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The First 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. -
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The Beginning
***DISCLAIMER: All pictures, names, trademarks, etc. are ©copyrighted by their original owners - no infringement intended. Original content taken from various sources on the internet.
Most dates are not accurate. The years are correct. -
Creation of Spacewar
Steve Russell, a student at the Massachusetts Institute of Technology (MIT), creates Spacewar, the first interactive computer game. It runs on a Digital PDP-1 mainframe computer, and the graphics are made up of ASCII text characters. -
Plans for Television
Ralph Baer, an engineer at Sanders Associates, receives support from his company (a military electronics consulting firm in NH) to explore his idea of creating interactive games using a television. -
Interactive TV Success
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. -
Magnavox licenses Baer's TV game from Sanders Associates
Magnavox licenses Baer's TV game from Sanders Associates. -
Computer Space
Nolan Bushnell and Ted Dabney (future founders of Atari) begin their attempt to create an arcade version of Spacewar, calling it Computer Space. -
First Arcade Game
Computer Space becomes first video arcade game ever released. 1500 games are distributed. Public consensus is that it is too difficult to play. -
First Home Video Game Device
Magnavox's Odyssey, the first home video game system, is showcased at a convention in Burlingame, CA, and is released to the public later that year. -
A U.S. patent is issued to Ralph Baer for "A Television Gaming Apparatus and Method"
A U.S. patent is issued to Ralph Baer for "A Television Gaming Apparatus and Method" -
Creation of Atari
Bushnell and Dabney found Atari. They name the company after a term from the Japanese game "Go". "Atari" is equivalent to "check" in a chess game. -
Atari's First Game
Al Alcorn is hired by Atari to program video games. The first game created by Atari is Pong. Ping-Pong, the original name, is already copyrighted, so the makers name it Pong after the sound of a ball hitting the paddle. -
Pong Releasd
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. -
First Computer Game
Gunfight, the first "computer" game is released. It is the first game to use a microprocessor instead of hardwired solid-state circuits. -
Coleco's First Console
Coleco releases its first home video-game console called Telstar. -
First Cartridge-Based Console
Fairfield Camera & Instrument debuts its Video Entertainment System which is known later as Channel F. The first programmable (cartridge-based) home game console, it allowed users to change games by switching cartridges that resembled 8-track audio tapes. -
Atari 2600
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. -
First Football Game
The trackball makes its entrance into the video-game industry as the controller in Atari's new arcade game Football. -
Space Invaders
Midway introduces Space Invaders into arcades. It is the first arcade game that tracks and displays high scores. -
Atari's Attempt to Compete With Apple
Atari attempts to enter the computer industry to compete with Apple. The product is not taken seriously, and the Atari 400 and 800 are taken from the market. -
Atari Makes Handheld Console
Atari develops a handheld console that displays holograms. Named "Cosmos," this product was never released. -
Astroids
Asteroids is the first game to allow high scorers to enter three character initials to be stored in the machine.