Humanity has been playing games since the moment we came into existence. Whether it's a sport, a board game, or a childhood fantasy, every culture, whether ancient or modern, has something its people do for fun. Over time, people continue to invent new games to occupy their free time and entertain themselves. Video gaming is a form of gaming that has quickly become extremely popular. The 2011 edition of Essential Facts About the Video Game Industry states that "72% of American households play computer or video games." Additionally, video game sales quadrupled between 1996 and 2008 (Video Game Debate). These statistics become even more impressive when you consider the importance of new video games. The first video game was developed only 49 years ago, in 1962 (Juergen). In comparison, basketball took almost 89 years to develop. It was invented in 1891 but did not reach a high level of popularity until the 1980s (Basketball). How and why video games became so popular in such a short time is a question that many people struggle to answer. A common opinion is that this sudden rise in the popularity of video games can be attributed to a fundamental shift in the values ​​of our culture. This attitude is generally adopted by members of previous generations, that is, people aged around 50 and over who lived their childhood before the creation of video games. Although our culture has changed significantly in recent years, I would argue that it has changed because video games have become so popular. Many of the essential elements of video games have become part of our lifestyle. Everyone recognizes Mario, most people can recognize the theme from The Legend of Zelda, and almost everyone has... middle of paper ... puzzle games to choose from. Video games have become popular because their varied features and designs enable them to appeal to a colossal number of people. Works Cited “Basketball”. Columbia Electronic Encyclopedia, 6th edition (2011): 1-2. Academic researchFirst. Internet. December 12, 2011. Essential facts about the computer and video games industry. Entertainment Software Association, 2011. PDF. “GlitterBerri » Special Interview – Koji Kondo.” GlitterBerri. Internet. December 12, 2011..Juergen, Michele. “A Brief History of the Game.” The Entrepreneur November 2010: 30-36. Web. Miller, Matt. “Ocarina of time.” Game Informer, October 2011: 44. Print. The video game debate: bad for behavior, good for learning? Learning lessons. Rep. Canadian Council on Learning, 2009. Web.