Game History 4004 731: The Video Game Revolution

The Video Game Revolution (14 September 2004)

Last Thursday, we saw the PBS documentary "The Video Game Revolution"

What were the strengths and weaknesses of the film?
What was omitted that you'd like to have seen added?
What was there too much of? What do you think of the web site?
How does the film comp[are with what you've read in your book so far??

Links From Other Weblogs (Trackbacks)

Trackback link from texas holdem

Excerpt: You can also check the sites about online poker texas holdem online poker
Read More: texas holdem

Posted Feb 1, 2005 8:52 AM

Trackback link from Texas hold em

Excerpt: You are invited to visit some helpful info dedicated to Poker Texas holdem Online poker
Read More: Texas hold em

Posted Feb 16, 2005 2:47 PM

Trackback link from Online poker

Excerpt: Please check the sites about Texas hold em Empire poker
Read More: Online poker

Posted Feb 28, 2005 9:34 AM

Trackback link from texas hold em

Excerpt: Please check the pages about party poker online poker texas hold em
Read More: texas hold em

Posted Mar 18, 2005 1:55 AM

Trackback link from texas holdem for mac

Excerpt: Please visit the sites dedicated to full tilt poker five card stud poker shareware
Read More: texas holdem for mac

Posted Mar 19, 2005 4:12 AM

Trackback link from slot machines

Excerpt: You are invited to check out the sites in the field of buy phentermine phentermine slot machines
Read More: slot machines

Posted Mar 20, 2005 7:51 AM

Trackback link from internet pharmacy

Excerpt: You are invited to check some information in the field of internet pharmacy pharmacies online
Read More: internet pharmacy

Posted Mar 23, 2005 3:26 PM

Trackback link from party poker

Excerpt: In your free time, visit some information about texas hold em online poker party poker
Read More: party poker

Posted Mar 24, 2005 10:36 PM

Trackback link from casinos

Excerpt: In your free time, check some relevant pages about roulette blackjack casinos
Read More: casinos

Posted Mar 26, 2005 4:18 AM

Trackback link from play poker

Excerpt: You may find it interesting to visit some relevant pages about texas hold em play poker party poker
Read More: play poker

Posted Mar 28, 2005 12:35 PM

Trackback link from cialis

Excerpt: You can also check the pages in the field of phendimetrazine diet online pharmacy
Read More: cialis

Posted Apr 1, 2005 12:59 PM

Trackback link from texas holdem

Excerpt: Please check out the sites in the field of texas holdem party poker empire poker
Read More: texas holdem

Posted Apr 6, 2005 11:09 PM

Trackback link from pacific poker

Excerpt: You may find it interesting to check some relevant pages dedicated to party poker poker online poker
Read More: pacific poker

Posted Apr 8, 2005 4:33 PM

Trackback link from empire poker

Excerpt: Please visit some helpful info in the field of empire poker poker texas hold em
Read More: empire poker

Posted Apr 8, 2005 6:41 PM

Trackback link from texas hold em

Excerpt: Please check the pages about texas hold em online poker party poker
Read More: texas hold em

Posted Apr 8, 2005 11:52 PM

Trackback link from pacific poker

Excerpt: Please check some information about texas holdem online poker pacific poker
Read More: pacific poker

Posted Apr 9, 2005 12:52 AM

Trackback link from party poker

Excerpt: You may find it interesting to check out some relevant pages about party poker online poker poker
Read More: party poker

Posted Apr 9, 2005 3:47 AM

Trackback link from texas holdem

Excerpt: You may find it interesting to check the sites about texas holdem empire poker party poker
Read More: texas holdem

Posted Apr 9, 2005 5:03 AM

Comments

I thought this film had decent coverage of video games, but seemed to focus a lot on the violence issue and newer things available in recent time than on the history and overall industry. The book covers a lot more, although it was nice to put faces to names and see examples of what we were reading in the book. The complimentary website has a lot of nice tidbits of information and the online examples of classic games are certainly a nice touch.

Personally, I would've liked them to go a little more in depth on things that some people may not know much about, such as the consoles released before most of us in the class were born. I felt that they kind of glossed over the beginning in order to get to the present day stuff and press the violence issue.

Posted by: Carlo Costino on September 16, 2004 01:10 PM | Permalink to Comment

It was more of a survey piece than a history piece, for sure. The book will get into much more depth on the historical end, especially the earlier consoles.

Posted by: Stephen Jacobs on September 16, 2004 08:13 PM | Permalink to Comment

I think the film did a decent enough job. A big problem they probably had to deal with was they could only cram so much into a limited time frame. The book we're reading by comparison, can go into much more detail. I did like seeing alot of the history that I didn't know before (pre-Nintendo)

I do think they spent alot of time on issues and the "culture" of games, rather than the games themselves. How many game titles did you hear about? I don't think they even spent much time discussing new and inovative games and WHY they're inovative or popular.

Posted by: Matt Gaul on September 17, 2004 04:16 PM | Permalink to Comment

I believe the issues covered were both current and relevant. From the violence issue to obsessive gaming, they did a good job with presenting the impact video games are having on society and culture.

I especially liked the segments about Alexander’s Starcrack addiction, the culture of LAN parties, as well as the message questioning whether people are spending more time in the fantasy worlds of games than in the real world.

“The Video Game Revolution” was more about the issues and less about the history of video games, therefore the book is a much better frame of reference for this class.

Posted by: Jay Bibby on September 18, 2004 10:41 AM | Permalink to Comment

I thought the film was fairly interesting. As mentioned in class, I also agree that the cast seemed quite stereotypical. There wasn’t too much diversity going on in the film.

The games for girls portion was interesting; I have never heard of or even seen the “girl” games they mentioned in the film. I wonder how they were marketed… The violence issue was revisited too often, in my opinion. They could have spent more time on the rating systems and game marketing, where much of the problems with violent games stem from.

Posted by: Christian Crews on September 18, 2004 08:55 PM | Permalink to Comment

I've stuck some links into delicious on the girl games movement (that may or may not be dead now, depending on your point of view) I'm planning to go into this toward the end of the quarter, but these readings should get you all started.

Posted by: Stephen Jacobs on September 19, 2004 02:15 AM | Permalink to Comment

I enjoyed the film we watched. I thought it was really interesting to see where games started from, since my first experience with games was when I was young, and we got an NES. I can personally remember when my mom would go to the grocery store and I would see the words "Coin-op" on the window of the laundromat, and having no clue what it meant. This history gave myself some newfound respect for the gaming pioneers.

As I stated in class, I enjoyed how they showed the tension between Sony and Microsoft, as they strive to have the best gaming platforms. I do wish they would have talked more about PS2 and Xbox when it comes to their online gaming, but it is a growing area.

One thing about the movie that was a little far-fetched was at the very end when they showed the blind girl a second time, and tried to relate an ethical reasoning for video games to her. I think they should have left it at her one scene, or maybe even left it out of the movie all together.

Posted by: Mark Marcello on September 19, 2004 05:44 PM | Permalink to Comment

The video was interesting, but I still feel that someone more to the tone of Andy Phelps discussing video game history would have had a better impact than Robert Redford? or whoever that was. I was actually amazed to find out that video games pulled in over 2 billion more in revenue than the movies do. I knew they were a big industry, but I would have never thought it to be just that big.

I also like how there was originally a patent on video games. It's fun to think what the life of games would be like if that patent lived forever.

What was scary was the fact that it was recorded that over 175,000 years were spent playing arcade games in the 1980's. I'm afraid to see what the numbers are now, especially at schools like RIT.

I believe the best quote of the movie was: "Now that it's a competition, its competitive." To that I say, duh? Using the word to define itself in a documentary seems a little low, but overall it was an informative show and illustrated a lot about the game time line that I didn't know.

Posted by: Kevin Wogenrich on September 20, 2004 07:48 PM | Permalink to Comment

One thing I did forget was that I don't feel the tape showed enough of the online gaming world. This is quickly becoming the way of life for many video games anymore, with almost every new computer game that comes out having some kind of online addition.

They briefed over things like Everquest that is one of the highest selling games of all time, so it should have been given a few more minutes replacing that needless draw back to the blind girl. That was a stretch not needed, as if trying to invoke pity and say "Hey games aren't all bad, look at the good they can do." Personally I'd find it insulting to be used in that way.

Posted by: Kevin Wogenrich on September 20, 2004 07:52 PM | Permalink to Comment

I have a shoddy memory, so I honestly don't remember many details to the film. So, from what I remember, and given that it was done by PBS in a two hour time frame, I felt that it was a fairly good documentary.

It gave a good, broad overview of many aspects of the game world. Pluses include the depiction of the history of the industry, the range of gamers (girls, the LAN dudes, the pre-teen brat, and the blind girl), and touching on some social aspects, like the violence and "addictions."
By the same token, however, the format limited details on any specific area, the subjects were fairly stereotypical, and the violence and addiction issues they focused on made it seem like games were worse than crack-cocaine and were to be the end of society - except if the blind girl played them, of course.

I felt like they jumped around a lot in that timeline. At one point they went from discussing 8 bit Nintendo to art and animation in a AAA X-Box title, then back again. And, unless I'm mistaken, they almost completely left out the 16-bit era of the SNES and Sega Genesis (except, I think, for the Mortal Kombat reference).

I think they overdid the bling girl angle. While it was quite interesting to see that she could play the game, a brief mention or clip would've sufficed. They didn't need to exploit her and try to make viewers pity her. That was just cheap.

The website is fairly well-designed (I like the semi-flashy timeline) but still feels like there's a lot of information they left out that could (and should) have been added.

Posted by: Luis Ramirez on September 20, 2004 10:08 PM | Permalink to Comment