In 1972 a game called Pong was released Pong was an electronic version of ping pong Players moved a paddle to bounce a ball across the screen The game was easy to play People enjoyed playing against their friends Pong quickly became popular A home version was created a few years later This game helped launch the home video game industry Today more than 2 2 billion people around the world play video games Popular genres include action role playing sports adventure and fighting DID YOU KNOW In the United States approximately 99 percent of boys and 94 percent of girls under age 18 say they play video games regularly
Some people play video games competitively at tournaments However not everyone supports video game playing Experts have found that playing video games can be addictive Some kinds of games are especially controversial For example in first person shooter games players use weapons to kill opponents Some people believe these video games can lead to violent behavior or depression But first person shooters remain popular These games were the best selling genre of video games in 2015
CHAPTER 2 PRO VIDEO GAMES ARE EDUCATIONAL Video games provide many opportunities for players to learn For example Lemonade Stand was one of the first educational games It was released in 1973 Players were in charge of a lemonade stand They chose how much their lemonade would cost They also had a budget Players decided how much to spend on ingredients and advertising Their choices influenced how much money they made Games such as Zoo Tycoon help players learn about running a business
