Timeline: Video Game Timeline

1958

First Video Game

Physicist Willy Higinbotham invents the first "video game" at the Brookhaven National Laboratory in Upton, New York. His game, a table tennis-like game, was played on an oscilloscope.

1961

Spacewar Is Created

Steve Russell, a student at the Massachusetts Institute of Technology, creates Spacewar, the first interactive computer game.

1966

Creates Interactive Games With T.V.

Ralph Baer, an engineer at Sanders Associates, receives support from his company to explore his idea of creating interactive games using a television.

1967

Baer Was Successful

Baer and team are successful in creating two interactive TV games a chase game and a tennis game. They are also able to manipulate a toy gun so that it detects spots of light on the TV screen.

1970

Magnovox Licenses Baer's TV Game

Magnavox licenses Baer's TV game from Sanders Associates.
Nolan Bushnell and Ted Dabney begin their attempt to create an arcade version of Spacewar, calling it Computer Space.

1971

Computer Space is the first arcade game

Computer Space becomes first video arcade game ever released. 1500 games are distributed.

1972

Atari Vs Magnavox

Baer claimed that Atari co-founder Nolan Bushnell had copied Magnavox’s version of electronic Ping-Pong after Bushnell played the game at a Magnavox dealership demo a few months before Pong was released.

1972

First Home Video Game System

Magnavox's Odyssey, the first home video game system, is showcased at a convention in Burlingame, CA.

1975

Pong Is Released

Atari's Pong is released with help from Sears Roebuck, which finances the production of 150,000 units. It becomes the hottest selling Christmas present. Sears sells the product exclusively, with the Sears Tele-Games logo.

1976

Telstar is released

Coleco releases its first home video-game console called Telstar.

1977

Video Computer System is released

Atari introduces its first cartridge-based home video system called the Video Computer System which later becomes known as the Atari 2600. It retails for $249.95.

1978

Atari creates Football

The trackball makes its entrance into the video-game industry as the controller in Atari's new arcade game Football.

1979

Atari makes Cosmos

Atari develops a handheld console that displays holograms. Named "Cosmos," this product was never released.

1981

First Video Game Magazine

Arnie Katz and Bill Kunkel found the first video-game magazine, Electronic Games.

1982

Atari 5200 is released

Atari releases the Atari 5200 to compete with Coleco's Colecovision

1985

Tetris is created

The popular game Tetris is developed by Russian programmer Alex Pajitnov. It is played on a PC. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=_fQtxKmgJC8

1986

Nintendo releases NES

Nintendo's NES is released in the U.S. after being test-marketed in NY one year earlier

1986

The SMS is created to complete the NES

To compete with the NES, Sega introduces the Sega Master System (SMS).

1986

Atari 7800 is released

Atari releases the Atari 7800 to stay competitive in the market.

1997

Wilson Vs Midway Games

A 13-year-old boy named Noah Wilson passed away after his best friend stabbed him in the chest with a kitchen knife, severing his aorta. The court held that Midway Games was not liable for the death under the First Amendment, as the State of Connecticut could not violate their free speech rights to make video games.

2018