Early history of video games

The most important data for early computer and video game story from the beginning to 1969.

  • 4.1 1940
  • 4.2 1950
  • 4.3 1960

Platforms

The first early games were almost exclusively developed and played mostly at universities or research institutions on mainframe computers or mini- computers. Partly also analog computers were used.

Consoles

Arcade games

The first coin-operated slot machines with video game graphics (vector or raster graphics ) published from 1971. Previously, there was only ( electro-) mechanical arcade games and other entertainment machines such as pinball.

Popular genres of time

Due to the limitations ( graphing) capabilities of the hardware, as well as the progressive space research, mainly published computer simulation games and shooter (usually with space issues in the black space ), as well as simple text games and math games.

Important developer / company

  • Thomas T. Goldsmith, Jr. ( first computer game )
  • William Higinbotham ( game: Tennis for Two )
  • Ken Thompson ( game: Space Travel )
  • Steve Russell ( game: Spacewar! )

Chronicle / most important games of the decade

1940

1950

  • Nim game on a NIMROD (1951 )
  • Dame games on mainframes (1952 )
  • OXO (1952 ) first nor particularly well-known computer game
  • Tennis for Two (1958 ) first video game ( analog computer )
  • Carnegie Tech Management Game ( 1959) long-standing project of the simulation Tepper Business School, started in 1957 on a Bendix G -15 ( mini-computer ), played from 1959 on an IBM 650

1960

  • Spacewar! (1961 ) first digital computer game
  • Expensive Planetarium (about 1962 Platform: PDP-1 )
  • Space Travel (1969, Platform: Multics )
Ralph H. Baer Space Travel (video game)
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