History Of Video Games

1972- Magnavox Odyssey

1972

The Magnavox Odyssey was the world's very first game console. The prototype shown in the picture is known as the "Brown Box" and can be found at the Smithsonian. This game console predates Atari's 'Pong' home game consoles which also came around in 1972.

1974-Gran Trak 10

1974

The first arcade game to introduce steering wheels, accelerators, and brake pedals to arcade consoles. Gran track is a single-player game were the player races against the clock while gaining points.

1977 - Atari 2600

1977

This console popularized game cartridges in the 1980s. It was originally called "Atari VCS" but then called "Atari 2600" after the release of "Atari 5200" in 1982. The Atari consisted of two joysticks, two paddle controllers, and a cartridge game.

1978- Space invaders

1978

Space invaders is a shooting game were players defeat waves of aliens with a laser and gain points with each hit. It was created in Japan, the later licensed in the United States. It grossed roughly two billion dollars by 1982. The pixilated alien has become apart of pop culture and can be seen in various other games and media.

1979-Intellivision

1979

This console was the first to pose a threat towards Atari. It was made by Mattel electronics with only four games available. Over two million consoles were sold by 1982, earning Mattel a one-hundred million profit.

1980- Pac man

1980

Pac man was considered the most popular arcade game of all time. It became a social phenomenon that sold related merchandise and inspired an animated television series. It was the highest brand awareness of any video game character.

1981- Donkey Kong

1981

A game by Nintendo where you move the character across a series of platforms while avoiding obstacles. The hero and the ape became the two most popular characters at Nintendo. Later, they developed the game on home consoles. It dominated the market in the 1980s and early 1990s.

1984- Video game crash

1984

The delay of Atari's 7800 console left consumers wanting the next big thing. A flood of consoles on the US market gave consumers too many choices. Poor game titles and too many games based on the movie ET. Introduction of personal computers like the Commodore 64. Consumers turned to personal computers rather than video game consoles.

1986- Legend of Zelda

1986

This is a fantasy- action adventure created in Japan and later published by Nintendo. The player plays as Link, who must rescue Princess Zelda. Over 67.93 million copies were sold.

1987- Final Fantasy

1987

Apart of the science fantasy RPGs, final fantasy was known for innovations, visuals, photo-realistic character models, and orchestrated music. There was more than one hundred million units sold.

1989- Nintendo's Game boy

1989

The first successful hand held gaming console. Originally bundled with Tetris. Around 118.69 million sold worldwide.

1991- Super Nintendo

1991

This introduced advanced graphics and sound capabilities. It ran 3D graphics better and was the best-selling of the '16 bit' era.

1991- Sonic the Hedgehog

1991

A game by Sega, where you play as a blue hedgehog and run to collect rings throughout different environments. This game increased the popularity of Sega's console and the game was established as Sega's mascot.

1994- Sony Playstation

1994

Very first of a series of PS consoles. First to ship 100 million units.

1995- Sega Saturn

1995

A powerful machine for its time, but its design mad it difficult to harness power correctly. Not as popular as the Nintendo 64 and Playstation but was part of the 32 bit era.

1996- Nintendo 64

1996

Nintendo's third home console marketed at $199. Sold 32.93 million units worldwide. Released with Super Mario 64 and Pilotwings 64.

2000- Sony Playstation 2

2000

Best selling console in history. Selling over 150 million units. Produced for 12 years with over 3,000 game titles.

2001- Nintendo Gamecube

2001

Nintendo's fourth system that used compact discs. Sold 22 million units worldwide. Discs were encrypted and unreadable by most DVD drives. Discontinued in 2007.

2001- Microsoft Xbox

2001

Microsoft's first console with over 24 million units sold. Allowed players to play online. Marketed at about $300. Discontinued in 2008, followed by Xbox 360 and Xbox One.

2005-2007 Nintendo's Wii

2007

Fifth home game console by Nintendo. Direct successor to the GameCube. Nintendo states that its console targets a broader demographic than Microsoft's. Includes a wireless controller, Wii Remote can be used as a handheld pointing device and detect acceleration in three dimensions. Released in 2005. During the week of September 12, 2007, the Financial Times declared that the Wii is the current sales leader of generation.