, video games can be split into a sea of genres. Today, the
argument continues whether videos games can be used for learning. Such as there is history in
video games, there are video games with history. For example, games like Oregon Trail and
DomniNations immerse the player in a different time. Oregon Trail was created by Don
Rawitsch, in the hopes of teaching his students about westward pioneers in 1847 (The Strong
National Museum of Play, 2019). While traversing through the great American frontier trail,
players are met with real life decisions which settlers had to make. As depicted in figure 1,
NPC’s allow for the player to get a better understanding for the reason’s families chose to travel
and what they encountered along the way. There are no supermarkets, hospitals, or law
enforcement. Illness, theft, and nature are one and the same; challenges that must be overcome.
Unlike The Oregon Trail, DomiNations guides the player throughout history. Players build their
respective civilizations through the time periods of the Dawn, Stone, Bronze, Iron, Classical,
Medieval, Gunpowder, and Enlightenment Ages. Shown in figure 4, I was able to make it to the
bronze age. As I progressed, I understood the complexities of living millions of years in the past.
Agriculture, government, job specialization, social classes, infrastructure, arts, and architecture
must be considered in advancing your civilization.
The innovation of technology onto consoles has enhanced the quality of games. Compared to
their predecessors, new age video game consoles have technological properties that enhance
gameplay. Additions such as, save and network systems has made it possible to play and
continue from wherever. The improvement of the game’s mechanics, dynamics, and aesthetics
has led to better visuals, creativity, and gaming satisfaction (Extra Credits, 2012). Players get
sucked into a new world and experience whatever they desire.
Modern games like DomiNations display new mechanics and overall aesthetics of play due to
technology. DomiNations, encompasses the eight aesthetics of fun; sensation, fantasy, challenge,
discovery, expression, fellowship, and submission. Sounds, music, festive alerts, multiplayer
functionality, and the thrill of conquest kept me engaged. These are tools that introduce and keep
individuals in the “magic circle”. I truly felt that I was part of DomiNations. Compared to
Oregon Trail, the difference in technological advancement is quite staggering. Oregon Trail
didn’t offer much for aesthetics, but the narrative, fantasy, and challenge kept me engaged.
Before you began, this version of the game will rile you up, and introduce you to the “Oregon
Top Ten”. Competition is an effective method to get others engaged. Furthermore, the narrative
of the game did educate, as I received some insight on the harsh reality that was the early 1800s.
Older games tend to have less aesthetics of play, but as technology advances, the thrill of playing
games is enhanced. Both these games and their unique aesthetics of play appeal differently to
each player. In all honesty, through the combination of technology and MDA framework, I was
drawn into the “magic circle”.
The industry has shown what benefits video games bring to the world. Developed as a
pastime activity, gaming as evolved to be used in a mixture of ways. Ranging from
entertainment, to education, to careers. There exist negative connotations to gaming and those
who play, but the part does not represent the whole. The positive effects of video games are just
starting to become recognized. Video games are constantly improving. To this day, about 40% of
the earth’s population does some sort of digital gaming, and that is steadily increasing.
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Figure 4
Figure 6
References
Big Huge Games. (2015, April 1). DomiNations [Video Game]. Timonium, MD: Big Huge
Games.
Extra Credits. (2012, November 1). Aesthetics of Play - Redefining Genres in Gaming - Extra
Credits [Video]. YouTube. https://youtu.be/uepAJ-rqJKA
Mecc. (2018, December 12). The Oregon Trail. Retrieved September 29, 2020, from
https://classicreload.com/oregon-trail.html
The Strong. (2016, March 24). Video Game History Timeline. Retrieved October 01, 2020, from
https://www.museumofplay.org/about/icheg/video-game-history/timeline
The Strong National Museum of Play. (2019, March 2). The Oregon Trail, MECC, and the Rise
of Computer Learning - The Strong National Museum of Play - Google Arts & Culture.
Retrieved October 03, 2020, from
https://artsandculture.google.com/exhibit/TAICA3oJZQm2Kw