-
The First: Tennis For Two
In October of 1958, Physicist William Higinbotham created "Tennis For Two", a video game that is widely considered to be the first actual video game to have been created. It involved two sides of the screen, with a ball bouncing from side to side, much like the future "Pong", which is commonly misconceived to be the first of the first. The fact that such an early installment had such influence on a title such as "Pong" shows its revolutionary nature in the video game industry. -
First Influential Computer Video Game: Spacewar!
In April of 1962, there were students who programmed a game they called "Spacewar!" on the (at the time) brand new DEC PDP-1 computer; now, it's considered to have been the first influential computer game. The game had two users playing against each other with spaceships capable of firing missiles whilst a star in the center of the screen contributed to the danger. The game was eventually distributed on the new DEC computers and throughout the then still almost-barren Internet. -
The First VR Game: The Sword of Damocles (1968)
Although VR games were not widely implemented in the video game industry until decades after the creation of the Sword of Damocles by Ivan Sutherland, it still had monumental importance. This game was forward-thinking for its time, but still had much technological improvement before it could have been seen as desirable by the public eye. Even then, this was a rather revolutionary attempt when peering into the development of the industry. -
The First Arcade Game: Computer Space
In October 15-17 of 1971, Nolan Bushnell debuted his arcade game "Computer Space", which was the start of something beautiful. He was set on adapting the system to "Spacewar!", as well as making such a system for the purpose of it being more acceptable in price, in hopes of bringing up the industry. Although it did not meet its desired success commercially, it did inspire a future for arcade games. -
The First Video Game Console: The Magnavox Odyssey
Just predating the Atari, the Magnavox Odyssey, made by Ralph H. Baer in 1968, was released in September of 1972. What one would do would be to flip certain switches on the console to any desired video game experience. Also referred to as the "Brown Box", it was a revolutionary model that forever changed the course of the video game industry, alongside the Atari. -
Most Influential Arcade Game: Pac "Puck" Man
Originally released in Japan on May 22 of 1980, Pac-Man showed true potential, eventually seeing itself being ushered into the arcades of America. Although initially called "Puck-Man", that title was soon changed due to fears of defamation of property (P to an F). It soon became arguably one of the most innovative and recognizable titles of the era of arcades, so much so that it has relevance in today's world. -
The First 64-bit System: The Atari Jaguar
The Atari Jaguar, released in November of 1993, was the first of its kind: A 64-bit processing system. It was the mark of a new era, an era in the video game industry that transitioned into a more modern, recognizable form for today's younger generations. It inspired many other companies and their future consoles, such as Nintendo with its Nintendo 64 in 1996. -
The Most Popular Video Game On A Single Platform: Wii Sports
Being released alongside the well-advertised Nintendo Wii near Christmas of 2006, Wii Sports gained immense popularity. I remember getting the system on Christmas, and how a vast majority of my classmates had the console as well; it's mostly due to it coming along with the console that it reached such a point in popularity. It still has relevance today, within newer installments in the media as well as in conversation. It served as a hallmark of the early 2000's, with 82.86 million copies sold. -
The Most Sold Game Ever: Minecraft
Released to the public in the end of 2011, Minecraft had a steady start, but soon sold well-over 180 million copies across multiple gaming systems. It's incredible simplicity makes the subject of the game easier to understand and learn the game, which made it a sough-after video game for much of the younger audiences. It even has programs dedicated to education, which might explain the amount of sales that have been made. It is actually still being updated and played by millions today. -
Interactive (More so) VR: The HTC VIVE and Half Life: Alyx
HTC VIVE has brought much to the world of VR. Much like its predecessors, the visuals put a sense of reality to a game, but there is one notably new factor that changes everything: The Dual Motion Controllers. with these, there's a whole new sense of immersion, with the game now allowing you to interact with the virtual world with your actual hands. This has brought a revolutionary wave to the video game industry in just this decade alone. One exemplary game from VR is Half-Life: Alyx (2020).
