PASSIONATE ABOUT GAMING:

WRITTEN BY:ANURAG SAHOO

My tryst with video games began when I purchased a TV video game console i.e. GAMEBOY. During that time, players should put cartridge in order to load a game. Mr.MARIO the fun loving jumping Japanese dwarf or the hot headed militant shooting the enemies in CONTRA are some of the notable characters in that console. Then came the PC evolution and Sony Playstation which saw the advent of games like DOOM, PROJECT IGI and many first person shooter game. But the games which have really taken the gaming industry to dizzy heights are AGE OF EMPIRES, GRAND THEFT AUTO, THE SIMS and HALO. Age of empire is a strategic game in which you get to collect resources, build an empire, gather an ARMY of different type of combat units and defeat your enemies. It was a game which history teachers in USA recommended their students to play. That game launched MICROSOFT GAMES in the mainstream. But the phenomenon which changed our style of play from map based to sandbox(without no limits) is GRAND THEFT AUTO(GTA) series. Another innovative game was THE SIMS which was developed by WILL WRIGHT. Sims is the short for simulation. In this game, you get to create human, their homes and live their life.The launch of alien shooter game HALO 3 saw Microsoft Chairman BILL GATES personally distributing copies in a mall in US because for Microsoft also, gaming means big business and more bucks. Video games have also been inspiration to many movies. There are movies like ANGELINA JOLIE –starrer LARA CROFT,BLOODRAYNE,HITMAN and DISNEY’S soon to be released PRINCE OF PERSIA which are based on video games.Today, gaming is a multi billion dollar industry like the movie industry. There is always high anticipation among the masses when a sequel of any popular franchisee is due to be released. Next generation gaming consoles like SONY PLAYSTATION 3, MICROSOFT XBOX 360 or NINTENDO WII are raking in moolahs with their sales. The graphics are giving the game near realistic type feel to the gamers. And according to NASSCOM, India also will have a billion dollar gaming industry by 10 years. So as MICROSOFT SAYS………..GAME ON.