A Momentary History of the Sega Genesis

 

Image from myemulator.online

Ah, the Sega Genesis, the little black box that could.

Released in North America on August 14, 1989, it was part of the fourth generation of gaming, commonly known as the 16-bit era, and it was the console that launched my love and passion for video games.

The first game I ever played for the console was none other than the legendary Sonic the Hedgehog. I only had the cartridge, I remember, and it was placed in my mom's wicker basket that sat on top of the little TV (a nickname my siblings and I called the TV in the kitchen), along with several other wonderful games. It even had the NOT FOR RESALE sticker slapped across the front of it!

The Genesis fared poorly against the NES and the PC Engine in Japan, but it achieved huge successes in North America, Brazil, and Europe. It's collection of arcade game ports; the mass popularity of the Sonic the Hedgehog series; the licensing of several popular sports franchises; and an aggressive marketing campaign known as "youth marketing" that positioned Sega as the cool console for teens and young adults were the contributing factors that led to its worldwide popularity.

After Nintendo released the Super Nintendo Entertainment System (SNES) on August 23, 1991, they and Sega were catapulted into a battle of sales in the U.S. and Europe known commonly as the "console war", a war that ended in the favor of the SNES. But I digress.

What helped the Genesis stand out among its competitor was the fact that it included blood in its games. The obvious example was Mortal Kombat. In the SNES version, the fighters were reduced to spewing sweat when they were hit. A very PG version. The Genesis version on the other hand, thanks to the infamous Blood Code, allowed the players to play the game as it was meant to be, Fatalities and all. Consequently, it outsold the SNES port and is typically seen as the superior version of the game.

But with innovation often comes controversy, and Sega was not exempt from this.

The violent content in Mortal Kombat, as well as another game called Night Trap for the Sega CD, caused great controversy and outrage. As a result, Sega of America created the Videogame Rating Council (V.R.C) in 1993 in order to assess any and all games that were released in the U.S. and Canada on the Genesis, as well as its other consoles, such as the Master System, the Game Gear, the Sega CD, and the Sega Pico.

If it wasn't for Sega, we wouldn't have the ESRB rating system that we have now. How's that for innovation?

Over 30 million copies of the Genesis console were sold globally. By the mid-2010s, licensed third-party Genesis re-releases were still being released by AtGames in North America and Europe. Many games have also been re-released in compilations or on online services, such as the Nintendo Virtual Console, which is extremely ironic!

As I mentioned before, Sega did end up losing the war (the SNES sold about 41 million consoles), but that does not mean it has no legacy, nor does it mean that Genesis fans like myself have given up on it.

Indeed, the Genesis has often been ranked among the best video game consoles ever, a true milestone in gaming history. It had an innovative style; a no-fear approach to games; an extensive library of fantastic games with epic soundtracks (Sonic 3 and Streets of Rage 2 anyone?); a cool-looking controller; and was even one of the first consoles to have backwards compatibility, being able to play its own Master System games!

Some say the SNES was better than the Genesis purely based on its graphics and sound. But I wonder…are they not superficial things to look at when judging a console's greatness? One singer may have a better voice than the other, but that does not mean that the former is better. One woman may look better than the other, but that does not mean that she is the better woman. If you only focus on the superficial things, you will miss out on what makes that thing special.

In 2014, Jeremy Parish, a writer for USgamer, wrote this about the Genesis:

"If the Atari generation introduced video games as a short-lived '70s fad … and the NES generation established it into an enduring obsession for the young, Sega's Genesis began pushing the medium toward something resembling its contemporary form".

Very true.

He later expanded on that, saying the system served as "the key incubator for modern sports franchises", made "consoles truly international" by providing Western third parties with a more lucrative alternative, away from Nintendo's very restrictive and rigid licensing policies.

Sega created an online game service that foreshadowed the PlayStation Plus by more than 15 years! It was called the Sega Channel and it played a vital role in ensuring the vitality and future of the gaming industry. It was launched on December 14, 1994 and ended its service in on July 31, 1998. It was criticized for its high subscription fee, among other things, but has been praised for its innovations in downloadable content and impact on online game services. In other words, without Sega, there would be no online marketplaces to play games and download demos, which every console now has. We have a lot to thank Sega for.

Thomas Kalinske, former chief executive officer of Sega of America, highlighted Sega's smart and edgy marketing strategies in a 2014 GamesBeat article, on the Genesis' 25th anniversary. He said, "Remember that in 1990, the industry was dominated by Nintendo, with a 95 percent market share. NEC and Sega Master System were tiny. Third-party publishers were afraid to support any company other than Nintendo for fear of getting punished by Nintendo. The average game player was 12 years old. Retailers were also reluctant to carry any system but Nintendo, and the total market size was a few billion dollars."

Sega did something that no one at that time thought was possible - attack Nintendo head-on, and make fun of it, too. "Genesis does what Nintendon't." Remember that iconic slogan! It is a true David and Goliath story if I've ever heard one. Thanks to Thomas and his team's successful marketing campaign, the gaming industry - now worth $63 billion dollars! - is a much more respected industry.

"We proved the market had room for more than one company, changed the target audience, and greatly expanded the type of games that were developed. And we had a lot of fun doing it," Kalinske continued in the article.

Though Sega no longer produces consoles, the Genesis will always have a lasting impression on millions of gamers growing up in the fabulous '90s. It goes without saying that the Genesis is one of the greatest consoles ever made. The people who still discuss it, through podcasts or YouTube videos or what have you, will keep that legacy alive for generations to come. And I am damn glad to see it.