The History of Video Games
The history of video games goes as far back as the early
1950s, when academics began designing simple games and simulations as part of their
computer science research. Video gaming would not reach mainstream popularity
until the 1970s and 1980s, when arcade video games, gaming consoles and home
computer games were introduced to the general public. Since then, video gaming
has become a popular form of entertainment and a part of modern culture in most
parts of the world.
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| Atari |
Video games have been around since the early 1970s. The
first commercial arcade video game, Computer Space by Nutting Associates, was
introduced in 1971. In 1972, Atari introduced Pong to the arcades. An
interesting item to note is that Atari was formed by Nolan Bushnell, the man
who developed Computer Space. He left Nutting Associates to found Atari, which
then produced Pong, the first truly successful commercial arcade video game.
Pong was a great hit when it came out. Move your cursor to
get the slides to bounce back the moving square -- it will speed up as you
progress.
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| Pong |
That same year, Magnavox offered the first home video game
system. Dubbed the Odyssey, it did not even have a microprocessor! The core of
the system was a board with about four-dozen transistors and diodes. The
Odyssey was very limited -- it could only produce very simple graphics, and
required that custom plastic overlays be taped over the television screen. In
1975, Atari introduced a home version of its popular arcade game, Pong. The
original home version of Pong was sold exclusively through Sears, and even
carried the Sears logo. Pong was a phenomenal success, opening the door to the
future of home video games.
As of 2015, there are eight generations of video
game consoles, with the latest generation including Nintendo's Wii U,
Microsoft's Xbox One, and Sony's PlayStation 4. PC gaming has been holding a
large market share in Asia and Europe for decades and continues to grow due to
digital distribution. Since the release of smartphones, mobile gaming has been
a driving factor for games to reach out to people not before interested in
gaming, as well as people not able
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