Video Gaming

Gearing up for the holiday gift-giving season, Microsoft Game Studios has been hard at work developing the highly anticipated sequel to the popular Xbox game Halo 2. The official release is scheduled for Tuesday, November 9, 2004. Unfortunately, pirates beat them to the punch.

A month earlier, illegal copies of the highly anticipated sci-fi game became available online through various file-sharing networks and websites. Though often lacking a game's full functioning, the piracy is a blow to the game's developers, who have spent months creating the art and writing the computer code that goes into these complex interactive games.

Video games have come a long way since a computerized tic-tac-toe game was invented in 1952. Even video games of the 1970s were based on the simplest of games and graphics.

Today, video gamers can be hooked up through broadband connections to play one game as a team. Some gaming systems even offer headsets so teammates can talk to one another during play, even if they live thousands of miles away from each another.

The debate over the merits of video gaming—especially those based on violent scenarios—is complex. But the fact is that video games are here to stay, in one form or another, and they will continue to influence our culture on many levels.

So for this week's lesson, you'll get inside the box and take a tour behind the scenes to see what makes these games—and gamers—tick.

The Revolution

Let's start with a trip to PBS to uncover The Video Game Revolution, beginning in the History of Gaming section.

To get a grip on the evolution of the industry, browse the Interactive Timeline.

What role did Ralph Baer play in this revolution? Why were video games first introduced in arcades rather than for home use? What was the significance of the Atari 2600 system? What are some of the factors that made a game or game system a hit or a flop? In what ways did the content of games evolve over time?

Now, let's go Inside the Games to see How a Game Is Made. Make sure to watch the videos, if you have RealPlayer installed.

How exactly do the developers go about Creating the Characters and Putting It All in Motion? Why are details about the characters' environment important in The Game World?

What roles do the Code and Postproduction efforts play in a game's popularity? Why does a company spend so much money and effort in Marketing a game?

Read some of the Personal Gaming Stories and check out the Classic Game Cheats, if you have time. Why do you think programmers would allow cheats?

Next, explore some of The Impacts of Gaming, by browsing the Essays and the Guide to Game Ratings.

Why do many parents and institutions, including schools and government agencies, choose to restrict the availability of violent video games to young people? Do you agree or disagree with the reasons they cite for doing so?

How do you think video gaming will evolve in your lifetime? What factors will drive this development and why?

Before leaving the revolution, visit the Arcade to take the Ultimate Classic Game Quiz, Name That Game, and Play a Retro Game. In what ways are the classic games similar to and different from today's video games?

The Box

You've looked at how art and coding have played their roles in video game development, but without technology to get it to our televisions and computer monitors those great ideas would have gone nowhere.

So let's look next at How Video Game Systems Work at the HowStuffWorks site.

Don't click any of the brand names on the introduction page, but do click to the next page to explore the Essence of video games. Then explore Game System Basics by clicking on that page's interactive graphic. What exactly does the software kernel do?

Browse briefly through some of the The Games available on the different systems. What would be the attraction of each game's premise?

Next, move on to Comparing Consoles and Cool Facts. What is the importance of a system's processor speed for gaming? What advanced feature did Atari Football use? Which game system is based entirely on CD technology? How is that different from the others?

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Newspaper Activities

Browse current issues of Targetnewspaper for articles about Microsoft's official release of Halo 2 or any other new video game or system releases. Do experts believe illegal distribution has affected the game's sales? Do gaming companies plan to implement any additional securities to help protect their future products from piracy? What new advances in online gaming have been announced? Also, watch for reviews of new video games. What features in the game's story, art, characters, functions, and environment does the reviewer like or dislike and why? Do the reviewers' picks match the titles consumers are buying?