process from start to finish. Victoria’s Secret unit-
per-store sales jumped 20 percent.
Impact At the close of the decade, Victoria’s Secret
continued its innovation streak, with the first fash-
ion show running live in Times Square, New York,
and simultaneously over the Internet. A total of over
1.5 million people viewed it, and another 500 mil-
lion hits occurred during the week following. The
Victoria’s Secret Web site became the most visited
site on the Internet for the month, and the show was
the biggest Web event up to that time. That same
year, Victoria’s Secret expanded weekly television
advertising, sponsored over one hundred pages of
national magazine coverage, and placed over 36 bil-
lion catalog pages before customers’ eyes. The ban-
ner year of 1999 would prove a harbinger of further
growth in the coming decade.
Further Reading
Chenoune, Farid.Hidden Underneath: A Histor y of
Lingerie. New York: Assouline, 2005.
Victoria’s Secret.Sexy.3 vols. Columbus, Ohio: Lim-
ited Brands, 2005.
Dennis W. Cheek
See also Advertising; Fashions and clothing; In-
ternet.
Video games
Definition Software-based entertainment systems
played on an arcade machine, game console, or
home computer, with a video display and input
devices
During the 1990’s, video games became firmly established
in mainstream America. With increasingly sophisticated
hardware and software and a presence on the World Wide
Web, video games became a lucrative global phenomenon.
As the decade began, the video game industry was
growing, and corporate rivalries continued. To rival
Sega’s Genesis (1989), the first 16-bit color graph-
ics home console system, Nintendo introduced the
Super Nintendo Entertainment System (Super
NES) in 1991. The Nintendo Game Boy (1989)
continued to outsell other handheld products.
Company rivalries were even manifested in game
characters: Sega launched a new mascot, Sonic the
Hedgehog, in 1991 to counter Nintendo’s beloved
Mario. Released in 1990, Nintendo’sSuper Mario
Bros. 3became the most popular nonbundled game
cartridge ever sold.
In 1995, Sega released its expensive Saturn system,
the first 32-bit CD-based console, but the less expen-
sive Sony PlayStation (1994) sold better. In 1996,
Nintendo launched Nintendo 64, the first 64-bit sys-
tem. Finally, in 1999, Sega introduced its 128-bit
Dreamcast system, complete with a built-in modem
to allow online play. Dreamcast was the top-selling
game console until Sony launched its PlayStation 2
in 2000.Video Game Software As personal computers be-
came more powerful and available, many games
were developed specifically for this environment, as
well as adaptations of arcade or home console
games. CD-ROM technology enabled more personal
computer games, but popular games were often de-
veloped for multiple platforms.
Software also became more sophisticated as the
hardware improved. While sports simulation, shoot-
ing, and maze games continued to be popular, addi-
tional themes appeared. Along with action and strat-
egy, role playing became an important genre.
In 1991,Street Fighter II, a one-on-one fighting
game for arcades, introduced speedy, advanced con-
trols and ultrasmooth animations. The violentMor-
tal Kombat(1992) created a new realism with its digi-
tizing of actual actors. In 1993, Rand and Robyn
Miller released the CD-ROM gameMyst, which set a
new standard for game graphics and generated a
new genre of nonviolent adventure games for a sin-
gle player.Mystand its sequels eventually sold over
twelve million copies.
The shooting game genre was reinvigorated with
Id Software’sDoomin 1993. This extremely violent
game utilized immersive, side-scrolling 3-D graphics
to give the player the impression of actually running
through tunnels, looking around corners, jumping,
and so forth. This first-person shooter spawned
many imitations.
Another popular genre was the “God game,” in-
vented by Peter Molyneux. In these games, the
player directs the fate of characters from an omnipo-
tent perspective. Will Wright’sSimCity(1989) was
followed bySimCity 2000(1993), andSimCity 3000
(1999). InSimCity, the player builds an entire urban
environment and manages its evolution over time. A
series of Sim games became best sellers.The Nineties in America Video games 897