National Video Game Day
On July 8 we celebrate National Video Game Day (not to be confused with National Video Games Day on September 12). All of us have played video games at some point in our lives, and thus are likely to have video games that marked and defined our childhood.
This is a day to commemorate the games that have played a big role in our lives, the art behind the making of such games, and the skill that professional video game players have.
National Video Game Day Background
The earliest record of a Video Games Day can be traced to Frank Cifaldi. He was an employee of the Video Game History Foundation, back in 1991, when a Videogame Day first appeared in Chase's Calendar of Events. The day was established as July 8, and sponsored by someone named David Earle. Earle was the president of Kid Video Warriors.
In fact, it is very easy to put a date in Chase's Calendar. You simply need to submit it as a sponsor, which means that Video Games Day is an unofficial holiday. Eventually, in 1997, the date was changed to be celebrated on September 12, but video games are so popular that aficionados continue to commemorate them on both days.
Video Game Landmarks
Video Games are a huge part of popular culture, over time they have continued advancing and evolving. More complex video games started releasing every year, with better graphics and engrossing gameplay. Whether it is the Nintendo Switch, Steam Deck, or the latest Playstation, games have the power to immerse you into different places and times. Nowadays, people also have video games at the tip of their fingers, as they have become available on mobile phones and tablets.
The first ever video game was ‘Tennis For Two’. American Physicist William Alfred Higinbotham created the game. Interestingly, he was also a part of the team who developed the first atomic bomb during World War II.
Pong was released by Atari in 1972, initially for arcade machines, it was later released on consoles.
Space Invaders was released in Japan by Taito, but was incredibly successful across the world. Two years later (1980) it was released for the Atari 2600 console and was played in homes across the country.
The NES (Nintendo Entertainment System) was first released in Japan on July 15, 1983, under the name Famicom (short for Family Computer).
It was later released in North America on October 18, 1985, and in Europe in 1986. The NES was a revolutionary console using cartridges with no loading times, could handle unprecedented graphics, and so it played a key role in popularizing video games.
Doom was an incredibly important first-person shooter game, written originally for MS-DOS. Although not the first first-person shooter, Doom, and Wolfenstein 3D (released 1992), both helped to popularize the genre. It also was an early pioneer of modding, allowing players to customize the game and create their own levels and content.
World of Warcraft is a massively multiplayer online role-playing game (MMORPG) that has been around since 2004. It helped to popularize the MMORPG (massively multiplayer online role-playing game) genre and has been hugely successful, with millions of players around the world still playing it today.
Another hugely pioneering and influential game is Minecraft. The game is referred to as a 'sandbox' game, meaning it allows players to create and explore their own virtual worlds. It has been hugely influential in the gaming world and has been praised for its creative freedom and educational value.
Celebrate National Video Game Day
The obvious thing to do on this day is to play video games, whether alone or with friends. But why not stray away from your usual games and try new ones or re-discover old favorites? See if you still have your old consoles and spend a nostalgic gaming day, playing your childhood games.
On this day, gamer meetings in bars or arcades might also be held, where video game fans gather to talk about their favorite games or play them together. This is the perfect way to make friends with people who share the same interests as you.
Some video game stores may have good National Video Game Day deals on games for Video Game Day, so you can stock up on some new ones!
Video Games Interesting Facts
- As per statistics, video game designers are usually in the age range of 30 to 40.
- In the United States, a video game designer usually earns an average salary of $85,000 yearly.
- Super Mario Bros was the first video game to be made into a movie in 1993. It was unfortunately unsuccessful, made very little money in box office sales, and was received negatively by the press.
- As of 2022, the video game industry’s global worth has been estimated at US$ 202.7 Billion.
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