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Pong
In October 1958, Physicist William Higinbotham created what is thought to be the first video game. It was a very simple tennis game, similar to the classic 1970s video game Pong, and it was quite a hit at a Brookhaven National Laboratory open house. -
The first home video game
Ralph Baer patents his interactive television game. Four years later Magnavox releases Odyssey, the first home video game system, based on his designs. -
Video game crash
The video game crash of 1983 was a large-scale recession in the video game industry that lasted from 1983 to 1985, primarily in the United States. The crash was attributed to several factors, including market saturation in the number of game consoles and available games, and waning interest in console games in favor of personal computers. The crash was a serious event which abruptly ended what is retrospectively considered the second generation of console video gaming in North America. -
N.E.S.
The Nintendo Entertainment System (NES) revives an ailing United States video game industry two years after the Nintendo Corporation released it in Japan as Famicom. -
Gameboy
Nintendo's Game Boy popularizes handheld gaming. Game Boy is not the first handheld system with interchangeable cartridges—Milton Bradley introduced Microvision 10 years earlier—but it charms users with its good game play, ease of use, and long battery life. -
Sega genesis
Sega needed an iconic hero for its Genesis system and found it in Sonic the Hedgehog. Gamers, especially in the United States, snap up Sega systems and love Sonic's blazing speed and edgy attitude. The genesis was the most advanced console during its time, using 16-bit graphics instead of the usual 8-bit. -
The first 3-D game consoles
Sony releases PlayStation in the United States, selling for $100 less than Sega Saturn. The lower price point, along with the arrival of Nintendo 64 in 1996, weakens Sega's home console business. When Sony PlayStation 2 debuts in 2000, it becomes the dominant home console and Sega exits the home console business. -
Mobile Gaming
Mobile and social games like Farmville and mobile games like Angry Birds shake up the games industry. Millions of people who never would have considered themselves gamers now while away hours playing games on new platforms like Facebook and the iPhone.
