BASIC GAMES INFO

There's a Reason we Love Computer Games

Why do we get so wrapped up in computer video games? They provide the same kind of window into another world, but with an advantage that books and movies can't bring.Video computer games have become as much a pillar of our entertainment universe as books and movies. Why is it that so many of us are drawn to the computer monitor or TV screen like flies? A bit of history might help explain the phenomenon.

Originally computers were all work and no play, being outrageously expensive to build and operate. But computer engineers and designers, being overgrown kids after all, soon began to get comfortable with their big room-filling machines. In their idle hours it occured to them that it might be kind of cool to have the computer show some spaceships and planets cruising around the galaxy. An in the 1960s a group of fun-loving computer geniuses created SpaceWar, the father of the famous arcade game Astroids.

These games were well received by geniuses and regular folks alike, which motivated the geniuses to design some more fun stuff. They could have used the computers for a lot of diversions, but somehow the visual element of the games activated the imagination. Over time we got Pong, PacMan and a continually evolving string of games, including software that eventually could beat chess masters at their own game.

By the late 1980s computer games software was getting quite sophisticated, with the invention of Sim City. This product expanded on what was going on through all the previous games; the players were being drawn into an imaginary world. Not unlike books and movies, these video games were very satisfying mentally. Sim City actually allowed the user to create amazing cities and even worlds.

Also in the 1980s, a group of computer programmers began creating software that would show moving images all generated by computer. The images started out very simple, almost like stick figures but they could dance in time to a music track. No skin, no facial features but it was very exciting to think what might come with more powerful computers. The computing power grew exponentially and, over 20 years, we now have not only some fabulout computer generated movie effects and whole characters, but the realism of video games has taken a quantum leap forward.

A good video game will draw you in to another world and, unlike a book or movie, a computer game will offer an interactive experience. In fact, at least one computer game has become sufficiently popular to become an action movie; think Mario Brothers. But it's funny that sometimes a simple game can be as entertaining as a much more sophisticated game. Some of the most beloved games of all are Tetris (stack those blocks), Pac Man and Pong.

A modern computer will still do a great job of playing state-of-the-art video games. There are hundreds of options, including many that pit you online against other players. Then there are the specialty consoles like PlayStation, Nintendo and XBox360. With tricked-out controllers, guitars and wands, you can really develop some hand-eye coordination by playing many of the current titles.

One of the most fun educational games is Roller Coaster Tycoon, where you build your own amusement park and then operate it with "real" guests making decisions about which rides to take. If a guest loses their lunch on a roller coaster you'd better have a custodian clean it up or the guests will stay away. You must watch income and expenses and save money to build more attractions. This is a great game.

But the bottom line as to why we're so enamored with computer games software is that it captures our imagination in a variety of interactive ways. Our games are prized possessions and it is wise to treat them carefully to make them last