The video game industry: a breif history

    Some of you kiddies are probably Xbox, PS3, Wii toting gamers that really don't have a true understanding of the roots of videogames. I'm even a bit young compared to where it began. The consoles of today like to reflect back so parents of now can enjoy gaming with kids but no one really explains what it used to look like or how far gaming has really come. I'll give you a listing here oldest to newest explaining just that:

• Vector based gaming - ever see Tron? the outfits are actually based on vector design play games used to look like sketches made of white or green lines on a black background.
• Arcade / Atari - some games simply started as blocks you were a block, the world around you a block and it grew a little here into pac man, asteroids and the such.
• NES or Nintendo Entertainment System, Sega Master System - We grew to 8 bit sprites here the games had pictures that we thought were amazing and you kinda had to look at the booklet to get the idea of some of what you came across in the game.
• Super Nintendo / Sega Genesis - 16 bit graphics and alot of these are being redone to look better and be "Retro" on the newer consoles but just about anyone could make out the image on the screen.
• Sony Playstation/ Nintendo 64/ Sega Dreamcast -  Sega ruined their good name here by not announcing the dreamcast was being released to stores. Nintendo held back trying not to make the switch to disc games and stuck with the older style of cartridges like Gameboy in it's many incarnations still has. Sony took the limelight by storm by Releasing Playstation with somewhat 3 dimensions for their games and the art spoke for itself
• Playstation 2 / Xbox - Microsoft tried to gain some limelight here but was trying to keep up with Sony's Monsterous PS2 which just about anyone now will admit to having either both or their freind has PS2 so they bought an Xbox. Games made the move to DVD format and everyone was building to make the most either movie like game or have their game be so epic you'd buy a console just to play a game.
• Today - PS3/Xbox 360/Wii - Doesn't seem like it's been that far but it's now working it's way to almost 30 years since the arrival of Nintendo (and I am from the NES generation). Honestly now images are almost lifelike and you really can not tell with some games if the image is just cg or mo cap with touch ups.

Some of the older people now either feel really old or are going "oh yeah.... I remember that". Well if you want to look further into older gaming I personally suggest looking into emulation and Roms. Parents I suggest looking through Google and trust me you'll find some old memories here that you can play through your pc going all the way back and even slowly working into some of the games of today.

I personally Recommend the following emulators:

1. Nesticle, Gnes and Nestopia for classic Nintendo
2. Zsnes and Gens for SNES and Sega Genesis and Master System
3. Mame for Arcade
4. Kawacks and Neopa for Neo Geo games

You'll find others try em out and if they're anygood let me know.