-
The First Video Game?
There are many different events that could be believed to be the "first" video game. But before there was "Pong" or "PAC-MAN", there was "Tennis for Two"; a rudimentary side view of a tennis court controlled by two players, created by physicist William Higinbotham. -
Period: to
Humble Beginings
The slow increase in popularity in video games. -
Education in Video Games
"The Oregon Trail" was a simulation of pioneer life on the oregon trail, developed on and for the HP 2100. It was created by three Minnesota college students in 1971, and later produced by the Minnesota Educational Computing Consotium in 1974. It was one the first games that actually had story, choice, and progession. -
The Introduction of The Acade Machine
Though it was not the first arcade style video game cabinet, "Pong" which was released by Atari, was the first to reach a level of mainstream popularity. The game was so popular that it would kickstart the age of the arcade cabinet. -
The PAC-MAN Phenomenon
Originally released in Japan by Namco, Pac-Man would be released in October of the same year by Midway. The game was quite simple, you are a yellow dot and must consume all of the smaller dots without being hit by the "ghosts". The game included "power-up" and a score system, and reached levels of popularity that would launch the video game industry into a true golden age. -
Period: to
The Rise and Fall of The Arcade
With the incredible popularity of Pac-Man, game companies started producing tons of new arcade style games throughout the 80's. Titles like "Centipede". "Galaga", "Donkey Kong", "Tetris", and many more, completely changed the videogame industry. But, with the introduction of the home console, arcades would slowly decline in popularity over the next decade. -
Home Consoles
Released by Nintendo in Japan, the "Family Computer" was one of the first mainstream video game home consoles. With titles such as "Super Mario Bros.", "The Legend of Zelda", and "Metroid", it takes only a few years to reach a worldwide level of popularity, and slowly put to rest the arcade era. -
Period: to
The Dawn of Home consoles
Why go to an arcade and pay money every time you lose, when you could by a game console once and play as many times as you want in the comfort of your own home! With the rise of home consoles came the death of the arcade, pushing us closer to the video games of today. -
3D Graphics
Game companies rise and fall over the years, and now only the elite remain. With the release of the "Playstation" Sony enters the gaming world with their new 3D system, Sporting titles such as "Final fantasy VII", "Crash Bandicoot", and "Spyro." -
Period: to
The Evolution of Modern Video Games
Handheld consoles, HD video, online capabilities, 60 frames per second, masive multiplayer, and virtual reality, these are what videogames have gone through in recent years, and their evolution has brought us to a wide range of definition for the term "Video Game." -
Video games Today
Today Video games are everywhere, from home consoles, handhelds, to phones, and tablets. With the digital age we live in you could even play Tetris on your fridge. The development of video games has reached all forms of target markets, and is more complex than ever before.
