The World Beyond the Screen

TEXT BY: Austin Martinez

Video games are one of the most popular global entertainment mediums of the 21st century and show no signs of slowing down. They give many on the island—from Marines in barracks and high school students online to families gaming together—a fun, stress-relieving diversion. Games have morphed from arcade fun and cartridge based consoles used for in-home entertainment to stadium-filling spectacles of massive multiplayer competitions.

As the video game industry and its fan base continue to grow, gaming communities continue to expand their roots with other gamers worldwide—all from the comfort of their living room couches.

HISTORY

Video games and their origins can be traced back to the 1950s when computer scientists set up simple games and simulations to exhibit computing power. As these scientists grew their abilities in designing games for actual players, this led to the development of arcade video games and the first in-home system. The 1960s and ’70s brought classics such as Spacewar! and, most famously, Pong.

After the success of Pong, pinball machine manufacturers decided to capitalize on the video game hype and make their own games (or copy existing ones) and put them into coin-operated machines. This format grew wildly popular and led to an era of video games from 1978 to 1984 known as “The Golden Age of Arcade Games.” Titles such as Pac-Man, Donkey Kong and Space Invaders made their way into consumer markets in both the United States and Japan. These games also established fundamentals that are still widely used today. As arcade games slowly faded away from the mass entertainment market, in-home consoles found new light in the early ’90s.

The Nintendo Entertainment System (more commonly known as the NES) was largely successful with both Japanese and American consumers, selling over 60 million units globally through its attention-grabbing innovation of advanced graphics and ongoing development for game cartridges that allowed it to stay relevant in future generations. The competition between gaming corporations Sega and Nintendo—especially with the Sonic and Super Mario franchises—fueled the flames of the video game market and increased the popularity of in-home consoles. Cartridge-based consoles in the ’90s introduced a new edge to their products that bridged video games one step closer to reality, 3D graphics. The three-dimensional aspect to video games allowed an additional level of immersion for players. Manufacturers built upon these developing 3D games with controls that emulated real life instruments such as yokes/sticks for flight games and steering wheels for racing games.

Development didn’t stop there; as engineers continued to work and improve, the gaming industry grew, and console sizes in turn got smaller and ended up in family rooms across the nation. Consoles such as Sony’s PlayStation were extremely popular in the United States, surpassing 100,000 pre-orders for its international release.

The vast world of video games grew like a tree, branching out to different communities and attracting groups with varying preferences. Tech powerhouse Microsoft joined in on the in-home console craze and released the Xbox to compete with Sony’s new and improved PlayStation 2. This era, starting in the early 2000s, created a wave of in-home gaming and gamers who built communities and friendships through the internet. Most gamers found games as a laid-back and chilled out way to spend their free time or a helpful way to unwind from a long day. Others decided to test their gaming skills and knowledge against teams of opponents in Esports.

Esports at Kubasaki High School

Although today they can be found in almost every household, video games can be more than a solo activity for both kid and adult players. With the vastly increasing members in the video game space, the realm of Esports has grown to massive heights in the modern world, bringing in upwards of 60 million viewers online from all over the globe. To allow this popular entertainment source to expand, organizations look to find potential superstars in the making at high schools and colleges. Mr. Saleem Malik, Kubasaki High School’s Esports director, crafts the Esports club to be inclusive of all students willing to show off their gaming skills, with the goal of earning them scholarships to schools with their own Esports programs. Esports through middle school and high school allows students to play their favorite video games together as a team and compete against rival schools.

To appeal to all who are interested, Esports is an open curriculum that “gives students an opportunity to show off their skills if they shine through Esports,” says Mr. Malik. These teams value open communication and quick decision-making skills, two competencies that help to take down rivaling teams. Esports is also a great leadership building tool. Josh Wall, a member of Kubasaki’s Esports team, says “This team gives the opportunity to teach in a hands-on way.” Those who find themselves in positions of having more knowledge or experience in certain gaming scenarios will step up to take roles that benefit the team as a whole. “You have to learn to cooperate with your team to use your advantages to the best [of your ability],” Kubasaki Esports member Darian Cepeda remarked. The Kubasaki Esports team wrapped up this year’s gaming season with the competitive game Rocket League and placed 4th overall in the Far East tournament.

SMP

The Single Marine Program (SMP) is a place for single and unaccompanied Marines to enjoy their free time with a variety of different activities. This program offers active-duty service members the opportunity to demonstrate their gaming abilities with designated gaming hubs and self-sponsored gaming tournaments which reward victors with sweet prizes. “Whether they’re RPGs (role-playing games), firstperson shooters, MOBAs (multiplayer online battle arenas) or others, people are drawn to the different skillsets that are needed for the variety of games,” states Sharod Croom, SMP’s Communications Specialist, who organizes many of the gaming events and tournaments for Marines on island. Interested folks can stop by to play a few games with their fellow service members and explore what the SMP has to offer. For more information, visit okinawa.usmc-mccs.org/smp.

Comic Con

Comic Con Okinawa is the epic annual event hosted by MCCS that gamers around the island anticipate all year. Service members, families, SOFA and Non-SOFA individuals come together to freely express their love for all things geeky, especially video games, whether that be through tournament battles or casual conversation. This jam-packed event takes love and support from gamers and turns their passions into a variety of displays. Artists turn their video game hobby into carefully crafted masterpieces through cosplay, the practice of dressing up as a character from a video game, or more traditional fine arts such as drawings and paintings. The artwork doesn’t stop there, as manga and anime are also the subjects of many of these displays!

Connection & Community

Offering more than an escape into a virtual world, video games can bring real world connections to those who play and enjoy the same games. Holding no limits on what age or who may participate, video games embrace an inclusive standard common to many great hobbies.

The exciting world of video games isn’t just limited to indoors, as game designers are finding ways to incorporate their ideas into the outside world and environment. Pokémon GO players on Okinawa, for example, find enjoyment in their hobby by roaming the beautiful island while catching Pokémon on their smartphones in the process. In addition, many of these players form communities and venture the island on foot, catching these mythical beasts in groups while developing new friendships. The best time to go out and meet up with other players is during monthly Community Days, when rare Pokémon appear frequently. For players who are new to the game or veterans who are new to the island, the Okinawa Pokémon League is a great place to join this community. This Facebook group with over 700 members (and counting) not only plays Pokémon GO, but other games in the same genre such as Pokémon Scarlet/Violet as well as tabletop card battling. To learn more about this group, visit facebook.com/groups/okinawapokemon.

Living in Okinawa is certainly an amazing experience, but sometimes also means separating from family and friends for an extended period of time. To combat the sadness that stems from separation, video games offer an online bridge from Japan to any other location on the globe, along with opportunities to make new friends while they’re here. Playing online games is a great way to keep up with little cousins who need a helping hand winning a boss battle, or to facilitate laid-back nights talking to old friends, wherever they might be. These opportunities can build amazing memories that you and your fellow party of trusted gamers will cherish forever. So go ahead and dive into the ever-expanding world of video games!