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5000 BCE
Dice Games
"A series of 49 small carved painted stones were found at the 5,000-year-old Başur Höyük burial mound in southeast Turkey. These are the earliest gaming pieces ever found. Similar pieces have been found in Syria and Iraq and seem to point to board games originating in the Fertile Crescent." The Full History of Board Games by Peter Attia -
3100 BCE
Senet
"Board games became popular among pharaohs in Ancient Egypt. Primarily, the game of Senet. The game has been found in predynastic and First Dynasty burials. Senet is featured in several illustrations from Ancient Egyptian tombs." The Full History of Board Games by Peter Attia -
3000 BCE
Mehen
"While a complete set of rules on how to play the game have never been found, we do know the game represents the deity Mehen. The Sun Cult envisioned the god Mehen as a huge serpent who wrapped the Sun God Re in its coils (the game board itself mimics this)." The Full History of Board Games by Peter Attia -
2650 BCE
The Royal Game of Ur
"The game gets its name from its founding within the Royal Tombs of Ur in Iraq. There was also a set found in Pharaoh Tutankhamen’s tomb. The Royal Game of Ur was played with two sets, one black and one white, of seven markers and three tetrahedral dice (4-sided dice)." The Full History of Board Games by Peter Attia -
2000 BCE
Backgammon
"Ludus duodecim scriptorum was a board game popular during the time of the Roman Empire. The name translates as “game of twelve markings”, likely referring to the three rows of 12 markings found on surviving boards. The game tabula is thought to be a descendant of this game, and both are similar to modern backgammon." The Full History of Board Games by Peter Attia -
1300 BCE
Ludus latrunculorum
"...a two-player strategy board game played throughout the Roman Empire. It has references as early as Homer’s time and is said to resemble chess. Because of the limited sources, reconstruction of the game’s rules is difficult, but is generally accepted to be a game of military tactics." The Full History of Board Games by Peter Attia -
500 BCE
Hop-Scotch
"The first references of Hop-Scotch date back to Roman Children around 500 BC. There are many variations of the game all over the world, but the general rules stay consistent... The game’s first recorded references in English-speaking world date back to the late 17th century, usually under the name “scotch-hop” or “scotch-hopper”." The Full History of Board Games by Peter Attia -
400 BCE
Liubo
"Liubo was immensely popular during the Han Dynasty and rapidly declined afterwards. It’s speculated this may have been caused by the rise in popularity of the game of Go. Liubo almost became totally forgotten. Knowledge of the game increased in recent years with archeological discoveries of Liubo game boards and pieces in ancient tombs." The Full History of Board Games by Peter Attia -
400
Tafl
"...a family of ancient Germanic and Celtic strategy board games played on a checkered board with two armies of uneven numbers." The Full History of Board Games by Peter Attia -
500
Chaturanga
"...an ancient Indian strategy game developed in the Gupta Empire, India around the 6th century AD. In the 7th century, it was adopted as shatranj in Sassanid Persia, which in turn was the form of chess brought to late-medieval Europe." The Full History of Board Games by Peter Attia -
600
Chess
"The earliest evidence of chess is found in Sassanid Persia around 600 AD. It’s theorized Muslim traders came to European seaports with ornamental chess kings as curios before they brought the game of chess." The Full History of Board Games by Peter Attia -
700
Mancala
"This family of board games is played around the world and referred to as “sowing” games, or “count-and-capture” games, which describes the gameplay. The word mancala comes from the Arabic word naqala meaning “to move”. More than 800 names of traditional mancala games are known, and almost 200 invented games have been described." The Full History of Board Games by Peter Attia -
The Landlord's Game
"Magie had invented and patented The Landlord’s Game in 1904 and designed the game to be a practical demonstration of land grabbing with all its usual outcomes and consequences. She based the game on the economic principles of Georgism, a system proposed by Henry George, with the object of demonstrating how rents enrich property owners and impoverish tenants." The Full History of Board Games by Peter Attia -
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." October 1958: Physicist Invents First Video Game -
Jet Rocket
SEGA arcade game, first video game to feature open world gaming. -
Sword of Damocles VR System
One of the earliest attempts at 3D graphics. -
Computer Space
First commercial arcade game, by Nutting Associates. The History of Video Games by Jeff Tyson -
The Odyssey
Magnavox introduced the first home video game system: "The core of the system was a board with about four-dozen transistors and diodes. The Odyssey was very limited -- it could only produce very simple graphics, and required that custom plastic overlays be taped over the television screen." The History of Video Games by Jeff Tyson -
Dungeons & Dragons
"The original D&D box (1974), by Gary Gygax and Dave Arneson, contained three booklets: Men & Magic, Monsters & Treasure, and The Underworld & Wilderness." The (Not-So) Secret Origin of D&D by Shannon Appelcline -
Sugarcane Island
R.A. Montgomery publishes the first "Choose Your Own Adventure" Book, "Sugarcane Island", written by Edward Packard in 1969. Packard got the idea from telling his children bedtime stories. -
Atari Pong System
"Atari introduced a home version of its popular arcade game, Pong. The original home version of Pong was sold exclusively through Sears, and even carried the Sears logo. Pong was a phenomenal success, opening the door to the future of home video games." The History of Video Games by Jeff Tyson -
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Atari Video Computer System
"Systems like the Atari 2600, its descendant, the 5200, Coleco's ColecoVision and Mattel's IntelliVision helped to generate interest in home video games for a few years. But interest began to wane because the quality of the home product lagged far behind arcade standards." The History of Video Games by Jeff Tyson -
Mattel LED-Based Handhelds
"Mattel managed to pry video games away from quarter-swallowing arcades and dim televisions with their successful line of LED-based, single-game handhelds. Most people today will remember Football, but the company also released the creatively-titled Basebal and Basketball, as well as the non-sports titles Missle Attack, Armor Battle, and Sub Chase." A Brief History of Handheld Video Games by Donald Melanson -
Colossal Cave Adventure
The first known work of interactive fiction, considered the precursor for the adventure game genre. -
Spiel des Jahres
"The Spiel des Jahres has the stated purpose of rewarding excellence in game design, and promoting top-quality games in the German market. It is thought the existence and popularity of the award is one of the major drivers of the quality of games coming out of Germany." The Full History of Board Games by Peter Attia -
Choose Your Own Adventure Books
Joëlle Delbourgo convinces Bantam press to publish "The Cave of Time" by R.A. Montgomery, the first widely published "Choose Your Own Adventure" Book. A Brief History of "Choose Your Own Adventure" by Jake Rossen -
Microvision
"Milton Bradley has the distinction of being the first to introduce a handheld video game console with interchangeable cartridges with its Microvision... had only a handful of games and was plagued with problems from the start, including a 16x16 pixel LCD screen that was prone to rotting and cartridges that could be permantly damaged by even a relatively small static charge." A Brief History of Handheld Video Games -
Game & Watch Series
"Nintendo introduced their first Game & Watch handheld in 1980 and would go on to produce dozens more throughout the decade, offering a small glimpse of what was to come from the company. As the name suggests, the handhelds featured a clock and alarm but the real attraction was the games, which included titles like Donkey Kong, Mario Bros, and Balloon Fight." A Brief History of Handheld Video Games by Donald Melanson -
Zork
One of the earliest and most popular interactive-fiction text-based adventure computer games. -
Mystery House
First time graphics were integrated into text adventure games. Play me a story: How video game storytelling has evolved by Seamus Byrne -
Utopia
First game to implement real-time events. -
LucasArts
First company to create adventure games outside of the typical scfi/fantacy genre. Play me a story: How video game storytelling has evolved by Seamus Byrne -
Pocket Computer
"Epoch’s Game Pocket Computer was released only in Japan in 1984 and had just five games. The 75x64 LCD screen was a big step up from the Microvision but, as you can tell from the number of people who have actually ever heard of the device, it never caught on." A Brief History of Handheld Video Games by Donald Melanson -
Nintendo Entertainment System
"The NES introduced three very important concepts to the video game system industry: Using a pad controller instead of a joystick; Creating authentic reproductions of arcade video games for the home system; Using the hardware as a loss leader by aggressively pricing it, then making a profit on the games themselves." The History of Video Games ny Jeff Tyson -
Nintendo Game Boy
"The original Game Boy, in its various incarnations, is the most successful video game system ever -- handheld or otherwise. Part of its success is likely due to its reasonable price ($109 US at launch), but most of it is a result of the games and, in particular, the drop dead brilliant move of bundling Tetris with the system." A Brief History of Handheld Video Games by Donald Melanson -
Settlers of Catan
"The Settlers of Catan was one of the first Eurogames to achieve popularity outside of Europe. Over 24 million games in the Catan series have been sold and the game has been translated in over 30 languages." The Full History of Board Games by Peter Attia -
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Playstation
"The Sony PlayStation is a video game console that was released by Sony Computer Entertainment, in Japan on December 3, 1994, and in North America on September 9, 1995. The PlayStation was the first of Sony Computer Entertainment's game consoles. The Playstation was the predecessor to the PlayStation 2, PlayStation Portable, PlayStation 3, Playstation Vita, and most recently the PlayStation 4, which was released in 2013." Giant Bomb -
Ultima Online
"The grandfather of modern MMOs, Richard Garriott’s quest to take his popular Ultima series online was initially met with disinterest by publishers. Before Ultima Online, the closest thing to a modern MMO was text-based multi-user dungeons (MUDs). But Garriott’s vision ended up being so successful it kickstarted a genre." A Brief History of MMO Games by Steven Messner -
Everquest
"If Ultima Online started the genre, Everquest refined it. Featuring 16 different races and classes, it digs deep into fantasy’s roots to let players be anything from frog necromancers to ogre shamans. Many of Everquest’s ideas, like grouping with dozens of players to kill tough raid bosses, would become archetypes of the genre." A Brief History of MMO Games by Steven Messner -
Anarchy Online
"Instead of quests being rigid instructions, Anarchy Online features a dynamic system that lets players tailor combat encounters to suit their needs. What’s more, those quests also popularised ‘instancing’, which segregates a group of players to their own isolated version of a zone—a technology that would pave the way for modern dungeons." A Brief History of MMO Games by Steven Messner -
Xbox
"Originally dubbed the DirectX Box, the console was intended to be the first game system built like a PC, bringing all of the flexibility and power of a gaming rig to the console market." The History of the Xbox by Rick Marshall and Gabe Gurwin -
EVE Online
"This space-faring sandbox from CCP Games is both a fascinating and depressing social experiment. EVE Online encourages players to make their own objectives and tell their own stories. Naturally, those players decided to make those stories a chronicle of war so violent that it makes Game of Thrones feel like a Sunday school story." A Brief History of MMO Games by Steven messner -
Second Life
"While not your average MMO, the fantasy of becoming something else is just as strong. There’s no real objective in Second Life, just a series of tools for players to create their own fun. For many, that fun means exploring a side to their sexuality that would be impossible in real life." A Brief History of MMO Games by Steven Messner -
Steam
"Steam began life as a way for Valve to control the patching process for games like Counter-Strike, as well as curb cheating and provide easier access to any content the developer produced. All was not hunky-dory, though; many gamers saw Steam as a threat to PC gaming, requiring a constant internet connection at a time when only 20% of American households had access to broadband internet." The 15 Year Evolution of Steam by Matt Sayer and Tyler Wilde -
World of Warcraft
"Of all the MMOs on this list, none have had the impact that World of Warcraft has. As much of a pop culture phenomenon as it is a videogame, Warcraft’s absurd success transformed the genre and steered it away from innovation towards shameless imitation in hopes of recreating that success." A Brief History of MMO Games by Steven Messner -
Steam Adds non-Valve Games
"Ragdoll Kung Fu and Darwinia become the first non-Valve games to hit Steam. This was big news, marking the platform's shift from being essentially a downloader and server browser to a proper store." The 15 Year Evolution of Steam -
Good Old Games
"A beta version of GOG.com was launched in 2008 with a few titles available from Interplay, the site's first partner. The 2-year beta saw the signing of over 100 partners including big publishers and independent studios. GOG.com released nearly 500 classic games, reaching over 1.7 million gamers per month." Good Old Games: GOG.com And The DRM-Free Revolution by Erik Kain
