• 1970– The first at-home video game console hit the market with Magnavox Odyssey.
• 1975– Video game home consoles gained popularity with the release of Atari Pong.
• Early 1970’s– The first arcade opened! Woohoo! Coin-operated gaming comes to life. Think! Pac-Man, Galaga, Asteroids, Donkey Kong, and our Marketing Director’s favorite, Street Fighter. “HADOUKEN!!“

For many generations, arcades were the after school safe haven. When I asked a male Gen-Xer, who wants to remain anonymous, their thoughts on arcades, he said, “They were magical. Arcades were the full experience. You didn’t just go to arcades to play video games. You went to the arcade to make new friends.” He continued to say, “Growing up, it was just the place to be.“

• Mid 1980’s – Brought the revolutionary Nintendo Entertainment System and Super Nintendo. (Who doesn’t remember Mario???)
• Early 1990’s – Sega Genesis and the original Playstation.. Nintendo had some fierce competition. In fact, the original Playstation sold a record number of units at the time. So, to compete, Nintendo launched the Nintendo 64 which included the first ever full 3-D game, Super Mario 64.
• 2000’s – Playstation 2 hits the market and dominates. It becomes the best-selling video game console of all time!! A year or so later, Microsoft comes out with the Xbox. (I still remember when this first hit the market). The console’s sleek design and hi-tech features. (Everyone I knew wanted one). With the success of both Playstation 2 and Xbox, first-person shooter games gain mass popularity.
• 2010 – Everyone’s a gamer. That’s right. With the emergence of smartphones, video games are more accessible and now available on the go. (Who doesn’t remember Pokémon Go?)
• 2010 – 2020 – Virtual Reality equipment offered for in-home gaming. The high graphics and simulation give players a taste of what the future of technology may bring.

To get a full appreciation of the gaming industry, one must understand the value of it. In a June 2019 article on newzoo.com, the gaming industry forecasted to generate $152.1 Billion in revenue in 2019, with $36.9 billion coming from the United States.

Nowadays, gaming has brought on a new world of gaming tournaments that reward winning participants with millions of dollars in prize money. Twitch, YouTube, TikTok have opened doors for gamers to sources of income. Like Steve Jobs said, “If you do what you love, you’ll never have to work a day in your life.”

We celebrate National Video Game day because video games hold a special place in all of our hearts somewhere deep-down. Take some time today to celebrate. Invite friends over for a video game tournament or grab some popcorn, your favorite people to watch Pixels, Street Fighter, Mortal Kombat, or any other video game turn movie. However, you choose to celebrate today, make sure it’s with the people that matter most!