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. A video game is an that involves interaction with a to generate visual feedback on a such as a.

The word video in video game traditionally referred to a display device, but as of the 2000s, it implies any type of that can produce two- or three-dimensional. Some theorists categorize, but this designation is controversial. The electronic systems used to play video games are known as; examples of these are personal computers and.

These platforms range from large to small. Specialized video games such as, in which the video game components are housed in a large, typically chassis, while common in the 1980s in, have gradually declined due to the widespread availability of affordable home video game consoles (e.g., and ) and video games on desktop and laptop computers and. The used for games, the, varies across platforms. Common controllers include, the of, and buttons, or even, with the sensor, a person's hands and body. Players typically view the game on a video screen or television or computer monitor, or sometimes on goggles.

There are often game, music and, in the 2010s, voice actor lines which come from. Some games in the 2000s include, vibration-creating effects, and headsets. In the 2010s, the is of increasing commercial importance, with growth driven particularly by the emerging Asian markets and, which are played on. As of 2015, video games generated sales of 74 billion annually worldwide, and were the third-largest segment in the U.S. Entertainment market, behind broadcast and cable TV. A modern recreation of a controller for Tennis for Two Early games used interactive electronic devices with various display formats.

The earliest example is from 1947—a ' Amusement Device' was filed for a patent on 25 January 1947, by and Estle Ray Mann, and issued on 14 December 1948, as U.S. Patent 2455992. Inspired by display technology, it consisted of an analog device that allowed a user to control a vector-drawn dot on the screen to simulate a missile being fired at targets, which were drawings fixed to the screen. Other early examples include: The computer at the 1951; a Computer game by for the in 1952;, an electronic interactive game engineered by in 1958;, written by students Martin Graetz, Steve Russell, and Wayne Wiitanen's on a DEC computer in 1961; and the hit -style, a 1972 game. Each game used different means of display: NIMROD used a panel of lights to play the game of, OXO used a graphical display to play tic-tac-toe Tennis for Two used an oscilloscope to display a side view of a tennis court, and Spacewar! Used the PDP-1's vector display to have two battle each other. At the in 2011 In 1971, created by and, was the first commercially sold, coin-operated video game.

It used a black-and-white television for its display, and the computer system was made of. The game was featured in the 1973. Computer Space was followed in 1972 by the, the first home console. Modeled after a late 1960s prototype console developed by called the 'Brown Box', it also used a standard television. These were followed by two versions of 's; an version in 1972 and a home version in 1975 that dramatically increased video game popularity. The commercial success of Pong led numerous other companies to develop Pong clones and their own systems, spawning the. A flood of Pong clones eventually led to the, which came to an end with the mainstream success of 's 1978, marking the beginning of the and inspiring dozens of manufacturers to enter the market.

The game inspired arcade machines to become prevalent in mainstream locations such as shopping malls, traditional storefronts, restaurants, and convenience stores. The game also became the subject of numerous articles and stories on television and in newspapers and magazines, establishing as a rapidly growing mainstream hobby. Space Invaders was soon licensed for the (later known as Atari 2600), becoming the first ' and quadrupling the console's sales. This helped Atari recover from their earlier losses, and in turn the Atari VCS revived the home video game market during the, up until the.

The home video game industry was revitalized shortly afterwards by the widespread success of the, which marked a shift in the dominance of the video game industry from the United States to Japan during the. Overview Platforms.

After, the was the first game console to achieve widespread success and awareness. The term 'platform' refers to the specific combination of or computer hardware which, in conjunction with software, allows a video game to operate. The term 'system' is also commonly used. The distinctions below are not always clear and there may be games that bridge one or more platforms. In addition to personal computers, there are other devices which have the ability to play games but are not dedicated video game machines, such as, and.

PC In common use a ' refers to a form of media that involves a player interacting with a personal computer connected to a. Personal computers are not dedicated game platforms, so there may be differences running the same game in different hardware, also the openness allows some features to developers like reduced software cost, increased flexibility, increased innovation, emulation, creation of modifications ('), open hosting for (in which a person plays a video game with people who are in a different household) and others. An console and controller A ' is played on a specialized electronic device that connects to a common or, unlike, which can run all sorts of computer programs, a console is a dedicated video game platform manufactured by a specific company. Usually consoles only run games developed for it, or games from other platform made by the same company, but never games developed by its direct competitor, even if the same game is available on different platforms.

It often comes with a specific. Major console platforms include, and. The was the first successful handheld console, selling over 100 million systems. A ' gaming device is a small, self-contained electronic device that is portable and can be held in a user's hands.

It features the console, a small screen, speakers and buttons, or other in a single unit. Like consoles, handhelds are dedicated platforms, and share almost the same characteristics.

Handheld hardware usually is less powerful than PC or console hardware. Some handheld games from the late 1970s and early 1980s could only play one game. In the 1990s and 2000s, a number of handheld games used cartridges, which enabled them to be used to play many different games. A horror-themed arcade game in which players use a ' generally refers to a game played on an even more specialized type of electronic device that is typically designed to play only one game and is encased in a special, large coin-operated which has one built-in console, controllers (joystick, buttons, etc.), a, and audio amplifier and speakers. Arcade games often have brightly painted logos and images relating to the theme of the game.

While most arcade games are housed in a vertical cabinet, which the user typically stands in front of to play, some arcade games use a tabletop approach, in which the display screen is housed in a table-style cabinet with a see-through table top. With table-top games, the users typically sit to play. In the 1990s and 2000s, some arcade games offered players a choice of multiple games.

In the 1980s, were businesses in which game players could use a number of arcade video games. In the 2010s, there are far fewer video arcades, but some movie theaters and family entertainment centers still have them. Web browser The has also established itself as platform in its own right in the 2000s, while providing a environment for video games designed to be played on a wide spectrum of hardware from personal computers and to.

This in turn has generated new terms to qualify classes of web browser-based games. These games may be identified based on the website that they appear, such as with 'Facebook' games. Others are named based on the programming platform used to develop them, such as and games. Mobile With the advent of standard operating systems for mobile devices such as and and devices with greater hardware performance, has become a significant platform. While many mobile games share similar concepts with browser games, these games may utilize features of smart devices that are not necessary present on other platforms such as and camera devices to support gameplay. Mobile games also led into the development of as a valid revenue model for casual games.

Virtual reality (VR) games generally require players to use a special that provides and motion tracking to immerse a player within virtual environment that responds to their head movements. Some VR systems include control units for the player's hands as to provide a direct way to interact with the virtual world. VR systems generally require a separate computer, console, or other processing device that couples with the head-mounted unit. Main article: A video game, like most other forms of media, may be categorized into. Video game genres are used to categorize video games based on their gameplay interaction rather than or narrative differences. A video game genre is defined by a set of gameplay challenges and are classified independent of their or game-world content, unlike other works of fiction such as films or books.

For example, a is still a shooter game, regardless of whether it takes place in a fantasy world or in outer space. Because genres are dependent on content for definition, genres have changed and evolved as newer styles of video games have come into existence.

Ever advancing technology and production values related to video game development have fostered more lifelike and complex games which have in turn introduced or enhanced genre possibilities (e.g., virtual pets), pushed the boundaries of existing video gaming or in some cases add new possibilities in play (such as that seen with titles specifically designed for devices like Sony's ). Some genres represent combinations of others, such as, or, more commonly, MMORPGs. It is also common to see higher level genre terms that are collective in nature across all other genres such as with action, music/rhythm or horror-themed video games.

Classifications Casual games. Main article: Casual games derive their name from their ease of accessibility, simple to understand gameplay and quick to grasp rule sets. Additionally, casual games frequently support the ability to jump in and out of play on demand. Casual games as a format existed long before the term was coined and include video games such as Solitaire or Minesweeper which can commonly be found pre-installed with many versions of the operating system. Examples of within this category are, or many of the style games. Casual games are generally available through and online retailers such as, and or provided for free play through such as. While casual games are most commonly played on personal computers, phones or tablets, they can also be found on many of the on-line console system download services (e.g., the, or ).

Serious games. Main article: Serious games are games that are designed primarily to convey information or a learning experience to the player. Some serious games may even fail to qualify as a video game in the traditional sense of the term.

Educational software does not typically fall under this category (e.g., tutors, language learning programs, etc.) and the primary distinction would appear to be based on the title's primary goal as well as target age demographics. As with the other categories, this description is more of a guideline than a rule. Serious games are games generally made for reasons beyond simple entertainment and as with the core and casual games may include works from any given genre, although some such as, or propaganda games may have a higher representation in this group due to their subject matter. These games are typically designed to be played by professionals as part of a specific job or for skill set improvement. They can also be created to convey social-political awareness on a specific subject. A screenshot from showing a One of the longest-running serious games franchises would be, first published in 1982 under that name. The United States military uses based simulations, such as for training exercises, as do a growing number of first responder roles (e.g., police, firefighters, EMTs).

One example of a non-game environment utilized as a platform for serious game development would be the virtual world of, which is currently used by several United States governmental departments (e.g., ), Universities (e.g., ) for educational and remote learning programs and businesses (e.g., ) for meetings and training. In video games plays a crucial role in making a statement or conveying a message on important relevant issues.

This form of media allows for a broader audience to be able to receive and gain access to certain information that otherwise may not have reached such people. An example of tactical media in video games would be. These are short games related to contemporary events designed to illustrate a point. For example, Take Action Games is a game studio collective that was co-founded by Susana Ruiz and has made successful serious games.

Some of these games include, Finding Zoe, and In The Balance. All of these games bring awareness to important issues and events. Educational games.

A educational video game On 23 September 2009, U.S. President Barack Obama launched a campaign called 'Educate to Innovate' aimed at improving the technological, mathematical, scientific and engineering abilities of American students.

This campaign states that it plans to harness the power of interactive games to help achieve the goal of students excelling in these departments. This campaign has stemmed into many new opportunities for the video game realm and has contributed to many new competitions. Some of these competitions include the Stem National Video Game Competition and the.

Both of these bring a focus to relevant and important current issues through gaming. Www.NobelPrize.org entices the user to learn about information pertaining to the Nobel prize achievements while engaging in a fun video game. There are many different types and styles of educational games, including counting to spelling to games for kids, to games for adults.

Some other games do not have any particular targeted audience in mind and intended to simply educate or inform whoever views or plays the game. A North American game controller from the early 1990s Video game can use several types of input devices to translate human actions to a game, the most common game controllers are keyboard and mouse for ', consoles usually come with specific, handheld consoles have built in buttons. Other game controllers are commonly used for specific games like,. Can also be used as game controllers capturing movements of the body of the player. As technology continues to advance, more can be added onto the controller to give the player a more immersive experience when playing different games. There are some controllers that have presets so that the buttons are mapped a certain way to make playing certain games easier. Along with the presets, a player can sometimes custom map the buttons to better accommodate their play style.

On keyboard and mouse, different actions in the game are already preset to keys on the keyboard. Most games allow the player to change that so that the actions are mapped to different keys that are more to their liking. The companies that design the controllers are trying to make the controller visually appealing and also feel comfortable in the hands of the consumer. An example of a technology that was incorporated into the controller was the. It allows the player to be able to interact with the game differently than before. The person could move around in menus easier and they are also able to interact with different objects in the game.

They can pick up some objects, equip others, or even just move the objects out of the players path. Another example is where a persons movement is able to be captured and put into a game. Some motion sensor games are based on where the controller is. The reason for that is because there is a signal that is sent from the controller to the console or computer so that the actions being done can create certain movements in the game. Other type of motion sensor games are webcam style where the player moves around in front of it, and the actions are repeated by a game character. Developers use various tools to create video games. Here an editor is fine-tuning the.

Video game development and authorship, much like any other form of entertainment, is frequently a cross-disciplinary field., as employees within this industry are commonly referred, primarily include and. Over the years this has expanded to include almost every type of skill that one might see prevalent in the creation of any movie or television program, including, musicians, and other technicians; as well as skills that are specific to video games, such as the.

All of these are managed. In the early days of the industry, it was more common for a single person to manage all of the roles needed to create a video game. As platforms have become more complex and powerful in the type of material they can present, larger teams have been needed to generate all of the art, programming, cinematography, and more. This is not to say that the age of the 'one-man shop' is gone, as this is still sometimes found in the casual gaming and handheld markets, where smaller games are prevalent due to technical limitations such as limited or lack of dedicated 3D graphics rendering capabilities on the target platform (e.g., some cellphones and ).

With the growth of the size of development teams in the industry, the problem of cost has increased. Development studios need to be able to pay their staff a competitive wage in order to attract and retain the best talent, while publishers are constantly looking to keep costs down in order to maintain profitability on their investment. Typically, a video game console development team can range in sizes of anywhere from 5 to 50 people, with some teams exceeding 100. In May 2009, one game project was reported to have a development staff of 450. The growth of team size combined with greater pressure to get completed projects into the market to begin recouping production costs has led to a greater occurrence of missed deadlines, rushed games and the release of unfinished products. Downloadable content.

Main article: A phenomenon of additional game content at a later date, often for additional funds, began with digital video game distribution known as downloadable content (DLC). Developers can use to issue new storylines after the main game is released, such as with ( and ), or Bethesda with and. New gameplay modes can also become available, for instance, and its zombie modes, a multiplayer mode for or a higher difficulty level for.

Smaller packages of DLC are also common, ranging from better in-game weapons (, ), character outfits (, ), or new songs to perform (, ). Expansion packs. Main article: A variation of downloadable content is expansion packs.

Unlike DLC, expansion packs add a whole section to the game that either already exists in the game's code or is developed after the game is released. Expansions add new maps, missions, weapons, and other things that weren't previously accessible in the original game.

An example of an expansion is 's, which had the expansion. The expansion added new weapons, new maps, and higher levels, and remade old missions.

Expansions are added to the base game to help prolong the life of the game itself until the company is able to produce a sequel or a new game altogether. Developers may plan out their game's life and already have the code for the expansion in the game, but inaccessible by players, who later unlock these expansions, sometimes for free and sometimes at an extra cost. Some developers make games and add expansions later, so that they could see what additions the players would like to have. There are also expansions that are set apart from the original game and are considered a stand-alone game, such as 's expansion Freedom's Cry, which fetures a different character than the original game. Main article: Many games produced for the PC are designed such that technically oriented consumers can modify the game. These can add an extra dimension of replayability and interest.

Developers such as, and ship their games with some of the development tools used to make the game, along with documentation to assist mod developers. The Internet provides an inexpensive medium to promote and distribute mods, and they may be a factor in the commercial success of some games. This allows for the kind of success seen by popular mods such as the mod. Main article: Cheating in computer games may involve and hidden spots implemented by the game developers, modification of game code by third parties, or players exploiting a software glitch.

Modifications are facilitated by either hardware or a software. Cheats usually make the game by providing an unlimited amount of some resource; for example weapons, health, or ammunition; or perhaps the ability to walk through walls. Other cheats might give access to otherwise unplayable levels or provide unusual or amusing features, like altered game colors or other graphical appearances.

Main article: Software errors not detected by software testers during development can find their way into released versions of computer and video games. This may happen because the glitch only occurs under unusual circumstances in the game, was deemed too minor to correct, or because the game development was hurried to meet a publication deadline. Glitches can range from minor graphical errors to serious bugs that can delete saved data or cause the game to malfunction.

In some cases publishers will release updates (referred to as patches) to repair glitches. Sometimes a glitch may be beneficial to the player; these are often referred to as. Easter eggs are hidden messages or jokes left in games by developers that are not part of the main game. Easter eggs are secret responses that occur as a result of an undocumented set of commands. The results can vary from a simple printed message or image, to a page of programmer credits or a small videogame hidden inside an otherwise serious piece of software. Videogame are a specific type of Easter egg, in which entering a secret command will unlock special powers or new levels for the player. Main article: Although departments of computer science have been studying the technical aspects of video games for years, theories that examine games as an artistic medium are a relatively recent development in the humanities.

The two most visible schools in this emerging field are and. Narrativists approach video games in the context of what calls 'Cyberdrama'. That is to say, their major concern is with video games as a storytelling medium, one that arises out of. Murray puts video games in the context of the, a fictional piece of technology from, arguing for the video game as a medium in which the player is allowed to become another person, and to act out in another world.

This image of video games received early widespread popular support, and forms the basis of films such as, and. Ludologists break sharply and radically from this idea.

They argue that a video game is first and foremost a game, which must be understood in terms of its rules, interface, and the concept of play that it deploys. Argues that, although games certainly have plots, characters, and aspects of traditional narratives, these aspects are incidental to gameplay. For example, Aarseth is critical of the widespread attention that narrativists have given to the heroine of the game, saying that 'the dimensions of 's body, already analyzed to death by, are irrelevant to me as a player, because a different-looking body would not make me play differently. When I play, I don't even see her body, but see through it and past it.' Simply put, ludologists reject traditional theories of art because they claim that the artistic and socially relevant qualities of a video game are primarily determined by the underlying set of rules, demands, and expectations imposed on the player.

While many games rely on, video games commonly present simulated story worlds where emergent behavior occurs within the context of the game. The term 'emergent narrative' has been used to describe how, in a simulated environment, storyline can be created simply by 'what happens to the player.' However, emergent behavior is not limited to sophisticated games.

In general, any place where event-driven instructions occur for in a game, emergent behavior will exist. For instance, take a racing game in which cars are programmed to avoid crashing, and they encounter an obstacle in the track: the cars might then maneuver to avoid the obstacle causing the cars behind them to slow and/or maneuver to accommodate the cars in front of them and the obstacle. The programmer never wrote code to specifically create a traffic jam, yet one now exists in the game. A emulator, running on a platform An emulator is a program that replicates the behavior of a, allowing games to run on a different platform from the original hardware.

Emulators exist for, and other than the original. Emulators are generally used to play old games, or add enhanced features to games like improved graphics, speed up or down, bypass regional lockouts, or online multiplayer support. Some manufacturers have released official emulators for their own consoles. For example, the allows users to play games for old consoles on the, and. Virtual Console is part of Nintendo's strategy for deterring video game piracy. In November 2015, launched backwards compatibility of games on console via emulation. Also, announced relaunching games on via emulation.

According to, creating an emulator for a proprietary video game console is legal. However, Nintendo claims that emulators promote the distribution of illegally copied games.

Social aspects Demographics. The examples and perspective in this article may not represent a of the subject.

You may, discuss the issue on the, or, as appropriate. (September 2017) The November 2005 Nielsen Active Gamer Study, taking a survey of 2,000 regular, found that the U.S. Games market is diversifying.

The age group among male players has expanded significantly in the 25–40 age group. For casual online puzzle-style and simple mobile cell phone games, the gender divide is more or less equal between men and women. More recently there has been a growing segment of female players engaged with the aggressive style of games historically considered to fall within traditionally male genres (e.g., ). According to the ESRB, almost 41% of PC gamers are women. Participation among African-Americans is lower. One survey of over 2000 game developers returned responses from only 2.5% who identified as black. See also: When comparing today's industry climate with that of 20 years ago, women and many adults are more inclined to be using products in the industry.

While the market for teen and young adult men is still a strong market, it is the other demographics which are posting significant growth. The (ESA) provides the following summary for 2011 based on a study of almost 1,200 American households carried out by Ipsos MediaCT:.

The average gamer is 30 years old and has been playing for 12 years. Eighty-two percent of gamers are 18 years of age or older. Forty-two percent of all players are women and women over 18 years of age are one of the industry's fastest growing demographics.

Twenty-nine percent of game players are over the age of 50, an increase from nine percent in 1999. Sixty-five percent of gamers play games with other gamers in person.

Fifty-five percent of gamers play games on their phones or handheld device. A 2006 academic study, based on a survey answered by 10,000 gamers, identified the (gamers that identify as gay) as a demographic group.

A follow-up survey in 2009 studied the purchase habits and content preferences of people in the group. Based on the study by NPD group in 2011, approximately 91 percent of children aged 2–17 play games. Main article: Video game culture is a worldwide subculture formed around video games and game playing.

As computer and video games have increased in popularity over time, they have had a significant influence on popular culture. Video game culture has also evolved over time hand in hand with as well as the increasing popularity of. Many people who play video games identify as, which can mean anything from someone who enjoys games to someone who is passionate about it. As video games become more social with and, gamers find themselves in growing.

Gaming can both be entertainment as well as competition, as a new trend known as is becoming more widely accepted. In the 2010s, video games and discussions of video game trends and topics can be seen in, politics, television, film and music. Main article: Video gaming has traditionally been a social experience. Are those that can be played either competitively, sometimes in, or cooperatively by using either multiple input devices, or by., arguably the first video game, was a two player game, as was its successor. The first commercially available game console, the, had two controller inputs. Since then, most consoles have been shipped with two or four controller inputs.

Some have had the ability to expand to four, eight or as many as 12 inputs with additional adapters, such as the. Multiplayer typically feature play for two to four players, sometimes tilting the monitor on its back for a top-down viewing experience allowing players to sit opposite one another. Many early computer games for non-PC descendant based platforms featured multiplayer support. Personal computer systems from and both regularly featured at least two game ports. PC-based computer games started with a lower availability of multiplayer options because of technical limitations.

PCs typically had either one or no game ports at all. Network games for these early personal computers were generally limited to only text based adventures or that were played remotely on a dedicated server. This was due both to the slow speed of modems (300-1200-bit/s), and the prohibitive cost involved with putting a computer online in such a way where multiple visitors could make use of it.

However, with the advent of widespread technologies and Internet based online capabilities, the number of players in modern games can be 32 or higher, sometimes featuring integrated text and/or voice chat. (MMOs) can offer extremely high numbers of simultaneous players; set a record with 65,303 players on a single server in 2013.

Behavioral effects. Main article: It has been shown that action video game players have better and, such as their resistance to, their sensitivity to information in the and their ability to count briefly presented objects, than nonplayers. Researchers found that such enhanced abilities could be acquired by training with action games, involving challenges that switch attention between different locations, but not with games requiring concentration on single objects. It has been suggested by a few studies that online/offline video gaming can be used as a therapeutic tool in the treatment of different mental health concerns. In 's book, he argues that video games in fact demand far more from a player than traditional games like. To experience the game, the player must first determine the objectives, as well as how to complete them.

They must then learn the game controls and how the human-machine interface works, including menus and. Beyond such skills, which after some time become quite fundamental and are taken for granted by many gamers, video games are based upon the player navigating (and eventually mastering) a highly complex system with many variables. This requires a strong analytical ability, as well as flexibility and adaptability. He argues that the process of learning the boundaries, goals, and controls of a given game is often a highly demanding one that calls on many different areas of cognitive function. Indeed, most games require a great deal of patience and focus from the player, and, contrary to the popular perception that games provide instant gratification, games actually delay gratification far longer than other forms of entertainment such as film or even many books.

Some research suggests video games may even increase players' attention capacities. Learning principles found in video games have been identified as possible techniques with which to reform the U.S. Education system.

It has been noticed that gamers adopt an attitude while playing that is of such high concentration, they do not realize they are learning, and that if the same attitude could be adopted at school, education would enjoy significant benefits. Students are found to be 'learning by doing' while playing video games while fostering creative thinking. The has deployed machines such as the and vehicles, which make use of a game-style to make it more familiar for young people. According to research discussed at the 2008 Convention of the American Psychological Association, certain types of video games can improve the gamers' as well as their ability to do problem solving. A study of 33 laparoscopic surgeons found that those who played video games were 27 percent faster at advanced surgical procedures and made 37 percent fewer errors compared to those who did not play video games. A second study of 303 laparoscopic surgeons (82 percent men; 18 percent women) also showed that surgeons who played video games requiring spatial skills and hand dexterity and then performed a drill testing these skills were significantly faster at their first attempt and across all 10 trials than the surgeons who did not play the video games first.

An experiment carried out by Richard De Lisi and Jennifer Woldorf demonstrates the positive effect that video games may have on spatial skills. De Lisi and Woldorf took two groups of third graders, one control group and one experiment group. Both groups took a paper-and-pencil test of mental rotation skills. After this test, the experiment group only played 11 sessions of the game. This game was chosen as it requires mental rotation. After this game, both groups took the test again. The result showed that the scores of the experiment group raised higher than that of the control group, thereby confirming this theory.

The research showing benefits from action games has been questioned due to methodological shortcomings, such as recruitment strategies and selection bias, potential placebo effects, and lack of baseline improvements in control groups. In addition, many of the studies are, and of the interventional trials, not all have found effects. A response to this pointed out that the skill improvements from action games are more broad than predicted, such as, which is not a common task in action games. Action gamers are not only better at ignoring distractions, but also at focusing on the main task. Objections to video games. Main article: Like other media, such as rock music (notably and ), video games have been the subject of objections, controversies and censorship, for instance because of depictions of violence, criminal activities, sexual themes, tobacco and other, propaganda, profanity. Critics of video games include parents' groups, politicians, religious groups, scientists and other.

Claims that some video games cause or violent behavior continue to be made and to be disputed. There have been a number of societal and scientific arguments about whether the content of video games change the behavior and attitudes of a player, and whether this is reflected in overall.

Since the early 1980s, advocates of video games have emphasized their use as an, arguing for their protection under the laws governing and also. Detractors argue that video games are and therefore should be. The positive and negative characteristics and effects of video games are the subject of scientific study. Results of investigations into links between video games and, violence, and a variety of stereotyping and issues are debated. A study was done that showed that young people who have had a greater exposure to violence in video games ended up behaving more aggressively towards people in a social environment.

Possible benefits In spite of the negative effects of video games, certain studies indicate that they may have value in terms of academic performance, perhaps because of the skills that are developed in the process. “When you play. Games you’re solving puzzles to move to the next level and that involves using some of the general knowledge and skills in maths, reading and science that you’ve been taught during the day,” said Alberto Posso an Associate Professor at the Royal Melbourne Institute of Technology, after analysing data from the results of standardized testing completed by over 12,000 high school students across Australia. As summarized by, the study (published in the ) 'found that students who played online games almost every day scored 15 points above average in maths and reading tests and 17 points above average in science.' However, the reporter added an important comment that was not provided by some of the numerous Web sites that published a brief summary of the Australian study study: 'the methodology cannot prove that playing video games were the cause of the improvement.' The Guardian also reported that a Columbia University study indicated that extensive video gaming by students in the 6 to 11 age group provided a greatly increased chance of high intellectual functioning and overall school competence.

In an interview with CNN, a professor of Telecommunications at Indiana University Bloomington said he was not surprised by the outcome of the Australian study but also discussed the issue of causal connection. 'Though there is a link between gaming and higher math and science scores, it doesn't mean playing games caused the higher scores. It could just be that kids who are sharp are looking for a challenge, and they don't find it on social media, and maybe they do find it on board games and video games,' he explained. Video games have also been proven to raise self-esteem and build confidence.

It gives people an opportunity to do things that they cannot do offline, and to discover new things about themselves. There is a social aspect to gaming as well – research has shown that a third of video game players make good friends online. As well as that, video games are also considered to be therapeutic as it helps to relieve stress. Although short term, studies have shown that children with gain a temporary physical improvement in health when they interact and play video games on a regular, and consistent basis due to the cognitive benefits and the use of hand eye coordination. Ratings and censorship. A typical ESRB rating label, listing the rating and specific content descriptors for The (ESRB) gives video games maturity ratings based on their content.

For example, a game might be rated 'T' for 'Teen' if the game contained obscene words or violence. If a game contains explicit violence or sexual themes, it is likely to receive an M for 'Mature' rating, which means that no one under 17 should play it. The rating 'A/O', for 'Adults Only', indicates games with massive violence or nudity. There are no laws that prohibit children from purchasing 'M' rated games in the United States. Laws attempting to prohibit minors from purchasing 'M' rated games were established in California, and, but all were overturned on the grounds that these laws violated the First Amendment.

However, many stores have opted to not sell such games to children anyway. Of course, video game laws vary from country to country.

One of the most controversial games of all time, by Rockstar Studios, was given an by the ESRB until Rockstar could make the content more suitable for a mature audience. Video game manufacturers usually exercise tight control over the games that are made available on their systems, so unusual or special-interest games are more likely to appear as.

Free, casual, and are usually played on available computers, mobile phones, tablet computers. PEGI (PEGI) is a system that was developed to standardize the game ratings in all of Europe (not just, although the majority are EU members), the current members are: all EU members, except Germany and the 10 accession states;;. Iceland is expected to join soon, as are the 10 EU accession states. For all PEGI members, they use it as their sole system, with the exception of the UK, where if a game contains certain material, it must be rated. The PEGI ratings are legally binding in and it is a criminal offence to sell a game to someone if it is rated above their age. Germany: BPjM and USK Stricter game rating laws mean that Germany does not operate within the PEGI.

Instead, they adopt their own system of certification which is required by law. The ( USK or Voluntary Certification of Entertainment Software) checks every game before release and assigns an age rating to it – either none (white), 6 years of age (yellow), 12 years of age (green), 16 years of age (blue) or 18 years of age (red). It is forbidden for anyone, retailers, friends or parents alike, to allow a child access to a game for which he or she is underage.

If a game is considered to be harmful to young people (for example because of extremely violent, pornographic or racist content), it may be referred to the BPjM ( – Federal Verification Office for Child-Endangering Media) who may opt to place it on the Index upon which the game may not be sold openly or advertised in the open media. Such indexed titles are not 'banned' and can still be legally obtained by adults, but it is considered a felony to supply these titles to a child. Commercial aspects Game sales. A retail display with a large selection of games for platforms popular in the early 2000s According to the market research firm SuperData, as of May 2015, the global games market was worth USD 74.2 billion. By region, North America accounted for $23.6 billion, Asia for $23.1 billion, Europe for $22.1 billion and South America for $4.5 billion. By market segment, were worth $22.3 billion, retail games 19.7 billion, 8.7 billion, $7.9 billion, PC 7.5 billion, and other categories $3 billion or less each.

In the United States, also according to SuperData, the share of video games in the entertainment market grew from 5% in 1985 to 13% in 2015, becoming the third-largest market segment behind broadcast and cable television. The research firm anticipated that Asia would soon overtake North America as the largest video game market due to the strong growth of free-to-play and mobile games. Sales of different types of games vary widely between countries due to local preferences. Japanese consumers tend to purchase much more than, with a strong preference for games catering to local tastes. Another key difference is that, despite the, remain the largest sector of the. , computer games are generally preferred over console games, especially games and games.

Computer games are also popular in China. The fair in are an important showcase of the industry. The annual in in August is the world's leading expo for video games in attendance. The in June in Los Angeles is also of global importance, but is an event for industry insiders only. The in September is the main fair in Asia. Other notable conventions and trade fairs include in October, in October–November, (Australia) in October, in July and the annual. Some publishers, developers and technology producers also host their own regular conventions, with, and the being prominent examples.

Main article: Short for electronic sports, are video game competitions played most by professional players individually or in teams that gained pupularity from the late 2000s, the most common genres are, (FPS), (MOBA) and. There are certain games that are made for just competitive multiplayer purposes. With those type of games, players focus entirely one choosing the right character or obtaining the right equipment in the game to help them when facing other players.

Tournaments are held so that people in the area or from different regions can play against other players of the same game and see who is the best. (MLG) is a company that reports tournaments that are held across the country. The players that compete in these tournaments are given a rank depending on their skill level in the game that they choose to play in and face other players that play that game. The players that also compete are mostly called professional players for the fact that they have played the game they are competing in for many, long hours. Those players have been able to come up with different strategies for facing different characters. The professional players are able to pick a character to their liking and be able to master how to use that character very effectively. With, players tend to know how to get resources quick and are able to make quick decisions about where their troops are to be deployed and what kind of troops to create.

Copyright of video games. Main article: Creators will nearly always copyright their games. Laws that define copyright, and the rights that are conveyed over a video game, vary from country to country. Usually a copyright clause allows consumers some ancillary rights, such as for a player of the game to stream a game online. This is a vague area in copyright law, as these laws predate the advent of video games. This means that rightsholders often must define what they will allow a consumer to do with the video game.

Gaming consoles at the in Berlin There are many video game museums around the world, including the in Frisco, Texas, which serves as the largest museum wholly dedicated to the display and preservation of the industry's most important artifacts. Europe hosts video game museums such as the in Berlin and the in Moscow and Saint-Petersburg. The in is a dedicated video game museum focusing on playable exhibits of console and computer games. The is also dedicated to preserving video games and their history. The at in contains one of the largest collections of electronic games and game-related historical materials in the world, including a 5,000-square-foot (460 m 2) exhibit which allows guests to play their way through the history of video games.

The in Washington, D.C. Has three video games on permanent display: Pac-Man, Dragon's Lair, and Pong. The has added a total of to its permanent Architecture and Design Collection since 2012.

In 2012, the ran an exhibition on '. However, the reviews of the exhibit were mixed, including questioning whether video games belong in an art museum. Blodget, Henry (12 April 2005).

Retrieved 12 February 2006. Costikyan, Greg (1994). Archived from on 12 August 2008. Crawford, Chris (1982).

Lieu, Tina (August 1997). Computing Japan. Archived from on 12 January 1998.

Hamlet on the Holodeck. Pursell, Carroll (2015).

From Playgrounds to PlayStation: The Interaction of Technology and Play. Baltimore, MD: Johns Hopkins University Press. Salen, Katie; Eric Zimmerman (2005). The Game Design Reader: A Rules of Play Anthology. Smuts, Aaron (2005). Winegarner, Beth (28 January 2005). Retrieved 12 February 2006.

John Wills (1 October 2002). 'Digital Dinosaurs and Artificial Life: Exploring the Culture of Nature in Computer and Video Games'. Cultural Values (Journal for Cultural Research). 6 (4): 395–417. Williams, J. P., & Smith, J.

The players' realm: studies on the culture of video games and gaming. Jefferson, N.C.: McFarland & Co. External links.

. PC games, also known as computer games or personal computer games, are played on a rather than a dedicated. Their defining characteristics include a more diverse and user determined gaming hardware and software, and a generally greater capacity in input, processing, and video output. Games became popular following the leading to the era of the 'bedroom coder'. In the 1990s, PC games lost mass-market traction to before enjoying a resurgence in the mid-2000s through. Newzoo, reports that the PC gaming sector is the third largest (and estimated in decline), with the consoles second largest, and across all platforms as of 2016, 2.2 billion gamers generate US$101.1 billion in revenue (i.e. All numbers exclude hardware costs), and 'Digital game revenues will account for $94.4 billion or 87% of the global market.

Is the most lucrative segment, with and gaming growing 19% year on year to $46.1 billion, claiming 42% of the market. In 2020, mobile gaming will represent just more than half of the total games market. China expected to generate $27.5 billion, or one-quarter of all revenues in 2017.'

PC is considered synonymous (by them and others) with compatible systems; while mobile computers – smartphones and tablets, such as those running or – are also in the general sense. The ' region is estimated to generate $46.6 billion in 2016, or 47% of total global game revenues (note, not only 'PC' games). China alone accounts for half of APAC's revenues, reaching $24.4 billion, cementing its place as the largest games market in the world, ahead of the US's anticipated market size of $23.5 billion.

China is expected to have 53% of revenues from mobile in 2017 (46% in 2016). The uncoordinated nature of the PC game market and its lack of physical media make precisely assessing its size difficult. On mobile gaming (and compared to other platforms) study says: 'female mobile gamers represent almost half (49%) of the mobile gaming population. 64% of the female mobile game players prefer mobile over other platforms, versus 38% of men. Women are also playing more frequently; 43% of female players play mobile games five days a week or more, compared to 38% of men.' Developed for the in 1961, is often credited as being the second ever computer game. The game consisted of two player-controlled spaceships maneuvering around a central star, each attempting to destroy the other.

Although personal computers only became popular with the development of the and, computer gaming on and had previously already existed., an adaptation of for the, debuted in 1952. Another pioneer computer game was developed in 1961, when students Martin Graetz and, with MIT student, developed on a used for. The first generation of computer games were often or, in which the player communicated with the computer by entering commands through a keyboard. An early text-adventure, was developed for the by Will Crowther in 1976, and expanded by Don Woods in 1977. By the 1980s, personal computers had become powerful enough to run games like Adventure, but by this time, graphics were beginning to become an important factor in games. Later games combined textual commands with basic graphics, as seen in the SSI games such as, or for example.

By the late 1970s to early 1980s, games were developed and distributed through groups and gaming magazines, such as and later. These publications provided and played, encouraging readers to submit their own software to competitions. Players could modify the source code of even commercial games. Was one of the first games for microcomputers which was sold to the public. First sold in 1977, Microchess eventually sold over 50,000 copies on cassette tape. As with at the time, early home computer game companies capitalized on at the time with or of popular. By 1982, the for the were ports of and, while the top-selling game for the was the clone.

That same year, was ported to the, while was licensed for the. In late 1981, attempted to take legal action against unauthorized clones, particularly, despite some of these predating Atari's exclusive rights to the home versions of 's game. Industry crash and aftermath. See also: As the video game market became flooded with poor-quality cartridge games created by numerous companies attempting to enter the market, and overproduction of high-profile releases such as the adaptations of and grossly underperformed, the popularity of personal computers for education rose dramatically.

In 1983, consumer interest in console video games dwindled to historical lows, as interest in games on personal computers rose. The effects of the crash were largely limited to the console market, as established companies such as posted record losses over subsequent years. Conversely, the home computer market boomed, as sales of low-cost color computers such as the rose to record highs and developers such as benefited from increasing interest in the platform. To enhance the experience with their unrealistic graphics and electronic sound, early PC games included extras such as the peril-sensitive sunglasses that shipped with or the novella included with. These extras gradually became less common, but many games were still sold in the traditional oversized boxes that used to hold the extra '.

Today, such extras are usually found only in Special Edition versions of games, such as Battlechests from. The North American console market experienced a resurgence in the United States with the release of the (NES). In Europe, computer gaming continued to boom for many years after. Computers such as the and were successful in the European market, where the NES was not as successful despite its monopoly in Japan and North America. The only to have any success in Europe would be the. Meanwhile, in Japan, both consoles and computers became major industries, with the console market dominated by and the computer market dominated by 's (1981) and (1982). A key difference between Western and Japanese computers at the time was the, with Japanese systems using a higher resolution of 640x400 to accommodate which in turn affected and allowed more detailed graphics.

Japanese computers were also using 's from the early 1980s. During the, the and became popular in Europe, while the PC-98, and became popular in Japan. The Amiga, X68000 and FM Towns were capable of producing near -quality hardware graphics and sound quality when they first released in the mid-to-late 1980s. Growth of IBM PC gaming , the world's largest computer company, introduced the (PC) in 1981.

That year stated that the computer's speed and sophistication made it 'an excellent gaming device', and IBM and others sold some games like. The PC's and were poor, and most customers bought the powerful but expensive computer for business. Although in 1984 reported that 'in offices all over America (more than anyone realizes) executives and managers are playing games on their computers', software companies found selling games for the PC difficult; an observer said that year that Flight Simulator had sold hundreds of thousands of copies because customers with corporate PCs could claim that it was a 'simulation'. From mid-1985, however, what Compute!

Described as a 'wave' of inexpensive from American and Asian companies, such as the, caused prices to decline; by the end of 1986, the equivalent to a $1600 real IBM PC with 256K RAM and two disk drives cost as little as $600, lower than the price of the. Consumers began purchasing DOS computers for the home in large numbers. While often purchased to do work in evenings and weekends, clones' popularity caused consumer-software companies to increase the number of IBM-compatible products, including those developed specifically for the PC as opposed to from other computers. Of Electronic Arts reported that customers used computers for games more than one fifth of the time whether purchased for work or a hobby, with many who purchased computers for other reasons finding PC games 'a pretty satisfying experience'. By 1987, the PC market was growing so quickly that the formerly business-only computer had become the largest and fastest-growing, and most important platform for computer game companies. DOS computers dominated the home, supplanting Commodore and Apple. More than a third of games sold in North America were for the PC, twice as many as those for the Apple II and even outselling those for the Commodore 64.

With the, an inexpensive clone had better graphics and more memory for games than the Commodore or Apple, and the Tandy 1000's, and built-in joystick ports made it the best platform for IBM PC-compatible games before the VGA era. By 1988, the enormous popularity of the Nintendo Entertainment System had greatly affected the computer-game industry.

A executive claimed that 'Nintendo's success has destroyed the computer software entertainment market'. A executive agreed, saying that 'Unfortunately, its effect has been extremely negative. Without question, Nintendo's success has eroded software sales. There's been a much greater falling off of disk sales than anyone anticipated.'

A third attributed the end of growth in sales of the Commodore 64 to the console, and called Nintendo 'the last hurrah of the 8-bit world'. Experts were unsure whether it affected 16-bit computer games, but Hawkins in 1990 nonetheless had to deny rumors that Electronic Arts would withdraw from computers and only produce console games. By 1993 reported at a conference that the market for console games ($5.9 billion in revenue) was 12 times that of the computer-game market ($430 million).

Computer games, however, did not disappear. By 1989 Computer Gaming World reported that 'the industry is moving toward heavy use of '.

While some games were advertised with VGA support at the start of the year, they usually supported EGA graphics through VGA cards. By the end of 1989, however, most publishers moved to at supporting at least 320x200, a subset of VGA. VGA gave the PC graphics that outmatched the Amiga.

Increasing adoption of the, driven partially by the success of such as the highly successful series, and high resolution displays allowed the industry to include increasingly high-quality in new releases. Further improvements to game artwork and audio were made possible with the introduction of sound. Began manufacturing FM synth boards for computers in the early-mid-1980s, and by 1985, the NEC and computers had built-in FM sound. The first PC, such as 's Music Synthesizer Card, soon appeared in 1987. These cards allowed computers to produce complex sounds using FM synthesis, where they had previously been limited to simple tones and beeps. However, the rise of the card, released in 1989, which featured much higher sound quality due to the inclusion of a channel and, led AdLib to file for bankruptcy by 1992. Also in 1989, the computer included built-in PCM sound, in addition to a CD-ROM drive and graphics.

By 1990, was 65% of the computer-game market, with the Amiga at 10%; all other computers, including the, were below 10% and declining. Although both Apple and IBM tried to avoid customers associating their products with 'game machines', the latter acknowledged that VGA, audio, and joystick options for its computer were popular. In 1991, produced an early, which was the company's first in their line of highly influential games in the genre. There were also several other companies that produced early first-person shooters, such as 's, which featured fully in 1988, and 's in 1989. Id Software went on to develop in 1992, which helped to popularize the genre, kick-starting a genre that would become one of the highest-selling in modern times. The game was originally distributed through the, allowing players to try a limited part of the game for free but requiring payment to play the rest, and represented one of the first uses of graphics in a popular game, along with.

In December 1992, Computer Gaming World reported that DOS accounted for 82% of computer-game sales in 1991, compared to Macintosh's 8% and Amiga's 5%. In response to a reader's challenge to find a DOS game that played better than the Amiga version the magazine cited and, and added that 'The heavy MS-DOS emphasis in CGW merely reflects the realities of the market'.

A self-reported Computer Gaming World survey in April 1993 similarly found that 91% of readers primarily used IBM PCs and compatibles for gaming, compared to 6% for Amiga, 3% for Macintosh, and 1% for Atari ST, while a Software Publishing Association study found that 74% of personal computers were IBMs or compatible, 10% Macintosh, 7% Apple II, and 8% other. 51% of IBM or compatible had 386 or faster CPUs. By 1992 DOS games such as supported graphics. While leading and console systems kept their CPU speed at 3–7, the PC processor ran much faster, allowing it to perform many more calculations per second. The 1993 release of on the PC was a breakthrough in 3D graphics, and was soon ported to various game consoles in a general shift toward greater realism. Computer Gaming World reiterated in 1994, 'we have to advise readers who want a machine that will play most of the games to purchase high-end MS-DOS machines'.

By spring 1994 an estimated 24 million US homes (27% of households) had a personal computer. 48% played games on their computer; 40% had the 486 CPU or higher; 35% had CD-ROM drives; and 20% had a sound card.

Another survey found that an estimated 2.46 million multimedia computers had internal CD-ROM drives by the end of 1993, an increase of almost 2,000%. Computer Gaming World reported in April 1994 that some software publishers planned to only distribute on CD as of 1995.

CD-ROM had much larger storage capacity than floppies, helped reduce software piracy, and was less expensive to produce. Warned that it was 'a data-intensive technology, not a process-intensive one', tempting developers to emphasize the quantity of like art and music over the quality of gameplay; Computer Gaming World wrote in 1993 that 'publishers may be losing their focus'.

While many companies used the additional storage to release poor-quality collections of older software, or —often with what the magazine mocked as 'amateur acting' in the added audio and video —new games such as included many more assets for a richer game experience. Many companies sold 'multimedia upgrade kits' that bundled CD drives, sound cards, and software during the mid-1990s, but for the new peripherals further depleted scarce RAM. By 1993, PC games required much more memory than other software, often consuming all of, while device drivers could go into with. Players found modifying and files for memory management cumbersome and confusing, and each game needed a different configuration. (The game Les Manley 2 satirizes this by depicting two beautiful women exhaust the hero in bed, by requesting that he again explain the difference between and.) Computer Gaming World provided technical assistance to its writers to help install games for review, and published sample configuration files. The magazine advised non-technical gamers to purchase commercial memory managers like and and criticized nonstandard software like 's 'infamous late and unlamented Voodoo Memory Manager', which used. Contemporary gaming By 1996, the growing popularity of simplified device driver and memory management.

The success of 3D console titles such as increased interest in on PCs, and soon resulted in attempts to produce affordable solutions with the Rage, Mystique, and. In 1996 was one of the first 3D games and was praised for its revolutionary graphics.

As 3D graphics libraries such as and matured and knocked proprietary interfaces out of the market, these platforms gained greater acceptance in the market, particularly with their demonstrated benefits in games such as. However, major changes to the operating system, by then the market leader, made many older DOS-based games unplayable on, and later, (without using an, such as ). The faster graphics accelerators and improving technology resulted in increasing levels of realism in computer games. During this time, the improvements introduced with products such as ATI's and 's have allowed developers to increase the complexity of modern.

PC gaming currently tends strongly toward improvements in 3D graphics. Unlike the generally accepted push for improved graphical performance, the use of in computer games has become a matter of debate since announcement and 2005 release of the, ostensibly competing with such as the. Issues such as difficulty in ensuring consistent experiences for all players, and the uncertain benefit of first generation PhysX cards in games such as and, prompted arguments over the value of such technology. Similarly, many game publishers began to experiment with new forms of marketing. Chief among these alternative strategies is, an adaptation of the older concept of, in which game content is provided in smaller quantities but for a proportionally lower price.

Titles such as took advantage of the idea, with mixed results rising from concerns for the amount of content provided for the price. Platform characteristics Fidelity In high-end PC gaming, a PC will generally have far more processing resources at its disposal than other gaming systems. Game developers can use this to improve the visual fidelity of their game relative to other platforms, but even if they do not, games running on PC are likely to benefit from higher, higher framerate, and. Increased is also common in games. Better hardware also increases the potential fidelity of a PC game's rules and simulation.

PC games often support more players or than equivalents on other platforms and game designs which depend on the simulation of large numbers of tokens (e.g., ) are rarely seen anywhere else. The PC also supports greater input fidelity thanks to its compatibility with a wide array of. The most common forms of input are the / combination and, though and are also available. The mouse in particular lends players of and games on PC great speed and accuracy. Openness The defining characteristic of the PC platform is the absence of centralized control; all other gaming platforms (except devices, to an extent) are owned and administered by a single group. The advantages of openness include: Reduced software cost Prices are kept down by competition and the absence of platform-holder fees. Games and services are cheaper at every level, and many are free.

Increased flexibility PC games decades old can be played on modern systems, through if need be. Conversely, newer games can often be run on older systems by reducing the games' fidelity and/or scale. Increased innovation One does not need to ask for permission to release or update a PC game or to, and the platform's hardware and software are constantly evolving. These factors make PC the centre of both hardware and software innovation. By comparison, closed platforms tend to remain much the same throughout their lifespan. But there are also disadvantages, including: Increased complexity A PC is a general-purpose tool.

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Its inner workings are exposed to the owner, and misconfiguration can create enormous problems. Hardware compatibility issues are also possible.

Game development is complicated by the wide variety of hardware configurations; developers may be forced to limit their design to run with sub-optimum PC hardware in order to reach a larger PC market, or add a range graphical and other settings to adjust for playability on individual machines, requiring increased development, test, and customer support resources. Increased hardware cost PC components are generally sold individually for profit (even if one buys a pre-built machine), whereas the hardware of closed platforms is mass-produced as a single unit and often sold at a smaller profit, or even a loss (with the intention of making profit instead in online service fees and developer kit profits). Reduced security It is difficult, and in most situations ultimately impossible, to control the way in which PC hardware and software is used. This leads to far more and than closed platforms suffer from.

Main article: The openness of the PC platform allows players to edit their games and distribute the results over the as 'mods'. A healthy mod community greatly increases a game's longevity and the most popular mods have driven purchases of their parent game to record heights. It is common for professional developers to release the tools they use to create their games (and sometimes even ) in order to encourage modding, but if a game is popular enough mods generally arise even without official support. Mods can compete with official however, or even outright redistribute it, and their ability to extend the lifespan of a game can work against its developers' plans for regular sequels. As game technology has become more complex, it has also become harder to distribute development tools to the public. Modding has a different connotation on consoles which are typically much more heavily. As publicly released development tools are rare, console mods usually refer to hardware alterations designed to remove restrictions.

Dominant software Although the PC platform is almost completely decentralized at a hardware level, there are two dominant software forces: the operating system and the distribution service. Microsoft introduced an named Windows on November 20, 1985 as an add-on to DOS in response to the growing interest in (GUIs). Microsoft Windows came to the world's market with, overtaking, which had been introduced in 1984. Valve does not release any sales figures on its Steam service, instead it only provides the data to companies with games on Steam, which they cannot release without permission due to signing a with Valve. However, the previous owner of competing platform, estimated that, as of 2009, Steam had a 70% share of the digital distribution market for video games. In early 2011, reported that Steam sales constituted 50–70% of the $4 billion market for downloaded PC games and that Steam offered game producers of 70% of purchase price, compared with 30% at retail.

In 2011, Steam served over 780 of information, double what it had delivered in 2010. Digital distribution services. Main article: PC games are sold predominantly through the Internet, with buyers downloading their new purchase directly to their computer. This approach allows smaller independent developers to compete with large publisher-backed games and avoids the speed and capacity limits of the which most other gaming platforms rely on. Released the platform for Windows computers in 2004 as a means to distribute Valve-developed video games such as Half-Life 2. It would later see release on the operating system in 2010 and was released on Linux in 2012 as well.

By 2011, it controlled 70% of the market for downloadable PC games, with a userbase of about 40 million accounts., a new version of the online store, was released in 2011 in order to compete with Steam and other digital distribution platforms on the PC. The period between 2004 and now saw the rise of many digital distribution services on PC, such as, and. Digital distribution also slashes the cost of circulation, eliminates stock shortages, allows games to be released worldwide at no additional cost, and allows niche audiences to be reached with ease. However, most digital distribution systems create ownership and customer rights issues by storing access rights on distributor-owned computers. Games confer with these computers over the Internet before launching. This raises the prospect of purchases being lost if the distributor goes out of business or chooses to lock the buyer's account, and prevents (the ethics of which ). PC gaming technology.

See also: Hardware Modern computer games place great demand on the computer's hardware, often requiring a fast (CPU) to function properly. CPU manufacturers historically relied mainly on increasing to improve the performance of their processors, but had begun to move steadily towards CPUs. These processors allow the computer to simultaneously process multiple tasks, called, allowing the use of more complex graphics, artificial intelligence and in-game physics. Similarly, 3D games often rely on a powerful (GPU), which accelerates the process of drawing complex scenes in realtime. GPUs may be an integrated part of the computer's, the most common solution in laptops, or come packaged with a discrete graphics card with a supply of dedicated, connected to the motherboard through either an or port. It is also possible to use multiple GPUs in a single computer, using technologies such as 's and 's. Are also available to provide improved audio in computer games.

These cards provide improved and provide audio enhancement that is generally not available with integrated alternatives, at the cost of marginally lower overall performance. The line was for many years the de facto standard for sound cards, although its popularity dwindled as PC audio became a commodity on modern motherboards. (PPUs), such as the (formerly PhysX) card, are also available to accelerate physics simulations in modern computer games. PPUs allow the computer to process more complex interactions among objects than is achievable using only the CPU, potentially allowing players a much greater degree of control over the world in games designed to use the card. Virtually all personal computers use a and for user input.

Other common gaming peripherals are a headset for faster communication in online games, for, for driving games and for console-style games. Software Computer games also rely on software such as an, and more to run. Today, the vast majority of computer games are designed to run on the family of operating systems. Whereas earlier games written for DOS would include code to communicate directly with hardware, today provide an interface between the game and the OS, simplifying game design. Microsoft's is an API that is widely used by today's computer games to communicate with sound and graphics hardware. Is a API for graphics rendering that is also used.

The version of the graphics card's installed can often affect game performance and. In late 2013, announced, a low-level API for certain models of AMD graphics cards, allowing for greater performance compared to software-level APIs such as DirectX, as well as simplifying to and from the and consoles, which are both built upon AMD hardware. It is not unusual for a game company to use a third-party, or third-party libraries for a game's. Multiplayer.

See also: Multiplayer gaming was largely limited to (LANs) before cost-effective became available, due to their typically higher and lower than the dial-up services of the time. These advantages allowed more players to join any given computer game, but have persisted today because of the higher latency of most Internet connections and the costs associated with broadband Internet. LAN gaming typically requires two or more personal computers, a and sufficient networking cables to connect every computer on the network. Additionally, each computer must have its own copy (or ) of the game in order to play.

Optionally, any LAN may include an external connection to the Internet. Online games. Main article: Online multiplayer games have achieved popularity largely as a result of increasing adoption among consumers. Affordable high-bandwidth Internet connections allow large numbers of players to play together, and thus have found particular use in, and persistent online games such as.

Although it is possible to participate in online computer games using dial-up, broadband Internet connections are generally considered necessary in order to reduce the latency between players (commonly known as 'lag'). Such connections require a broadband-compatible modem connected to the personal computer through a (generally integrated onto the computer's ), optionally separated by a. Online games require a virtual environment, generally called a 'game server'. These virtual servers inter-connect gamers, allowing real time, and often fast-paced action.

To meet this subsequent need, have become increasingly more popular over the last half decade. While not required for all gamers, these servers provide a unique 'home', fully customizable (such as additional modifications, settings, etc.) – giving the end gamers the experience they desire. Today there are over 510,000 game servers hosted in North America alone.

Emulation. Main article: Emulation software, used to run software without the original hardware, are popular for their ability to play legacy video games without the for which they were designed. The operating system emulators include, a DOS emulator which allows playing games developed originally for this operating system and thus not compatible with a modern-day OS. Console emulators such as and are relatively commonplace, although the complexity of modern consoles such as the or makes them far more difficult to emulate, even for the original manufacturers. The most technically advanced consoles that can currently be successfully emulated for commercial games on PC are the PlayStation 2 using, and the Nintendo Wii U using the emulator. A emulator named RPCS3 is currently in the works, although it can currently only run small games and certain old arcade titles that were originally ported to the PS3 from older platforms.

Most emulation software mimics a particular hardware architecture, often to an extremely high degree of accuracy. This is particularly the case with classic home computers such as the, whose software often depends on highly sophisticated low-level programming tricks invented by game programmers and the.

Controversy. Main article: PC games have long been a source of controversy, largely due to the violence that has become commonly associated with video games in general. The debate surrounds the influence of objectionable content on the social development of, with organizations such as the concluding that video game violence increases children's aggression, a concern that prompted a further investigation by the in September 2006. Industry groups have responded by noting the responsibility of parents in governing their children's activities, while attempts in the United States to control the sale of objectionable games have generally been found unconstitutional. Is another cultural aspect of gaming to draw criticism as it can have a negative influence on health and on social relations. The problem of addiction and its health risks seems to have grown with the rise of. Alongside the social and health problems associated with computer game addiction have grown similar worries about the effect of computer games on education.

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