Electronic, interactive games known for their vibrant colors and complex graphics.

First mass-marketed in the 1970s, video games are played by installing cartridges into a game box connected by wire to a television set. They then manipulate a joystick or buttons to control the actions of a character or series of characters as the imaginary characters face obstacles displayed on the screen. Video games, designed chiefly to appeal to children and adolescents, are also played in arcades and on small, hand-held screens.

It has been estimated that more than 50 million homes in the United States have one or more of the most popular game systems—Sega, Nintendo, and Sony—including as many as 80% of families with boys ages 8-16. Few children have not been exposed to some form of video games, and access to the games is readily available in all walks of life.

Video games...