Humanity has been playing video games since the moment it was born. Whether it's a sport, a board game, or a child's imagination, every culture, ancient or modern, has something its people do for fun. As time passes, people continue to invent new games to occupy their free time and have fun. One form of gaming that has quickly become extremely popular is video gaming. The 2011 edition of Essential Facts About the Video Game Industry states that "72 percent of American households play computer or video games." Additionally, video game sales quadrupled in the years between 1996 and 2008 (Video Game Debate). These statistics become even more impressive when you consider the newness of video games. The first video game was developed just 49 years ago in 1962 (Juergen). By comparison, basketball took nearly 89 years to catch on. It was invented in 1891 but did not reach a high level of popularity until the 1980s (basketball). How and why video games have become so popular in such a short time is a question that many people have difficulty answering. A common opinion is that this sudden increase in popularity of video games can be attributed to some fundamental change in the values ​​of our culture. This attitude is usually adopted by members of older generations, people aged 50 and older who experienced childhood before video games came into the world. While 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 basic elements of video games have become integrated into our way of life. Everyone recognizes Mario, most people recognize the theme from The Legend of Zelda, and almost everyone has...... half of paper...... puzzle games to choose from. Video games have become popular because their various features and designs allow them to attract a colossal number of people. Works mentioned "Basketball". Columbia Electronic Encyclopedia, 6th edition (2011): 1-2. Academic ResearchPremier. Network. December 12, 2011. Essential facts about the computer and video game industry. Entertainment Software Association, 2011. PDF."GlitterBerri »Special Interview – Koji Kondo." GlitterBerri. Network. 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.