The next generation of video game consoles has arrived and parents are grumbling as the newest time-wasting games fill their kids’ Christmas wish lists.
The release of the Playstation 4 and Xbox One this month also means a slew of new games are coming out that players will be itching to get their hands on.
Video games have been a popular holiday gift idea for years now, having surpassed DVD sales for the first time ever in 2008. Certain games have even overshadowed ticket sales of Hollywood blockbusters. Grand Theft Auto V, launched earlier this fall, pulled in $800 million in sales within 24 hours of its release, smashing records and grossing more than most movies do. Since then, the game has grossed well over $1 billion in revenue. Despite their popularity, some people can’t help but raise an eyebrow when their loved one asks for a brainless video game for Christmas. What they may not be aware of is that video games are fighting back to beat their time-wasting stigma. Teachers, critics and gamers alike now look upon games as an appreciated and sometimes educational form of art.
A recent study conducted at Michigan State University, called the Children and Technology Program, found that the more kids played video games, the more creative they were in tasks such as writing and drawing. The study concluded that any type of game, including violent ones, yielded these results.
History-based video games have the potential to bring a gamer’s textbook to life. Assassin’s Creed IV: Black Flag, which came out earlier this fall, puts players in the boots of an 18th century pirate in the Caribbean and allows them to interact with historical figures such as the notorious swashbuckler, Blackbeard. This is the fourth installment in a series that explores historical periods, including the American Revolution.
Although the games have sci-fi elements in them and therefore contain many historical inaccuracies, the game clearly separates the facts from the fiction and can inspire gamers to want to learn more about that period of time. Assassin’s Creed is meant for a mature audience, 17 years and up; however, many other historical games such as the Civilization series can be played by children 11 and up.
Video games have also stepped up in the storytelling department. In some games, actors are now placed in motion-capture suits and are able to play the part of the virtual character that the player is controlling on their TV or computer screen. Not only do gamers now feel like their watching a movie, but they’re also playing it. This has attracted Hollywood stars such as Ellen Page who just starred in her first video game, Beyond Two Souls.
Video game screenwriting has also improved with games that contain fully developed characters and dialogue that rivals Oscar-nominated movies. Anyone skeptical of this should look no further than The Last of Us; a game set in a post-apocalyptic world that received critical acclaim for its highly character-driven story.
Not only can games now have educational purposes, they’ve become a form of art that can be appreciated like a film or a painting. For those skeptics reluctantly purchasing a video game for a Christmas present, keep in mind that there is a lot more to that disk than meets the eye.