Video Games: Then, Now, Next

For the next few days I’ll be exploring the recent history and the future of gaming. This is part 1 in the series

One of my fondest memories as a kid was when I got a Gamecube, the first console I owned. That was the start of a decade-long obsession and passion for video games.

I remember walking around Delfino Plaza in Super Mario Sunshine, playing Pokemon on my Nintendo DS in the morning before school, and battling my classmates in Call of Duty Modern Warfare 2.

For most of my childhood, I lived and breathed video games.

It wasn’t until my junior year of high school — around 2012 — that I put down the controller to focus on my studies.

But ever since, it seems that there has been a paradigm shift in gaming. Mobile games, free-to-play games, battle royales, multi-million dollar esports tournaments, streaming. I feel as if an old friend has grown beyond recognition.

I couldn’t help but ask, What happened? Why now? And what’s next?