Everything non-gamers need to know for Video Games Day
Nadine Wojcik / eg July 8, 2016
It doesn't matter if you're a nostalgic fan of old school arcade games or a professional player reaching for the millions: As gamers celebrate Video Games Day on July 8, here are some facts you need to know.
Image: Getty Images/S. Schuermann
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9 random facts for Video Games Day
Why should all surgeons play video games every day? And who was Super Mario named after? Here are a few things you should know for Germany's Video Games Day on July 8.
Image: NVIDIA Corporation
Record speed
It's hard to believe, but Toshiyuki Takahashi from Japan is able to push the button on his controller 16 times in one second. Quick reaction times are essential is gaming and he's a record-setter. In the game "Star Soldier," he shot 12.3 times in one second.
Image: picture-alliance/ZB
An unlikely star
The chubby, mustached Italian with the blue overalls is by far the best-known computer game character in the world. He was born in 1981 and is based on a real person: Mario Segale, who rented warehouses to Nintendo. "Super Mario" was a forerunner in the jump and run games.
Image: picture-alliance/dpa/P. Pleul
New stage for Hollywood stars
For many young people, computer games are more important than going to the movies. The graphics have become more realistic and the stories more complex. So it's no wonder that actors are now making appearances in games. Ellen Page, seen here in "Beyond: Two Souls," was a pioneer. But it works the other way around too: "Tomb Raider" and "Resident Evil" were games that were later turned into films.
Image: Sony Computer Entertainment/Quantic Dream
Good practice for surgeons
Some say video games lead to aggression. Others say they can relax you and improve your reflexes. According to a study in the US, surgeons that play video games are quicker and make fewer mistakes in the operating room. Another study claims that medical students do better on their abdominal laparoscopic simulations if they play first-person shooter games for half an hour a day.
Image: Colourbox/Monkey Business Images
Are computer games to blame?
When a tragic school shooting occurs, people often blame "violence-promoting" first-person shooter games, in which the player shoots anything that his or her figure sees. But whether or not gaming leads to violence is a matter of debate. Many in Germany called for first-person shooter games to be banned after a school shooting occurred in Erfurt in 2002. The gunman killed 16 people and himself.
Image: Imago/epd
Case study for reality?
"Corrupted Blood" was a virtual plague that went rampant in the "World of Warcraft" game for one week in 2005. Intended to last for a few seconds, it quickly spread across the entire virtual world until a combination of resets finally brought relief. Epidemiologists and counter-terrorist experts are studying the incident to find parallels to how humans might react in case of a real-life epidemic.
Image: Getty Images/S. Schuermann
Interacting with real-life tragedies
Should you run away or bribe the border police? So-called "serious games" allow people to experience tragic realities in an interactive way. In "Frontiers - You've Reached Fortress Europe," players take on the role of refugees trying to enter Europe. Other serious games involve players in the Syrian war and famine in Darfur.
Image: Frontiers
Gaming at the highest level
In 2015, one man, Abdulaziz Alshehri from Saudi Arabia, won the soccer World Cup - at least on screen. Gaming has evolved from a pastime to a profession in recent years. At international competitions, professional teams like Fnatic and Luminosity Gaming vie against each other in disciplines like "League of Legends" and "Counter-Strike: Global Offensive."
Image: picture alliance/P. Kneffel
Get rich with gaming
$18 million is quite a lot of money. That's the largest sum that's ever been offered as prize money in an e-sports tournament. During the Dota 2 contest, teams of five defended their bases in a virtual arena and tried to wipe out the opponents. The tournament has grown since it was founded in 2011, when the prize money totaled just $1.6 million.
Image: NVIDIA Corporation
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Some 35 million Germans play video games, according to the Interactive Software Federation. That's almost half of the entire population of the country.
The offer is just as diversified as the players: There are the simple, somewhat brainless games for mobile devides, where chickens need to be fed and corn fields are harvested, or the Wii party games, where players get together to sing, dance, jump or play tennis. And of course, there are the online strategy games that connect gamers from around the world, with graphics almost as realistic as live action movies.
The first computer game was developed in 1946. The initial games were programmed by researchers that had access to the huge computers of American universities. The success story of video games is intertwined with the development of computer technology.
As cheaper televisions hit the market in the 1970s, it allowed what would become known as "video games" to spread out as well. Coin-operated machines, with games such as "Pong," "Space Invaders" or "Asteroids," found their way into supermarkets, gas stations, movie theaters and fast food joints.
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At the end of the decade, the first home game consoles were launched - and they quickly became a hit.
From one level to the next
Game consoles faced serious competition with the new personal computers released in the 80s. As new games were developed for the PC, the market for consoles kept shrinking, until Japan's Nintendo released the since unmatched bestseller, "Mario Bros." The jumping and running plumbers laid the groundwork for a whole era of gaming, with the genre called "platform game."
The complexity of games increased as 3D graphics were introduced, both on consoles and on PCs. The virtual worlds of the 90s became a lot more realistic; the plots of the games were much more exciting.
Presentation of a gaming console at the Gamescom in Cologne in 2014Image: picture-alliance/dpa
Professionals on board
The Internet allowed a whole new experience for games to emerge. Instead of playing alone, games could be played by several people in different locations simultaneously. Strategy and war games such as "World of Warcraft" or "League of Legends" became especially popular, allowing players to complete immerse themselves in the virtual worlds.
These games even started organizing social events. For example, during Oktoberfest in Munich, "World of Warcraft" players are invited to put down their weapons for a day in order to drink an imaginary beer instead.
Some players have become so absorbed by these games that they are considered addicts. There are now specialized treatment centers for them, especially in Asia.
Professional players are literally part of a different league. What became known as esports started with the first video games, but the first professional leagues emerged in the 90s. In 1997, the first professional tournament was held in the US. Three years later, the first World Cyber Games took place in South Korea.
The history and art behind these games can be celebrated all year long, but there are two official days to indulge in gaming. Video Games Day is on July 8, whereas the US also has its National Video Games Day on September 12.
