When most people talk about video games and the technology that powers them, they will make mention of graphics or game play. They’ll tell you about the fun factor behind a game, or why a game is monotonous, repetitive, or boring. They may make mention of any subplot that points out in one way or another common trends or themes within today’s society, give the game a rating, and tell you to buy it or pass. Some people may then focus on why a game or series is good or bad for players. Mention the violence or passive aggressive themes that power the game. Most casual video game players care little to discuss hardware, or what literally powers today’s video game consoles. Hardcore gamers can tell you instantly why a certain console is better than a different console, or the specifications of their gaming PC. Very few gamers, casual or otherwise, realize that their choices have more to do with clever design then they would be willing to admit. For this project I chose to look at how the physical design of video game consoles is an everyday text, and how the rhetoric each console has influenced its market influence and the choices people make.

We’ve discussed a few concepts this year that deal with the actual layout of objects or pictures. In our first project, we arranged construction paper of limited color source into a scene that, in one image, referenced an entire story. The same principles Molly Bang mentioned in “Picture This” are also visible in these consoles. The big difference lies in the fact that instead of limited colors and product, these gaming units have millions of dollars in marketing, research, and development. The underlying principles don’t change however, regardless of the amount of money put into them. Things like arrangement of controller ports or compact disc trays all add to the final image these devices try to represent themselves as. Some consoles are tucked inward to look sleek and thin, others are overly blocky to look powerful and maintain maximum focus. More of this will be discussed on pages two and three.

Lupton and Miller would probably note that the logos, controllers, and the consoles themselves have also become very similar to other modern hieroglyphs. When you see a controller from your favorite console, and you’re a gamer, you recognize exactly where it comes from. In many cases it also draws the user to remember time spent with the console, certain games played, and memories of fun or frustration. The consoles themselves in more modern time are also easily recognizable as distinct markings for themselves. No longer is it the game that defines the console, but the console that determines what games you play, and then defines those games. When someone sees and overly wide, black “X” with a green dot in the middle, it generally is in reference to the original Xbox. When you view the highly distinct cartridge for a Super Nintendo game, it is easily recognizable as a game for that console, and that console only.

Much the same way that a brand name or clever slogan attracts attention on the front of a t-shirt, the design of a video game console plays a dramatic role in the reaction people have to each unit. For a little background info, we’re currently in the seventh generation of home based video game consoles, according to Wikipedia and general consensus, and a ton has changed since the beginning of this industry. In the beginning of the home console era, function took precedence over form. This is generally true in any market. Shirts weren’t initially a paid for advertisement to help promote greater market share, in the same way that the first cars (although beautiful in their own right) weren’t exactly masterpieces of art. The industry had to start somewhere, and its start was ugly.

Though Pong is often thought to be the first ever home video game console, it was really only the first to see commercial success, as it came along four years after the Magnavox Odyssey. It should also be noted that, while the original Pong was a home based video game system, it lacked the ability to play multiple games from one unit until later versions of the game. Either way, it is the primary focus of the first generation of home based consoles, and most of them are far different than what we would expect to be on top of our televisions today. Most consoles include incredibly clunky physical interfaces. Controls are, on many first generation models, built directly into the game unit itself. The only thing most of the first generation units do to give themselves visual appeal and try to make an argument for purchase is cover themselves in 1970’s fake wood grain.