The History of Video Games

By kiraasem

  • The first “video game”

    The first video game debuts at the World’s Fair in New York. Edward U. Condon invents a computer that plays a game, “Nim”, against human competitors. The computer won 90% of the time.

  • Video games meet television

    Ralph Baer conceives and builds the “Brown Box”, a prototype video game console that allowed users to play on TV screens.

  • The Magnavox Odyssey launches

    The Magnavox Odyssey hits shelves, allowing gamers to take a console home for the first time. It’s based on Baer’s “Brown Box”.

  • Atari’s Video Computer System

    Atari releases its Video Computer System, or the Atari 2600. It’s the precursor to modern consoles, and features classic games like “Space Invaders”, “Donkey Kong”, and “Frogger”.

  • Saturation of the market, and the tragedy of E.T.

    “E.T.”—a game based on the movie—was released for the Atari 2600. it was widely considered the worst game ever made, and
    the company ended up burying thousands of game cartridges in the New Mexico desert.

  • The Nintendo Entertainment System (NES) launches

    The NES launches, reigniting consumer passion and hooking millions of children on the adrenaline rush that accompanies the sad realization that the princess is in another castle.

  • Going mobile

    Nintendo releases the Game Boy during the summer of 1989, allowing early players to take their gaming on the road.

  • Blood

    A staple of modern gaming, violence took the spotlight in the early 1990s. Fighting games and shooters like “Mortal Kombat” and “Doom” hit the market, and with their gore and violent imagery, ushered in the creation of the Entertainment Software Rating Board, an industry group that rates video games for age appropriateness and content.

  • The PlayStation is born

    The release of the Sony PlayStation was another generation-defining shift in gaming. The platform brought gaming into a new technological era. CD-based games could store massive amounts of data compared to cartridges, allowing developers to create longer, more sophisticated games. Classics like “Final Fantasy VII”, “Resident Evil”, and “Metal Gear Solid” exemplified the console’s then-newborn abilities.

  • The dawn of online gaming

    Sega, after a series of failed products (Sega CD, Sega Saturn), released another console — the Dreamcast. While it wouldn’t go on to be a hit, the Dreamcast featured another first: It allowed for online gameplay.