When discussing how video games evolved over the years, we have to examine how the history of video games and how everything started. Video games are enjoyed by millions today and the very first game was crafted by A.S. Douglas.
More specifically, A.S. Douglas introduced the game OXO back in 1952. He crafted the game while working on his doctoral dissertation. Six years after the game of OXO was created, Tennis for Two emerged on the scene.
The Tennis for Two game was crafted by William Higinbotham. Four years later in 1962, the game Spacewar! was introduced by Steve Russel who back in the day worked at the Massachusetts Institute of Technology.
Spacewar! was the very first computer-based video game for the Programmed Data Processor 1 which back then was the most cutting-edge computer. Spacewar! was also the very first game of this kind that could be enjoyed on different computer installations.
The Rise of Home Video Gaming Consoles
Back in 1967, Ralph Bear alongside other developers who at the time worked for Sanders Associates introduced The Brown Box multi-program game. The Brown Box was the very first video game that could be enjoyed on television.
Father of Video Games as Ralph Bear is commonly referred to, partnered with Magnavox. Magnavox licensed his The Brown Box game and shortly after, the very first home gaming console was born, the Odyssey.
However, by 1972 the popularity of the Odyssey fizzled out. This leads us to the iconic Pong game released by Atari. In fact, the very first arcade game was inspired by one of many Odyssey games.
Pong was released in 1972 while in 1975, the company released another version of the game for home consoles and it became an instant success. Not long after, Sanders Associates and Magnavox filed a copy infringement lawsuit against Atari.
Atari decided to settle out of court and became one of many Odysseys’ licensees. Magnavox collected over US$100 million from lawsuits filed over the next twenty years related to its video gaming patents.
The Atari 2600 was released in 1977. Two years prior, video slots were introduced to the gambling capital of the world, Las Vegas.
Back to the Atari 2600, this video gaming home console featured higher-quality game cartridges and joysticks, so it quickly replaced the second generation of the Atari home consoles. In the early 1980s, the video gaming industry had several major milestones.
In 1978, the iconic Space Invaders game was released. One year later, Activision became operational. Back in the day, this was the first and only third-party developer of video games.
In the early 1980s, Japan’s Pac-Man game came to the United States. One of the most beloved video gaming characters Mario was also born around the same time following Nintendo’s release of Donkey King.
To this day, companies from this early era of gaming like Atari are fighting for their share of the modern-day gaming market which includes mobile games, MMOs and much more.
Modern Video Games
In the early 1980s, the global video gaming industry suffered a major loss due to a combination of factors including low-quality video games, oversaturation of the home console market, and lack of real competition.
The video gaming industry finally started to recover following Nintendo’s (NES) arrival to the United States. The Nintendo Entertainment System had highly improved graphics, sound, color, and gameplay when compared to previous gaming consoles.
At the time, some of the most iconic video games of all time were introduced including Metroid, The Legend of Zelda, and Super Mario Bros. Around the same time, Konami released its Castlevania, Enix released Dragon Quest, and Capcom introduced Mega Man.
All these smaller and bigger milestones paved the way for modern video games we love and enjoy today such as Call of Duty, Mortal Kombat, Super Smash Bros, Borderlands, Star Wars Jedi: Fallen Order, Kingdom Hearts, Mario Kart Deluxe, Fortnite, Minecraft, Roblox, Grand Theft Auto, League of Legends, and Rocket League among many others.
