Gaming has been around since the 1970s and one of the first games was a little thing called Pong.  Gaming in the last of 50 years has increased an incredible amount to the point that it seems unreal.  

“I genuinely love how far games have come especially due to me playing them since I was a kid which makes it all the more worth it to see,”  said Los Fresnos student and Jack in the Box worker Jacob Karavasilis.

One of the first video games was Pong and it was very generic and bland since it was a ball moving left and right while two blocks on either side pushed it back.  The goal was simple and to the point to get the ball into the other player’s side.  The game was created in 1972 so at the time it was pretty amazing but things didn’t stop there.

Moving into the 1990’s is when games really started to pick up since at the time a game called Super Mario World was invented and shaped children’s dreams for generations.  Mario is an icon among video game characters and unlike Pong had a bit more complex features.  The game moved from left to right and unlike Pong you could now pick up power ups, jump, run, and even fight monsters to save your princess.  

“It feels almost unreal to look at how fast games have improved, like looking at dark cloud which I used to play and how it compares to the newest Kingdom Hearts,” said Los Fresnos student Jose Martinez. ” It’s like it’s not even the same in terms of one that looks like it should be a movie.” 

The complexity of games and the pure art that goes into them has honestly surpassed everyone’s expectations and even shows what people are capable of if they put their minds to it.  Games now show multiple genres of theater playable by the public and give people the chance to decide how they make their story.  Looking at games like JRPGs which give the player full control on how they do missions, create their own characters, and even have relationships inside the game that to some will never have a chance to experience these things by themselves.  

Some people in life are sick and unfortunately can’t leave their houses, but due to games being so immersive now it gives these people their own freedom and allows them to experience things they wouldn’t be able to without those games.  New inventions like VR which literally puts a person inside the game and allows them to walk around the world, meet people, and some have even found their soulmates through gaming.  

“Gaming has helped me by letting me grow in fame and let’s me meet so many people that I would have never found any other way,” said Ironmouse, a famous Youtuber who suffers from illness preventing them from leaving their home.  “I feel so happy when I play games and I’m so happy that I’ve met the people I have.” 

Many people’s lives have been changed by games due to how much they’ve grown and have allowed people to talk to people around the world, make friends, laugh, and some have even learned to love.  A good example of this is Red Dead Redemption 2, which in all accounts to many seemed like a movie and gave the character attachments that were at levels some wouldn’t even believe were with a fictional character.  Red Dead is a prime example in how far video games have come since compared to the first game Pong which was just basically table tennis.