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MMORPG gaming and console gaming have traditionally been thought of as completely separate and different playstyles. As the video game industry progresses however one can see that there are reasons to play both, rather than one sub-genre exclusively. This essay will go over the vast differences, as well as the universal traits that make both these forms of gaming complementary rather than contradictory.

One powerful trait both mmorpg gaming and console gaming share is that of escapism. Research has shown a strong connection between pain and anxiety. In fact, Nationwide Children’s Hospital has put this into practice by helping burn victims. The children play in this virtual reality to distract them from the painful process of healing from burn wounds. Although most would assume a virtual world such as World of Warcraft would be more immersive there are also console games such as Fable which would beg to differ. Here we see a powerful tool of video games, escapism, which unchecked can lead to an unhealthy obsession with the virtual worlds.

A driving force of the mmorpg gaming industry is progression. Progression via game is slightly diffferent but most deal with ones virtual character leveling up skills, stats, and equipment referred to as gear. This progression leads to a deeper immersion associated with most console games that can usually be played for a day, turned off, and turned on a month later. With mmorpg games however, the world around you continues whether or not you are progressing. If you aren’t progressing you are natually falling behind. This is a similar trait to a game we all play, life. An mmorpg is the highest form of capitalism and hard work pays off, whereas console games can be seen as a quicker escape with less progression goals. Console games have had single player forms of progression without the online aspect, also known as roleplaying games. Games such as Final Fantasy, Zelda, and even Super Mario. We see the ability for console games to have progression in the form of both virtual characters as seen in final fantasy and zelda, but only map progression in games like Mario wherein the character doesn’t progress, just the maps do. The inability for console gamers to personify there virtual characters has led to the explosive growth of the online pc mmorpg industry. With the advent of online play however, console worlds are now becoming closer to their cousin PC or Mac. One can look at the success of Halo and John Madden football on the console systems. It is the ability for quick fun but also combined with an everchanging leaderboard system to progress, to become the best player. It is this hybridization that gives console games the appeal of casual gamers which the mmorpg industry scares away. If one wants to load up a game of Madden for an hour they can do so and turn it off without fear of Brian Urlacher losing 5 tackling. If one does the same in Warhammer they may find themselves logged in with inferior gear and guildless.

Guild Pressure! Guild pressure is just like peer pressure only it’s intensified by players you mostly play with in your virtual world. In the past console gamers did not have to worry about letting someone down if they turned off final fantasy. Perhaps Cloud was secretly angry but he could never let you know. Today, not being able to attend a raid in World of Warcraft, or a PK run in Ultima Online can have social consequences within these heavily socially based virtual worlds. Turning down your guildmates can be difficult and even against your interest in the guild. In real life, if your boss asks you to do something because they rely on you, you would most likely help him/her out. The virtual worlds are no different. One’s guild leader may ask you to help camp a spawn or partake in a hunt; if the answer is no all the time you will inevitably lose standing with the guild leader, if not the entire guild. Before the onset of online console play, you made all the decisions and had no one, except maybe your brother/sister nagging you to turn on the game and play. Now even Console gamers have this social dynamic seen with Clans. Clans are synonymous with guilds but the term is used for most console guilds. If you are a member of a Clan that is hardcore you better be sure to make the big clan matches. Let your clan down, you let everyone down. It is this mentality that is changing casual games to a more serious, hardcore feel that PC games had exclusively for the past decade. You are now a part of something larger than yourself. It can be incredbily satisfying to be in a guild or clan and help those you care about, but it can be equally as hard to say no to those very same friends.

Both mmorpg gamers and console gamers have considered themselves separate. The reality is both gamers enjoy aspects of progression, escapism, friendships, and of course FUN! We forget at times the games are for fun. As a human species we are naturally hedonisitic so why not enjoy all forms of the video game industry? I’ll see you in World of Warcraft and a game of Tetris later.

The step between previous Nintendo games and those on the Wii console games have been amazing, but the Wii Fit introduces a whole new ballgame! Putting both packages together brings the system leaps and bounds in front of other console systems. Suddenly we are doing so much more with graphics technology.

Despite the introduction of more and more games, there seem to be few that have the impact that the original Wii Sports package has had. Not that the situation will not change. Technology continues to develop and carry the Wii momentum forward as a greater depth of character emerges. In the meantime, one of the greatest features of the Wii is they physical interaction accompanied by the competitive determination that many players have to beat one another. Even as you read this, you can guarantee members of my family are battling away to prove the have the best brain of the bunch! They even phone each other to declare their latest score! Technology has driven the games industry for a long time with new games always trying to keep ahead of the competition.

As time goes on we will probably start seeing less of a distinction between consoles and PCs as the price of technology continues to drop and consoles continue to become more and more powerful and able to compete with the more expensive computers. My guess is it won’t be long before we find ourselves freely moving around the room “shooting” each other in a way that goes far beyond laser shooting.

Having said all of that though, then just focusing on Wii console games might be limiting our vision. Why? Simply because the Wii can go far beyond games and be turned into a real entertainment system providing music, movies and tv shows. If you can download from the internet, then with thousands of different files available, the Wii is your oyster!

With so many video game consoles on the market, there is something for everyone. No matter what your budget, taste, or choice in video games is you can be certain that there is a video game console that you will love. How you choose your console depends largely on what you are looking for in video gaming. Do you want games your whole family can play? How important are superior graphics to you? Are you looking for budget friendly consoles? There are so many questions to answer, so here are a few helpful hints on finding the perfect video gaming console for you.

When you are looking at the different video game consoles you can definitely see a trend or rather a market towards certain people. For example, the newest console, the Nintendo Wii, is geared mostly towards families and is an excellent option for those with children. The Playstation 2 is without a doubt the best budget video game console compared to the more expensive Playstation 3. If you are interested in online gaming then you should definitely consider the Xbox 360 which is the leader in online gaming for so many reasons. Lastly you have the previously mentioned Playstation 3. Yes, it is very pricey, but for those who are unworried about budgets, this offers the highest resolution graphics of all the above. The visuals are simply amazing if you have the entertainment setup to enjoy them.

When looking at the video game consoles you also want to take into consideration the video games that come with it or that are sold separately. You want to stay away from worthless extras like games you would never play. Many video game consoles come in packages with games that are “free”, but truly they just charge you extra for the package and you end up paying more then what you would if you just bought the video game console separately with games you actually enjoy.

Make sure everything you need is included. Most will only come with one controller so you need to budget for extra controllers and games as needed. You also might need subscriptions for online gaming if that is what you are into and you may need special cables if you are looking for the best audio and visual performance. Compare all the prices because just as some of them include games, some packages include various cables and “extras” that you may want. It may be less expensive then buying everything separately. Not to mention, prices sometimes vary from store to store, so definitely do a little comparative shopping before buying any video gaming console.

Lastly, before buying any video game console, or video game for that matter, you need to read your video game reviews. There are many websites and gaming magazines that will direct you to exactly what you need and give you very informative video game reviews that will tell you if that console or game has exactly what you are looking for. Don’t rush into any purchase that you may not be happy with. Most of all, when you get your console home, enjoy it and have a great time playing all of your new games.

Games consoles have now been in our lives for at least 5 decades. The systems have come and gone and we are now on our new generation of consoles, which include the Nintendo Wii. Which has taken an innovative turn and given the user more control, over the character it plays with. We then have the two power horses which are the Xbox 360 which was created by Microsoft themselves and the ever so successful Sony Playstation 3. But forget about the current consoles lets dive deep back in time and find out what happened to the consoles that the nation loved and who will win the top spot.

Lets first begin in the 80′s where the games console boom began, a fairly new Japanese company had released a games console to the nation called Famicom. This ultimately became a global success and was eventually renamed NES ( Nintendo Entertainment System) for domination in America and the UK. This is when we were first introduced to characters such as Mario and Donkey Kong who are still a global brand name. Moving on to another relatively small company in the name of Sega, who created a new games console called Master System, which was supposedly meant to eliminate the NES, but it never really obtained any kind of significant market share.

Moving on to the fourth generation of consoles and this is where Sega wanted to get it right, they delivered the ultimate 16 bit console called the Mega Drive. The Mega Drive gave us the likes of sonic and the system quickly rolled out globally. A year later and the console war was at an all time peak with Nintendo also releasing there new generation system called SNES (Super Nintendo Entertainment System), the console war was now hotter than ever.

As we move into the fifth generation a new competitor seems to be lurking in the backgrounds! Sega in the meantime were set to release a new mood of system called the Sega Saturn, the first ever system to use a CD Rom as the standard game play mode. Unfortunately Sega’s rein as a leader in there genre was coming to an end. The first ever console from Sony was born and was called the Playstation, this console was born out of a bitter feud with Sony and Nintendo, as Sony were due to create a CD add-on for the SNES, but Nintendo backed out and went to Phillips. Sony Playstation was then officially born; with there unparalleled technology the unit shifted 100 million consoles and became the most successful console in history.

Meanwhile Nintendo had to act and act fast as Sony were growing in dominance, so they released the N64 which beat all consoles processing power by double, but Nintendo were still using cartridges which was a downside.

We now move onto the sixth generation consoles and with the dominance of Sony we had to finally lay the once legendary Sega consoles to rest. There last effort came in the form of the Sega Dreamcast, but Sony’s dominance was too much to handle, would there be anyone can stop them? As the Dreamcast lay to rest Microsoft released there first ever console which eventually took some of Sony Playstations market share. The sales were levelling out once again but it looked as though Nintendo were heading for the same fate as Sega, as there fourth console the GameCube became a flop due to insufficient production of games. Sony and Microsoft were Head to Head.

Finally our present day has seen the rebirth of Nintendo as they launched there innovative Wii console which has been a major success. Slowly behind them are Sony’s Playstation 3 console and it now looks as though Sony is suffering, as they no longer have a positive grip on the market. Microsoft has taken the lead with the Xbox 360.

Well all in all I believe that there is not one overall great console, all have had there time and all have performed well for there genre. What has the eighth generation of consoles have to offer? Who knows, with richer companies in the mix we may see a new breed of consoles, with Google being my favourite.

The video game console market basically consists of three consoles: Microsoft’s xbox 360, Sony’s PS3 and finally the Nintendo Wii. That’s pretty much it and if you are thinking to buy one the latest sales records will tell you to get the Nintendo Wii.

Even though this console became famous a year ago when launching interactive sports games aligned with a massive TV promotion, it was first introduced in December 2006. However, this console has always been a huge success for Nintendo and historically overtakes the sales figures of the major competitor month by month. This might be mainly traced back to the product price which is below the retail price of the xbox 360 and Playstation 3. Further it is the not only the smallest but also lightest console. In contrast to other video consoles, the Nintendo Wii additionally offers a more family-oriented entertainment and provides fun for the entire family.

The latest release of Wii games is the Wii Fit on April 25th 2008 which was again heavily supported by a TV campaign. This new invention of a video game providing a proper workout manifests Nintendo’s position in the world of interactive gaming. The Japanese company obviously targets the active customer as well as those who need to exercise but don’t want to join a gym. A lately published survey conducted by the John Moores University in Liverpool gave further proof that playing Wii Games such as Wii Sports uses significantly more energy than only playing video games. However, it should be bared in mind that even the most interactive computer game can never replace any exercising and sport activities. So there’s no excuse anymore for all video game addicts to keep being lazy as a hippopotamus and not burning calories with interactive video gaming. Especially boxing and tennis are proven to use more energy than other games and are therefore a serious alternative to a regular gym workout. You might not be able to bounce a tennis ball on the court like in real life but with the special joystick technology you can easily play volleys, long balls or challenge your rival at the net.

As over two million British citizens have already bought a Nintendo Wii console since its’ launch in 2007 the success of Wii Fit in Britain is no real surprise. Even though this new game is not a guaranteed way of weight loss, it surely helps to counteract obesity problems effectively. Depending on the specific exercise about 40 muscles of the players’ bodies are used and it’s proven that the overall flexibility and agility can be improved as well.

In a nutshell, the Nintendo Wii is not only the most popular game console on the market but contributes as well to your fitness. This leaves the competitors looking less sophisticated at the moment even though it’s very likely that they’ll keep up with the latest development of the Nindendo Wii and games such as Wii Sports and Wii Fit.

And of course there’s always the option of enjoying a pure gaming action after having finished your Wii Fit workout.

With many games consoles on the market, whether you choose a Nintendo Wii or Playstation you will not be disappointed. The Xbox 360 is also there vying for customers so what do you have?