The Significant of Video Games

A number of factors are coming together to suggest that video games are beginning to arrive as a significant phenomenon worthy of serious study and consideration. These factors include, but are not limited to:

1) We have an emerging generation who grew up playing video games. The 1950's produced a generation who grew up in front of the television and look what happened in the 1960's and 1970's.

2) The video game industry now rivals the entertainment industry.

3) Video games have gone through several paradigm shifts, the latest of which is the rise of massively multi-player online role playing games. The rise of MMORPGs means two things. First, video games are now a social phenomenon. And, second, somebody has to come up with a better acronym.

4) Academics are beginning to study video games in much the same way that they have studied other cultural phenomenon such as books and movies.

5) Some researchers are beginning to suggest that the skills one learns from playing video games are actually useful, important and valuable skills.

6) Educators are beginning to look at video games as a vehicle for education and training.

7) As technology such as Internet bandwidth, graphics cards, and server capacity increases and improves this will only get bigger, better and more significant.

So, it seems that now is a good time to start documenting and reflecting on this emerging phenomenon. And that is going to be what this blog is about.