The beginning of computer gaming

The history of computer game began in a physics laboratory, on a tiny five-inch screen that displayed an upside-down “T,” which represented a tennis net.  The game was created by a large team working quickly during the most dangerous years of the Cold War, inside the walls of a government-sponsored nuclear testing facility.  The game was created to entertain visitors at the facility, proving to them that the operations that went on within the walls of the facility were safe and productive.  The game was created in 1958, starting computer game history video, and the computer game history time line started in earnest.

William Higinbotham pioneered the idea, and oversaw the creation of the game.  Being a physicist, he took into account wind speed, air resistance, and every other physical aspect he could possibly factor into the final equation.  Through the use of modern equipment, including resistors, vacuum tubes, capacitors, and transistors, a computerized brain processed every factor and essentially decided whether the ball had made it over the net at each hit.  This was an important factor in the history of computer game, and one of the biggest steps in the computer game history time line.

The controllers consisted of a simple block of wood that featured a single button and a dial, which could be turned to adjust the angle of the ball’s return.  The game did not include a visualization of rackets or players, only the tennis net and a single ball that could be hit whenever it was on the player’s side of the court.  After only three days of hard work, the laboratory completed and began to test-play the first computer game.  The entirety of this creation took place fourteen years before the creation of the classic game “Pong”, which was a landmark in computer game history video and an important step in the computer game history time line.

The first games by the first companies

An MIT student named Steve Russell created the first computer game in 1961.  The graphics were comprised of numbers and letters, known as ASCII characters, and the game ran on a Digital PDP-1 mainframe computer.  The game was called Spacewar, and gained a bit of acclaim before dying off into the annals of useless technology.

In the timeline of the history of computer game video, commercial gaming began in the 1970’s, with games and consoles released together; hooking up a console to a television let you play entertaining single games.  In 1972, multiple companies began to release games such as PongÔ by Atari, Odyssey by MagnavoxÔ, and other games that used microchip processors to generate characters on-screen.  The timeline of gaming accelerated quickly, as innovative inventors began to realize the possible economic use of such an entertaining idea.  After the success of these systems, the first commercial computer game began to sell.  It was called Gunfight, and used new microprocessor technology to break down walls in the battle for a better gaming system.

The first consoles and arcades

The first cartridge-based video game system, called the Atari 2600Ô, was released in 1977.  With its massive success and a huge retail price of $249.95, the Atari 2600Ô made its creators rich, and began the fierce competition for the greatest gaming system – a competition that still exists between companies today.  In 1979, the Atari 2600Ô saw its first true competition as Mattel released the IntelivisionÔ, a system that incorporated more impressive graphics than the 2600, but retailed for a higher price.

1980 was a landmark for the game industry as the first 3-D game, Battlezone, was created.  Battlezone was later modified for use as a US army-training device.  During this year, the gaming industry also saw its first blockbuster hit, Pac-Man.  The incredibly original game sold 300,000 units to arcades all over the nation, and single-handedly gave rise to the use of public arcades.  Before long, arcades became the favorite hang-outs of thousands of teens nation-wide.

Other important dates in the timeline of computer game history and video game history include the PC’s version of Tetris in 1985, Nintendo’s NESÔ release in 1986, the Game BoyÔ in 1989, a Senate investigation into violent videogames in 1993, and the release of the Sony PlaystationÔ in 1994.  This was the first console to function almost fully with three-dimensional games.

Modern computer and console gaming

Modern game makers control one of the most high-tech industries in the world, as advances in computer simulations and new ways to make games become clear through research and continual work.  A few pieces make up a truly exceptional computer or video game, and these are the games that consumers will buy, thanks to the prevalence and power of reviewing magazines and web sites.  Informed gamers will never buy a sub-par game, because they read reviews and opinions on every prospective game long before investing money in it.

Graphics make up one of the most important pieces of a modern game, and the computer is the perfect place to find this piece because of the upgradeable nature of computer technology; the Playstation 2Ô is outdated graphics-wise, but a computer user simply buys a new video card and pops it in to update the graphic abilities.  Today’s best computer and video games feature realistic character modeling such as highly realistic mouth movement and incredible lighting and explosion effects.

Originality is the other piece of the puzzle that sells modern computer and video games.  The incredibly innovative design of the Nintendo WiiÔ has given it the leg up in the modern race of next-generation consoles, and games function along the same principle.  Truly original ideas are hard to come by, but when game maker uses them effectively, they certainly sell games.

The current battle between leading “next generation” consoles seems to be a bit of a draw, with die-hard fans from every company supporting the X-Box 360Ô, the Nintendo WiiÔ, and the Playstation 3Ô with equal fervor.  With competition such as this, the world of console gaming is ensured a continual struggle to reach the top, meaning more advanced systems at better prices.

Modern arcade gaming

The last few years have seen a dramatic decline of arcade gaming, putting independent arcade companies out of business and making fun centers resort to other entertainment.  The reason for this drop in productivity is simple: almost every gamer now owns a console!  Why shell out tons of quarters, trading lunch money for a few minutes of game-time, when brand new consoles are so easily attainable?

A second reason for the decline of arcade gaming is that the arcade industry seems to have stopped trying; modern consoles date even the newest games in modern arcades.  For example, the highly popular Time Crisis 3 is one of the few games that still make a profit in malls and arcades around the nation, but the game is already a few years old, and within a few years will be entirely outdated, with graphics that can’t stand up to modern standards and game play that doesn’t offer anything new and different.

Another feature of modern arcades that has given them some success is the originality of motion-sensing games, such as drum pads that know when they’ve been struck and pistols that can be moved and triggers that can be pulled to eliminate enemies onscreen.  This feature is vitally important for the arcade industry because it increases the feeling of reality when ducking your body will make the onscreen character duck and when pulling a trigger makes your gun fire a virtual bullet.  But these features, which were once so original, are coming under fire as well, becoming outdated by Next-Generation consoles, especially the Nintendo WiiÔ, which boasts motion-sensing capabilities and a huge number of new, original games on the way.  Computer game history video continues to advance at a rapid pace.

Modern arcades simply can’t stand up to modern consoles, and unless arcade companies make a modern break-through, there seems to be little hope for arcades in the future.