What's in a Name?

[leunas]

To a significant portion of the planet's population, the name Sega quite literally means "games": It implies innovation, conjures images and feelings of high-octane entertainment, it's a beloved epoch of childhood, it is a friend, and it has been a lover. Sega is more than a company name - it's an aspect of modern history that requires no definition for those who were there.

But behind the name, and its many and passionate sentiments, there's a sadness which stems the flow of good feelings for gamers almost as quickly as they begin. There's a feeling that the company hasn't lived up to its promise. A regret that love's labor may have been lost.

Historically, the name originates from its conception as Standard Games - an importer of coin-operated amusement machines for U.S. servicemen stationed in Hawaii in the 1940s. When the company moved to Japan, it was renamed Service Games of Japan and later merged with pinball machine importer, Rosen Enterprises, to become Sega (SErvice GAmes), in the 1960s. As a company, Sega has been repeatedly bought and sold in one of those tedious financial paper trails

that so easily reduce history to a boring list of dollar signs followed by six or more figures. It's not important.

What is of importance to contemporary Sega fans is something David Rosen said when he bought his company back from Gulf & Western, after the great videogame market crash of the early '80s. With his then business partner, Hayao Nakayama, at the helm of Sega of Japan and himself as CEO of Sega of America, the company publicly vowed "never to stick to one concept for too long," acknowledging that every piece of technology "has a life and a death." In principle, this policy was sound, and it was reassuring for customers to know Sega would remain committed to pushing the boundaries of videogaming. It has, however, been somewhat of a double-edged sword; pushing boundaries while simultaneously dispossessing consistency.

for more, goto www.escapistmagazine.com/issue/85/10