The late 1970s saw the release of the Atari 2600 and the rise of the home gaming console. But by the early 1980s, it crashed and burned. This was due mostly to gamers’ frustration at sub-par games (“E.T. The Extra Terrestrial,” anyone?). The sentiment effectively killed the home-console market.

The newer generation of gamers may not remember Blockbuster Video. However, for those of us of a certain age the rental behemoth is almost impossible to forget. There was a time about 20 years ago when Blockbuster was as ubiquitous as McDonalds.

These days, game systems come with all kinds of I/O ports—USB, HDMI, Ethernet, Optical Audio and more. These portals are used to do everything from log online to connect digital cameras.

The stars have aligned. The pleas of a legion of devoted, entertainment-starved fanbase have reached the heavens and changed the order of things.

1998, as we’ve talked about in the previous article, saw the release of some all-time classics. 3D began to take hold, and games and game developers responded in kind.

The Dark Knight is without a doubt one of the most beloved comic book characters and pop culture icons of all time. Over decades, Batman’s brooding nature, ace detective skills and colorful gallery of villains have become second nature to most of us.

Video games seem to be part and parcel of parenting today. And while kids love them, you might not be thrilled at the idea of your kid choosing video games over homework - especially if video games seem to be the only thing on which they can concentrate.

The year 1998 was a truly landmark year in video game history. This was the year Legend of Zelda finally went 3D. The first FPS with a stellar, story-driven campaign was released. The age of the modern stealth game began.