In the beginning... (part 2)

The origins of the earliest video game is clouded in half-truths, out right lies and egotistical self serving-ness, but wherever this pinnacle of human evolution began, the intent was clear; reinstate meaning into people's lives. The seeds of meaningful existence were kept alive in the hearts of vikings, pirates and cowboys, all helping to spread the Gospel of Glory, but the modern forgers of freedom were far different in method, if not intent.

Video games where created by the nerds, for the nerds. Our Founding Fathers carved a processor and wire-strewn path through the universities and basements of the Earth, with a vision for a new world; a world where no zombie would roam un-decapitated, no dragon would go un-slain, and no destiny would go un-fulfilled. These pillars of digital dexterity laid down the stones of the road to immortality. May we never let their toils go unappreciated.

Though we can't say for certain what the very first video game was called, we know what it was; freedom in it's most convenient form. Like a ship or sword or bottle of rum, it was a sign of better things for the user. The earliest Gods of Games crafted masterpieces in 8-bits, creating new and exciting worlds to be explored and saved, in all their pixelated majesty. Sure, the story lines may have been a little lacking at times, but the FEELING was there. It was a sensation like no other that had been felt for hundreds of years, and dammit, it felt good!

These elder Gods laid the foundation, but the palace was erected by a man named Shigeru Miyamoto, the Lord and Saviour. Surviving the terrifying Video Game Crash of 1983 (ironically the year of my birth) with the help of a mustached Italian plumber and a giant ape, Lord Miyamoto revitalized the sport of kings with a humble two-tone grey plastic box (granted some other guys helped, too, but, you know), and history as we know it began. This would become an Age of Heroes, where ordinary people did big things. Whether a plumber, a young boy in green spandex, a space bounty hunter or a secret agent, your meaning for living was now defined.

Using centuries worth of mythology, tales of heroism and some vivid imagination, the New Gods build an empire the likes of which have beaten down the tired xenophobia of Hollywood with more meaningful, more personal content. I've never cried at a movie (well, maybe at 300, but that touched by gaming soul) but when I had to fire the final shot at the Boss, or when I thought Agro had fallen to his doom, a little tear did trickle from my mighty eye.

Some foolish non-believers say that video games have killed the imagination, but I take great offence to such rubbish; video games are the newest form of art. What could be more artistic than diving under a table, drawing your Mk22 and tranq'ing an enemy soldier? Or the glorious spurts of blood shooting from the neck of a chainsaw wounded alien? These, my friends, are proof that Evolution has continued into the 21st century.

So may this be our call to arms! Video games are for the participant, not the spectator! They allows us to carve our own destiny (even if that destiny is predetermined) and experience a personal glory that had been taken from us long before our births! Thanks to the Modern Gods, the Creators of Worlds, we have a new reason to live! Raise your controllers to the sky, and may all your victories be lauded and bragged about! And may you never lose the Faith of the Gamer.