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The First "Video Game"
The first video game debuted at the World's Fair in New York. It was created by Edward U. Condon he invented a computer that played a game Nim that played against human competitors. The computer won most of the time. -
Atari Video Computer System
Atari releases its Video Computer System, or the Atari 2600. It's the basis towards modern consoles, and features classic games like Space Invaders, Donkey Kong and Frogger. -
The Nintendo Entertainment System (NES) launches
Nintendo, a company originally founded in Japan. Was originally a playing card company during the late 1880s, but got into the video game business in the 1970s and revolutionized the industry with NES. NES games were graphically superior to previous games, and the extra memory allowed for multiple levels and storytelling. -
Sega Genesis Launches
The next generation of consoles launched in 1989, when Japan-based game company Sega released the Genesis. This introduced us to another classic character who was Sonic. Sonic was seen as a more mature counterpart to Mario, helping win over older gamers. -
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, helped create the Entertainment Software Rating Board (An industry group that rates video games for age appropriateness and content). -
Nintendo and Sony Split
The late 80s and early 90s also saw a courtship between Nintendo and Sony, which were working together on an upgrade to the SNES that would allow it to play CD-based games rather than cartridges.Sony, wanting to get into the gaming market, teamed up with Nintendo in an effort to gain a foothold in the industry.That relationship, eventually failed when Sony decided to pursue its own console, believing that Nintendo was stalling in an attempt to keep the company out of the market. -
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 had way more storage compared to cartridges, allowing developers to create longer, more sophisticated games. -
Rise of the XBox
In 2001, Microsoft decided to get into the gaming industry, launching its own console, the Xbox. The original Xbox upped the ante in the console wars, pushing out companies like Sega and pitting Microsoft against stalwarts Nintendo and Sony. -
Gaming = Physical Activity
Nintendo eventually took things in a different direction than Sony and Microsoft and launched the Wii console in 2006. The Wii was majorly different because it incorporated movement into gameplay, getting people off of the couch with its new control mechanism. -
Mobile Games
Mobile gaming also started taking hold with the release and popularization of social and phone-based games like Farmville and Angry Birds. Later mobile games would start driving massive revenues, like Clash of Clans, Mobile Strike and Candy Crush.