In 1996 through 1998 gaming made great developments in the digital and handheld world. PlayStation brought 3D gaming at an affordable price and Nintendo came out with the Game Boy pocket, a slimmer a lighter version of the handheld. Sega unveiled Dreamcast and the parties were growing more insane with rock stars like the Foo Fighters performing at Sony.
In 1999 to 2001 some of the greatest gaming icons were unleashed with games like Xbox's Halo: Combat Evolved and PlayStation 2's Metal Gear Solid 2: Sons of Liberty. Playstation 2 became one of the world's highest selling consoles. The Nintendo Gamecube and Game Boy Advance also came out during this time.
In 2002 to 2005 online gaming was on the rise. Grand Theft Auto changed the way action games were designed forever. Luigi's Mansion looked amazing on Gamecube. The Nintendo DS baffled everybody and Xbox came out with Halo 2.
Most recently, the biggest releases have been PlayStation 3 and the Nintendo Wii, which has been the entire rave in casual gaming. The Wii is a way to get physically involved in your video games and can involve the whole family.
The video game industry is an important one to our society. It's even bigger than the movie industry. Video games allow us to be entertained in an inexpensive way and thanks to E3, which will be taking place this year July 15-17; we can look forward to each year's upcoming releases.