History of PC Games

Basically, today’s gaming is based upon innovations that have spanned the course of time.

Early History Of Video Games: 1950s - 1970s

The early history of video games begins in the early 1950s.  In 1952, Noughts and Crosses was the first created video game.  The creation was made for a doctoral dissertation by A. S. Douglas; it consisted of a tic-tac-toe game that could be operated on a large computer system at Cambridge University.   Later, in 1958, William A. Higginbotham, an engineer known for his participation in creating the atom bomb, created the very first American interactive computer game; he created a tennis game identified as Tennis for Two in the Brookhaven Laboratory in New York.  Even later, in the early 1960s, Space Wars is created by Steve Russell: a game that become popular at universities across the nation.

In 1967, Ralph Baer along with some of his fellow colleagues, created the very first video gaming console that could be used with a home television set.  Baer worked for a company called Sanders Associates; after making up schematics for a vacuum tube circuit that could be connected to a home television, Baer and his associates created the first “chase game,” where a player could chase around two squares on a television screen.  This discovery later led to the creation of the Brown Box and twelve different video games.

Several years later, in 1972, Magnavox began developing video game equipment and games; the company created the Magnavox Odyssey: a gaming system offered for the home environment.  This system had six different cartridges that allowed players to play up to twelve games like the Brown Box.  The system did not prove extremely popular because consumers were falsely led to believe that the gaming system would only operate with Magnavox television sets.

Nolan Bushnell founded Atari in the early 1970s and in the mid 1970s the company created the Atari system.  The first game ever offered by Atari was Pong; a game proving immensely popular among consumers.  The first Atari systems were offered in Sears® stores.  Bushnell later sold off Atari to Warner Communications; during that time the company was working on a gaming console that would operate with different cartridges and that could offer up different video games.  Atari then created the Atari VCS or 2600, which came with cool games like Combat, Missile Command, Breakout, and Space Invaders.  In 1976, the first arcade video game created is called Death Race; this game only sold 500 units and created quite a buzz about violence in video gaming.  For more information visit: http://www.pbs.org/kcts/videogamerevolution/history/timeline_flash.html.

The History Of Video Games In The 1980s

By 1979, Activision was formed by four people formerly employed by Atari.  This company only made gaming software and did not create gaming cabinets or consoles. They created games for the ever popular Atari 2600.  In 1980, Namco, a Japan-based company, created Puck Man; when the game was offered in the US the name was immediately changed to Pac Man to avoid the undesirable alteration of the game’s name.

In 1981, the ever popular Donkey Kong was created by Shigeru Miyamoto while he was working for Nintendo.  This game also gave the public its first introduction to Mario from the Mario Brothers.  The Donkey Kong game is the first game offering several different levels of play.  In 1982, following the success of Steven Spielberg’s ET: The Extra Terrestrial movie, Atari came out with a video game with a theme related to the movie, and Microsoft® enters the scene with Flight Simulator gaming in the same year. 

In 1983, Danielle Button Berry creates MULE: the very first gaming system available for multi-players.  In 1984, Nintendo created the Famicon offered in Japan, and in the mid 1980s the game Tetris is created and released by Alexey Pajitnov.  Video gaming fans in the US first saw the introduction of the Nintendo gaming system in 1986.  Sega gaming systems are introduced the same year. For more information on the history of video games visit Time® at http://www.time.com/time/interactive/0,31813,2029221,00.html.

The History Of Video Games: 1990s To Present

In the late 1980s, the first Sims City game is created by Will Wright.  This game was not purchased by other gaming companies leaving the creator to market the game on his own; the decision to do so was wise since these games are still popular today.  In 1989, the game Populus is created, Sega releases Sega Genesis, and Nintendo offers the very first Game Boy handheld gaming system.  In 1990, Nintendo releases NES to compete with Sega Genesis. 

In 1991 games like Street Fighter II and Civilization by Sid Meirer are offered.  A year later, the first Mortal Kombat video game was created.  The fast pace of video game creation and the concern over the violence in gaming eventually led to the creation of the Entertainment Software Rating Board in 1994.  In the same year the Sony PlayStation is introduced in Japan.  Later, in 1995, the Saturn gaming system is released by Sega: this is the very first gaming system to ever come offered with a modem for connecting to the Internet.

In 1996, the first Nintendo 64 systems were sold and this system was the very first 64 bit gaming system.  Popular games offered with the system include Mario 64, Ocarina of Time, and Legend of Zelda.  Later, in 1998 Nintendo offers Pikachu pocket pets.  A year later Sega offers the Dreamcast system.  In 2000, video gamers were craving Sony PlayStation 2 or SegaNet.  A year later, Gameboy Advanced is offered by Nintendo and the Nintendo GameCube is also offered.  Microsoft® comes out with the Xbox system the same year.  Today gamers have their choice of Nintendo Wii systems, PlayStation 3, or Microsoft’s® Xbox gaming.  For more details visit http://www.thegameconsole.com/videogames77.htm