History of Video Games

There is some debate as to what the first video game is, depending on how a video game is defined. Two of the earliest video games were A.S. Douglas's Noughts and Crosses (tic-tac-toe) in 1952, and William Higinbotham's Tennis for Two in 1958. I'm going to be focusing on Tennis for two, since it was the first game designed specifically for entertainment rather than education. Higinbotham wanted to create an exciting, interactive showcase for his workplace Brookhaven National Laboratory's annual visitor day, noticing the mostly static, unengaging exhibits. A game, he thought, would be a fun and understandable way to demonstrate the company's technology to the people. Tennis for Two was a huge success, and hundreds of visitors lined up to give it a try.

After that, video games only kept growing and developing. Here are some other notable milestones for the growing industry:

1962- Steve Russell at MIT releases Spacewar! 

Spacewar! was a two-player spaceship combat game that, while widely popular, was limited to universities, laboratories, or anywhere else that would have access to the bulky Programmed-Data-Processor-1 (PDP-1) computer. 

1972- the Odyssey, first home console released

It was rather primitive and didn't meet huge financial success, but it paved the way for other consoles, like the Atari 2600, to emerge. 

1983- video game crash

An oversaturated market and a slew of low-quality products caused the public to mostly lose interest in the industry, until Nintendo revived it with the NES. The most memorable of these includes the infamous ET game, widely considered the worst video game of all time.

1989 - the first console war- Sega vs. Nintendo

Sega's Genisis became the first real competition to Nintendo, pushing innovation on both their ends. Sega also became the first company to raise concerns about violence in video games with its releases of Street Fighter and Mortal Kombat, which led to the Entertainment Software Rating Board (ESRB) being established. 

1995- the beginning of 3D games

The dawn of 32- and 64-bit consoles like Sega's Saturn and the Nintendo 64; Sony's PlayStation now entered the market, and despite not having a legacy to lean on like its competitors, its superior technology made it a smash hit.

2005- beginning of modern gaming

The Xbox 360, PlayStation 3, and Wii became the dominant consoles of the industry. 

Impact:

Video games have become a massive industry, generating nearly 455 billion USD in 2024. Video games have come to exist in many different facets of our lives, even serving practical purposes such as helping medical students train in an immersive, risk-free environment. Many researchers are concerned with the effects of video games on the mind, especially for children. Some scientists see positive impacts on children who play video games, citing increases in concentration, problem solving skills, and imagination, while others raise concern over addiction, social withdrawal, and aggression because of video games. 

As a game design major, I may not be the most unbiased source, but I believe that video games are a wonderful thing. They're a means to tell great stories, craft unforgettable experiences, and, in the case of social games, a great way to connect with friends near or far. 

 BNL | History:The First Video Game?

Video Game History ‑ Timeline & Facts