Timeline and history of gaming

Timeline and history of gaming

In this blog I am going to talk about the different video game platforms that have emerged over the years and what they have done to improve over the years. I will discuss the features of each game console and the limitations of each console since the 1950’s. The game platforms that I will discuss are:

-Arcade games

-Mobile game platforms

-PC based games

-Other games such as interactive TV

1950’s

Arcade Games

Bouncing Ball Game

This was the decade where there were major advancements in video game technology. Charly Adama created the game known as “Bouncing Ball” which used real time video signals and was demonstrated in April 1951. This was the first game that was capable of displaying real time text and graphics on a screen for someone to see. This game was also the first to have a core memory system which enabled it to store binary data on magnets which were in a wire grid.

Checkers

A British computer scientist during February 1951 designed a checkers game to run on the Pilot ACE Computer which was one of the first computers that was designed and built by the National Physical Laboratory. This was the first computer game to have a successful AI program so that the user will be able to play against the computer. This advancement is AI Technology will later impact the gaming industry on a massive scale. Having an AI system to control other NPC’s in a game will prove to be a massive feature in games to come.

OXO, Tic Tac Toe, Noughts and Crosses

The game known as tic tac toe was created by Alexander S. Douglas in 1952. The game was created to provide an example of “human-computer interaction” for Alexander’s these at the University of Cambridge. This game is considered the first true computer game and was designed for the computer to play against the user who was operating the computer. However the game was not able to get any widespread popularity because it was only available on the EDSAC computer that was unique to Cambridge.

Tennis for Two

Tennis for two was the predecessor to the popular game ‘PONG’. This game is recognised as one of the first games that used a graphical display to display the game which is a huge advancement in gaming and would go on to influence how games are designed in the future. This game used an oscilloscope to display the game, which was an electronic test instrument that displays signal voltages.

Summary

In summary the 1950’s was a huge year for gaming because that is when modern gaming essentially started. The creation and advancements of AI technology and the use of a digital screen will provide the foundations for games that were developed in the coming years and games that have not been developed yet. Advancements in displaying games on monitors will also revolutionise how people view games and how they can interace and immerse themselves in the game. If people are able to interact with the game and control something on the screen they will want to play more since they are immersed in the game.

 

1960’s

Arcade Games

At the start of the 1960’s a computer programmer by the name of John Burgeson begins developing a baseball simulation for a computer. Durnig the development his brother Paul assists in the development and when it is finished the game is run on a IBM 1620 computer. This is known as the first known computer baseball program.

Spacewar!

In 1962, the first computer based video game was released to the public. The game was designed and developed by Steve Russel, an American computer scientist and was helped by Martin Graetz and Wayne Wittanen. The game was run on the Digital Equipment Corporation PDP-1 minicomputer at the Massachusetts Institute of Technology and after the game was developed it was improved upon by the students at the institute of technology and surrounding universities. The computer and the game was also spread to various computer installations, making it the first game to be played at multiple locations.

Coding for everyone

In 1964, John Kemeny of Dartmouth College created a computer timeshare system and a BASIC programming language that made it possible for everyone to code their own games much easier compared to the conventional methods of creating games at the time. With this games were being created constantly by students who had a passion for gaming.

Interactive TV

Odyssey

Ralph Baer patents the design for the interactive television game, odyssey. This was the first commercially available computer game console that used a television screen to display the image. There was a working prototype being developed in 1966 and the prototype was finished in 1968. The system was powered by six C batteries that were included in with the game but there was an optional A/C power supply for sale. There was no sound system in the Odyssey but there was a sound feature for one of its games ‘Pong’. There was a proposal to add a sound system to the Odyssey bit the idea was scrapped. There was also a peripheral to add to the Odyssey called the Light Gun and this gun was used in the game called shooting gallery. The gun detected the light from the TV screen.

Summary

In summary 1970 offered much advancement in video game technology. The first computer based video game was released which was the start of the development of personal video game computer systems and games for these systems. There was a coding system invented that enables the average person to code their own games with the aid of a little knowledge and finally an interactive television game that lets the users control the game on their own television screen. There is no need to have a special monitor for a game anymore and from here on the development of computer consoles that can connect to TV’s at home will sky-rocket.

1970’s

In 1971 the game ‘Oregon Trail’ was created by Minnesota college students Dan Rawitsch, Bill Heinemann and Paul Dillengerger. The game was designed to teach school children about what life was like in the 19^th century and what life as a pioneer was like. The game was originally played on a single teletype machine but then later the game was brought to the Minnesota Educational Computer Consortium where the game was distributed amongst the masses.

Pong

In 1972 Nolan Bushnell and Al Alcorn who work for Atari develop the arcade table tennis game called Pong. The game was such a huge success that most of the machines were inoperable after a short time because there were too many quarters in the machine. This was the first game to reach a massive mainstream popularity.

Maze Wars

Maze Wars (1974) is a first person shooter that makes the players traverse a maze and combat other players/characters. This game is considered the first to use the first person feature in a game, letting the player see through the characters eyes when playing. Maze Wars provided the concept for many games in the future to come.

Atari 2600

In 1977, Atari releases the video game console called the Atari 2600. This console featured a joystick, interchangeable cartridges, games in colour and switches for selecting various difficulty levels. The console was credited and famed for its use of microprocessor based hardware and ROM cartridges containing game code.

Summary

In summary the development of more interactive games and a story for games was huge. With Oregon Trail the development of story in games was started, immersing the player in the game and making them feel like they have a real impact on the outcome of the game. The development of Maze Wars will also catapult the development of the first person genre of game and effect how first person games of the future will play.

1980’s

Pac-Man

Pac-Man was the first successful arcade game to appear on a console and that console was the Atari 2600. The game goes on sale in July 1980. The game was created by Namco’s Toru Iwatani when he saw a pizza with a missing slice, giving him the design of the character Pac-Man. Pac-Man is credited as being one of the most influential and highest grossing video games of all time since it generated more than £2.5 billion in 1990.

M.U.L.E

M.U.L.E is a multiplayer game where the players have to compete in gathering resources to save a space colony on the planet of Irata. This is a great leap in multipleyer games because 4 players or computer opponents were able to compete against each other for survival, it also shows a great leap in strategy games.

Mobile Gaming

Game Boy

When the Game Boy was released by Nintendo in 1989, it popularised mobile and handheld gaming, but it wasn’t the first handheld console that used the feature of interchangable cartridges. However the Game Boy became popular because of the charm it had on anyone who used the console and that the battery life was pretty long so this allowed for extended playing time.

Summary

Game developers realised that having a memorable and likeable character in a game can go a long way to make a game successful as it is evident in Pac-Man. If a game has no likeable characters then it will most likely not be a successful game. The development of multiplayer strategic survival games will go on to influence how strategy games are developed and how multiplayer features can be implemented into these games. Having more than one person playing a game with you can be much more fun than playing on your own and game developers realised this from the start. If a came has multiplayer capabilities the game will most likely be played for longer and will be more successful in the long run. Finally the development of mobile gaming devices will go to influence how future mobile gaming platforms are developed. Having interchangeable cartridges  and a long battery life are vital to having a successful mobile gaming platform.

1990’s

PlayStation

The PlayStation was a video game console that was released on December 3^rd 1995 by Sony and it sold for $100 less than the Sega Saturn, which gave it a huge advantage in the market. Also since the Sega Saturn and the PlayStation were very similar in what games they could play and the performance of the consoles was the same, the PlayStation held the advantage.

Lara Croft’s Tomb Raider

In the game Tomb Raider, Lara Croft stars as the adventurer in this very popular but controversial game. Lara Croft becomes loved by many of the players but the game came under scrutiny by critics because they saw the game as being sexist because of her outfit in the game, her exaggerated features and unrealistic body.

Deep Blue

Deep Blue is a chess playing computer that was developed  and created by IBM and it won its first game in 1996. Deep Blue was the first piece of artificial intelligence to beat the chess champion at the time, Garry Kasparov. The first time the pair played against each other, Garry won by a score of 4-2 but after Deep Blue had undergone major upgrades they played again in 1997 in which Deep Blue won against the chess champion. When Deep Blue won against Garry he accused IBM of cheating and demanded a rematch, however IBM refused and retired Deep Blue.

Legend of Zelda: Ocarania of Time

The very popular adventure game ‘Legend of Zelda’ that was released in November 1998 for the N64. The game featured varied and difficult puzzles for th eplayer to solve, there were many different characters that engaged and immersed the player in the game and the game featured one of the most known and memorable musical instruments to ever appear in a game. This game was also featured in 3D which was revolutionary for the time.

Summary

In summary the development and creation of artificial software had advanced so much that it is able to beat a grandmaster chess player multiple times. The development of adventure games that utilised many different features such as puzzles make games much more varied and interesting to play. Also having a very memorable feature in a game such as the Ocarania of Time in the Legend OF Zelda can drastically help a game sell and immortalise the game. Having 3D graphics in games can also help immerse the player in the game, giving the player more than on perspective on what they are  playing.

2000’s

Xbox and Halo Combat Evolved

In the year 2001 the game console Xbox was released and Halo Combat Evolved came with it. The Xbox was the first gaming console that Microsoft had created and it was the first console that was sold after the Atari Jaguar stopped its sales in 1996. As of May 2006, the Xbox had sold over 24 million units worldwide. Halo Combat Evolved was also released with the Xbox and it was a huge success. The game was a huge advancement in graphical technology and story in games. With these features the player is able to really immerse themselves in the world of the game and see through the eyes of the main character and understand the feelings of that character. You are also able to play split screen on the campaign. Over 5 million copies of Halo Combat Evolved were sold, making it on of the most popular video games for the Xbox.

Steam

The game company Valve releases the digital distribution platform Steam. Steam enables millions of users to purchase and download games from the internet straight to their computer. Steam also provides automatic updates for all of the games that are being sold on the site. There are many different features on steam that the users are able to use such as the the workshop where you are able to look at user created content and download that content, whether that be a separate game or an add-on for a game that you currently have. There is also the feature where you are able to add friends on steam and communicate with the friends that you have added on steam. As of February 2016 there are over 7500 games available on steam and there have been 12.5 million user accounts created on steam.

Minecraft

A Swedish developer by the name of Markus Persson develops the very popular indie game, Minecraft. The game was released in 2010 and it was an instant success. The game allows its users to explore a massive world which is made by different types of blocks in which they are able to harvest materials in the word and build various structures to help the player survive in the world. There are new updates being released very often and new content is always being released, keeping the players of the game hooked. There is also a massive modding community for the game, different users are able to implement their ideas into the game which makes the game more personalised for the individual. Minecraft was originally intended for the PC but was later put onto the Xbox 360, Xbox One, PlayStation 3 and the PlayStation 4. As of 2014, 12 million copies were sold for the Xbox 360 and 22 million people have bought the game on PC.

Summary

In summary the development of consoles that are able to support high demanding games that have high quality graphics for the time help improve the quality of gameplay and help immerse the player in the game, an example of this is Halo Combat Evolved and the Xbox console. The development of a game sharing and downloading platform makes games easy to access for everyone and at an affordable price. People are able to discuss games with their friends and play the games that they own with their friends. Open world games give players the freedom to do whatever they want, with barely any bounds or restrictions to stop what they want to do. Finally the modding community flourished with the development of these open world games, these mods give the users the ability to customise their game to their liking an keep the the game fresh for the user.