This holiday season, many children will place video games at the top of their Christmas lists. In time for the holiday season, console manufacturers have reduced prices and stores are offering bundles at discounted prices.

Video games, a 40-year-old fad, have evolved over the years to include numerous genres and platforms.

Initially, Ralph Baer, a German engineer, invented what he called the Brown Box, according to Time.com. It was the first game console that connected directly to a television.

The Brown Box became the Magnavox Odyssey after Baer sold the concept to Magnavox. It failed to gain popularity, however, and went out of production.

"Pong" then came onto the scene. Created by Atari, the game created a phenomenon.

"That's what started the craze," said Jamie Sanders, creator of VirtualNES.com, a Web arcade with hundreds of Nintendo Entertainment System games. "The first ‘Pong' arcade cabinet broke down after a couple days because the coin slot was jammed."

Video games were still viewed as a fad though, Sanders said. Until Nintendo arrived, video games lacked an identity.

Nintendo donned a child-friendly image and won the approval of parents as it did not rely on violent games to sell its products.

"They are the reason that video games are still popular today, as they took the risk to revitalize this market in America," Sanders said.

The original Nintendo Entertainment System was the No. 1 selling console in history. Nintendo followed the console with the Game Boy, a handheld console that was the first of its kind.

It was Nintendo that introduced the world to Mario and company, who live on in sequels.

In the early 90s, the PC earned a role as a gaming system with the introduction of first-person shooters such as Doom and Quake, according to IGN.com. Realtime strategy games like "Command and Conquer" formed another genre for the PC gaming market.

First-person shooters became the target for blame in society for causing violence. The most notable instance of this was the Columbine High School shooting.

Eric Harris and Dylan Klebold, the shooters, were reportedly addicted to "Doom," according to BBCNews.com.

With the introduction of the Nintendo Wii, a whole new genre has spawned. Diet and exercise games, as well as motion-controlled sports games, have become popular among both adults and children.

Sanders said he thinks the industry is shifting away from traditional controllers and the console makers seem highly interested in motion control.

But even in the future of gaming, he said he feels the history of gaming and the games that started it all should be remembered.

"Vintage games, like vintage movies, should be preserved," Sanders said. "They will always be loved."