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William Higinbotham created Tennis for Two
He created the game on a large analog computer and connected oscilloscope screen for the annual visitor’s day at the Brookhaven National Laboratory in Upton, New York. It was credited as the first real video game but unfortunately the game was dismantled two years later. However, it anticipated later video games such as Pong. -
Steve Russell invented the first video game that could be played on multiple computer installations
At the Massachusetts Institute of Technology, Russell made Spacewar!. This was computer-based space combat video game for the then cutting-edge computer, the Programmed Data Processor-1 which was mostly found at universities. Throughout the following decade the game was introduced to computers, across the country. -
First home console was released
Developers at Sanders Associates, Inc., led by Ralph Baer, the Father of Video games, invented a prototype multiplayer, multi-program video game system that could be played on a television. They called it "The Brown Box" and licensed it to Magnavox where it was sold as the Odyssey. -
Nolan Bushnell and Al Alcorn of Atari develop an arcade table tennis game
Atari created the game Pong which was one of the first set of arcade games. Not long after, while it was being tested they realized it stopped working.It turns out this was because people played it so much it jammed with quarters. This caused it to be known as an arcade legend. -
Atari released the Atari 2600
Also known as the Video Computer System, the Atari 2600 was a home console that featured joysticks and interchangeable game cartridges. It even played multi-colored games. -
The first third-party game developer, Activision, launches
The launch of Activision is a notable milestone in video game history. They were the first third-party developers. They developed software without making consoles or arcade cabinets -
Pac-Man is released and becomes the first arcade hit to appear on a home console
This arcade game was originally made in Japan by Namco’s Toru Iwatani after he was inspired by a pizza with a missing slice. Pac-Man was an international hit and spawned multiple spin-offs like Ms. Pac-Man which became the best-selling arcade game of all time, advocating gender equality. -
The Video Game Crash
The North American video game industry experienced a major “crash.” This was due to an over saturated game console market, competition from computer gaming, and over-hyped, low-quality games, such as Atari's E.T. The crash lasted years and so several home computer and video game console companies were left bankrupt. -
The Nintendo Entertainment System (NES) is released
Originally this console was released in Japan two years prior as Famicon but came to the US in 1985. The NES revived the video game industry in the United States by giving the market a big boost which saved home consoles. -
Handheld gaming became popular
Nintendo released the 8-bit Game Boy video game device. This handheld console featured Tetris. Almost ten years later it was succeeded by the Game Boy color in 1998.
