The Changing Face of Video Games

In the past, games were solely created for the purpose of entertainment. Instead of going to the arcade, you could play Pong right at home. Later, Mario Bros. took homes by storm as Mario and Luigi embarked on adventures in living rooms. Later still, parents everywhere fretted that their children were spending way too much time playing video games and what kind of impact those games were having on their children. Games are definately evolving. They have changed drastically over the past three decades, not only in content, but in quality.



Nintendo, especially, has taken strides to attract specific audiences that were not catered to in the past. For example, the Wii Fit was the first of what has now become a new genre in the video game world, "exergames," where the gamer becomes a physical participant in the game. A few other innovative themes include cooking, brain training, educational, as well as living a virtual life and keeping virtual pets.



The question is, have games evolved enough to the point that they are beneficial to you, rather than detrimental? Or are they merely wolves in sheep's clothing? If they appear too good to be true, maybe they are. Are these new game genres still considered games or have they evolved into something new? What do you think?