To understand where we are going, we must look at the path we have already taken. This applies to video games and any other field of endeavor. Fortunately, the video game industry has a rich and exciting past and a lot to teach us.
In this article, paper writer will go back in time to the very early days of one of the fastest growing and most popular industries in entertainment and consider:
- What was the first computer game?
- Who invented the very first game?
- When did the first computer game appear?
- Why was it invented?
At first glance, it may seem that the answers to these questions are quite simple and can be found in two clicks. But, as with many of the “what was there in the beginning?” or “who invented it?” questions, finding the right answer among the mystery and confusion is not easy. I hope I can help you.
The First Computer Game: Basic Facts
When discussing the facts and history of the video game, it is important to understand what it is all about.
There are several definitions of a video game, but we will use the simplest one.
A video game is anything you can interact with by controlling computer-generated images on display using an electronic device.
Some feel that the term “play” should be included in this definition. After all, we are talking about a game. However, many modern definitions imply that video games can be considered an art form whose message is conveyed in an interactive form.
Still, one must rely on a much more technical definition to determine when the first game was developed.
Wikipedia states:
“Technically speaking, for a product to be considered a video game, a video signal must be transmitted to the electron-beam tube (CRT), which creates a rasterized image on the screen.”
While this definition may seem confusing, it does specify the technical parameters of what was originally considered a video game.
It was the basis for describing the first video game, which is important if you’re trying to get to the bottom of it.
The modern definition of a video game covers many more aspects.
Only the rabid pedants will insist that mobile games are not video games. These pedants generally believe that the virtual reality simulations that have gained popularity on PCs and consoles in the last few years are built solely around the effects of presence and cannot be considered real games.
In modern parlance, it can all be considered video games. But if we want to get to the truth and find true answers to our questions, we must establish clear criteria.
What Was the First Computer Game?
As is often the case with discoveries and inventions, you can find many answers on the Internet about the first video-based computer game and who invented it.
But if you separate the grains from the chaff and try to find out how things were, many of them will be weeded out, leaving a few worthy candidates.
Bertie the Brain: the Very First Game
Some believe that the first video-based computer game was Bertie the Brain, which Joseph Cates invented in 1950.
This monstrous machine was four meters tall and could play the familiar game of tic-tac-toe, and it was unveiled at the Canadian National Exhibition.
Visitors to the exhibition with great pleasure competed with the artificial intelligence Bertie the Brain at various levels of difficulty.
Today, many of us would find such a simple game boring. However, it is worth remembering that Bertie was an unprecedented technological marvel at that time.
Unfortunately, after the exhibition, this historical piece was dismantled. As wonderful as the machine was, it had lost its novelty.
But back to the question: what is a video game? If we focus on the definition, Bertie the Brain can hardly serve as a suitable example.
William Higginbotham: The Man Who Invented Video Games
Although Bertie the Brain has played a pivotal role in gaming history, it does not fully meet the definition of a real video game.
It’s time to find out which game is considered the first real video game by the pedants we’ve mentioned.
Let’s travel back to 1958, to Brookhaven National Laboratory. There we will meet William Higinbotham.
William Higinbotham (born October 25, 1910) was a distinguished physicist. He was a member of the team that created the first nuclear bomb.
Few gamers know that the man who invented video games as we know them also participated in the creation of one of the most destructive technologies in the world.
This curious dichotomy shows just how brilliant this man was while at the same time reminding us that the world cannot be divided into black and white.
Being part of this team forever branded William Higinbotham and became a heavy burden he carried throughout his life. Perhaps that is why he became one of the founders of the Federation of American Scientists, whose goal was to make the world a safer place through science and scientific analysis.
In 1947, already a key figure in history, Higinbotham became head of the Buckhaven National Laboratory. There he invented Tennis for Two.
Tennis for Two: the first computer game in the world
In October 1958, the world saw the first real video game. It happened during the Open Day, which was held at the Buckhaven National Laboratory.
To the surprise of visitors and William Higinbotham himself, the world’s first computer game was the hit of the event.
People Lined Up to Play Tennis for Two.
Players could play tennis with an oscilloscope on an analog computer by turning two knobs and pushing a button. It was Pong’s popular game prototype, which appeared 14 years later.
It only took a couple of hours to create the game, and it became incredibly successful. Higinbotham was very pleased because that’s exactly what he wanted to achieve: to liven up an otherwise boring event.
Many people ask: why was the first computer game invented? There are many answers to this question, but one of the most important reasons was to please and entertain people.
Higinbotham invented video games to show that science is not just for war and destruction. Yes, he had a hand in the invention of the nuclear bomb, which brought death, grief, and ruin, but he also pioneered video games, one of the world’s most popular forms of entertainment.
Tennis for Two quickly became a hit on the show. Thousands of attendees wanted to learn how to play and win games. Despite the lack of fancy graphics and complicated control systems, visitors immersed themselves in the game. Players saved their achievements and began to compete against each other.
Could Higinbotham have imagined that he had started a revolutionary movement that day? That movement gradually gained momentum and finally made the entertainment industry what we know today.
As with Bertie the Brain, Tennis for Two was quickly forgotten after the open house at Brookhaven National Laboratory. It was not until years later that the seed, accidentally dropped on that fateful day, sprouted and began to bear fruit.
William Higginbotham, although he created the world’s first video game, did not continue his research in this direction. Leaving that endeavor to others, he returned to work on nuclear weapons control, which he did until the end of his career.
Unfortunately, nothing was left of Tennis for Two, a key element in the history of games, for history: the computer was dismantled, and its parts were used in other projects.
Still, progress did not stand, and since then, the video game industry has evolved, gradually gaining momentum.
Boom, Video Game Culture
Until the late 1950s and during the 1960s, almost nothing happened in the video game industry. Gradually, however, more and more inventors began to become interested in what we today call interactive media.
Gaming machines began to appear all over the world. They gave young people the opportunity to relax and spend time together and at the same time fostered a culture of competition. This culture encouraged players (and the industry itself) to test their mettle and taught them persistence, patience, and diligence.
With the advent of Pong, the industry began to grow rapidly. It was the first blockbuster game that captivated the American public and spawned a boom in the gaming industry.
With Pong, Atari became a household fixture in the United States, and its video game console became a household staple.
Over the past few decades, the video game industry has evolved before our very eyes. Of course, it was not without setbacks.
In 1983, computer games caught up with the Atari-Shock crisis in Japan. It led to a significant downturn in the development of the industry and lasted until 1985.
North America suffered the most from this crisis because of the market’s oversaturation. The industry’s collapse caused many companies’ bankruptcy and marked the end of the second generation of gaming consoles.
But we all know that the story did not end there. With the advent of the Nintendo Entertainment System, the golden era of video games began.