Rhymes of the Times

Technological advances has impacted every aspect of life and the way we live it. However, many of these advances are simply bring us back full circle to that past. David Thornburg states that “the affect or impact of a new development rekindles something from the distant past” (Laureate Education Inc., 2009). With each new piece of technology that enters society, a bit of history is rekindled. Someone once said, “The future will be like the past, only with cooler toys.” While technological advances found in the medical field or NASA may seem to contribute greater to society, the “toys” are where many of us see them.

The origin of role-playing games (RPG) is often thought of as the 1970s release of Dungeons and Dragons where mythical creatures would wage war on their opponents. However, RPG dates back to the 1700s with traveling role playing productions. Like everything, these games have evolved with technology. Many were reintroduced to the RPG genre when The Legends of Zelda was released on Nintendo. However, the gaming world has continued to expand and grow like all technologies. Soon, RPGs could be played on computers, and today they are available on tablets and smartphones. In 2010, World of Warcraft had 12 million subscribers (Reilly, 2010). The list of popular games today appears unending. Each day new games are developed with greater graphics and more technical user controls. Gamers from around the world are able to work together to meet a common goal or war to gain control of the kingdom. From Camelot to unknown alien worlds, the possibilities are endless for roleplaying gamers.

References:

Laureate Education, Inc. (2009). Emerging and future technology. Baltimore, MD: Author.

Reilly, J. (2010, October 10). World of Warcraft Reaches 12 Million Subscribers. Retrieved from New York Comic Con: http://www.ign.com/articles/2010/10/07/world-of-warcraft-reaches-12-million-subscribers