The story of the first video game in history: origins, pioneers and legacy

When someone asks about the first video game, more than one person throws out names like Pac-Man, Mario or ZeldaThey sound great, but they come quite a bit later than the pioneers who planted the seed in laboratories, universities, and technology fairs. The debate is open because everything depends on... How do we define “video game”?Is any interactive experiment valid? Is a video screen necessary? Must there be a clear playful intention?

Throughout the 20th century, inventions and ideas accumulated until things exploded in arcades, consoles, and home computers. To understand this without getting lost, it's worth thoroughly reviewing the candidates for “first video game”The leap from campus to arcade, and the role of key companies and creators like Ralph Baer, ​​Nolan Bushnell, and the MIT teams. We'll also see how the courts and technology shaped what was considered a "video game" and what wasn't.

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The first video games in history: how this global phenomenon began

What do we mean by "video game" and why does it matter so much?

The definitions have changed. Traditionally, the prefix “video” was associated with a bitmap display deviceBut with everyday use, the term expanded to encompass multiple screens, formats, and platforms. To avoid ambiguities, some historians prefer to speak of “digital games”, although that label leaves out analog experiments of the early years.

On a technical level, there were times when the system was required to manipulate a video signal, usually raster scanning (television, monitor, etc.). This vision even crystallized in legal battles Between 1970 and 1980, the courts distinguished between devices that altered the video signal and computer games that did not use that output. According to these legal criteria, not every early computer game It was described as a “video game”.

And the purpose? For many, a video game must have a playful objectiveSeveral precursors originated as technical demonstrations or academic exercises, but that doesn't diminish their connection to the medium's origins. Therefore, depending on the criteria used, the "winners" of the title change. first in history.

The pioneers: from cathode ray tubes to the first digital displays

In 1947 it was patented Cathode ray tube entertainment deviceThe work of Thomas T. Goldsmith Jr. and Estle Ray Mann, inspired by World War II radar, allowed missiles to be "launched" onto an oscilloscope screen. analog circuitryusing physical overlays for the targets because There were no graphics as we understand them today. It was interactive and visual, but not digital.

In 1951, Ferranti brought the computer to the Festival of Great Britain. Nimrod, designed exclusively for playing the classic NIMIt used a panel of lights as an output and demonstrated something groundbreaking for the time: it was a machine made for playingIt could run both the traditional and inverted versions of the game, and it solidified the link between computing and playful interaction.

Two years later, in 1952, Alexander S. Douglas programmed OXO (Noughts and Crosses) on the Cambridge EDSAC. It is noted as the first computer game to use a digital graphic display and was controlled with a rotary telephone dialer. For those who prioritize “video signal” and “screen” in their definition, OXO He stands out as a very serious candidate.

In 1958, physicist William Higinbotham assembled Tennis for Two to liven up the Brookhaven National Laboratory's open house. With an analog computer and an oscilloscope's vector display, two players adjusted knobs and hit the "ball". It was a public success It was immediate and demonstrated that computing could also be pure fun. Many consider it the first "real" video game because of its clear playful intention.

Between 1959 and 1961, MIT gave birth in TX-0 to programs such as Mouse in the Maze or with a Tic-Tac-Toe with a light pen. The first allowed users to place walls, "cheese," or even cups (in some variations), and release a virtual mouse; the second pitted the user against the machine in a screen-based tic-tac-toe game. These projects, although experimental, They explored direct interaction and pioneering visual representation.

Spacewar!, the great catalyst and the leap into coin-operated arcade games

In 1961, Martin Graetz, Steve Russell and Wayne Wiitanen created Spacewar! on a DEC PDP-1 with vector graphics. It is often cited as the first “shooter” in historyand its popularity spread to various centers with minicomputers. DEC technicians even used it as stress test because it made everyone sweat hardware available.

The influence of Spacewar! was brutal: it inspired a generation of programmers to write their own own gamesThe next step would be to insert coins. In 1971, Bill Pitts and Hugh Tuck installed the Galaxy Games (PDP-11/20), the first computer game operated with coinsThat same year, Nolan Bushnell and Ted Dabney released Computer Spacethe first commercial video game with a coin mechanism and the first widely availableThey adapted the spirit of Spacewar! but using a real television inside the cabinet.

In 1972 came Pong, by Atari (Bushnell and Dabney), an electronic recreation of ping-pong that represented the first big mass hitPong marked the beginning of the industry as we know it, driving the birth of home consoles and the expansion of arcades around the world.

Meanwhile, in 1966 Ralph Baer revived his 1951 idea of ​​playing games on television. By 1967, there were already prototypes capable of doing so. directly modify the video signal (raster sweep). His “Brown Box” culminated in the Magnavox Odyssey From 1972, considered the first home video game console. Here we do speak of "video" in the legal-technical sense that would later be debated in courts.

During the 1970s, arcades experienced their Golden age. titles like Space Invaders (1978) y Pac-Man (1980) They swept the market with simple and addictive mechanics. The record was set: the machines kept the high scoresfueling competitiveness and rivalry with friends. Then came games that encouraged the direct rivalry between players (sports, driving and fighting), reinforcing the social character of the recreation hall.

From Pong clones to consoles and the legal definition of “video game”

The impact of Pong brought a wave of homebrew systems and variations. In Europe, teams like VideoSport MK2, with very simple analog electronics (two integrated circuits and four doors NAND), which offered tennis, soccer, and "hole in the wall" with line-based graphics. Not many units of the first model were manufactured, but it illustrates the rapid expansion of the concept.

In Germany, he stood out Interton Video 2001, surprisingly advanced: it brought together 14 CMOS chips to draw basic objects and generate sound effects, with games like Car Race o Naval BattlePhilips, for its part, launched a Pong-type system at the end of 1975 with Cartridgessemi-analog and with several CMOS integrated circuits; he even dared to linear potentiometers at the controls.

This entire ecosystem coexisted with Baer's first serious consoleization: Odyssey It opened the door to home gaming. At the same time, patent disputes raged between 1970 and 1980, ultimately defining a legal framework: to be considered a "video game," the device had to manipulate a video signal of a scanning system (television, monitor). By that standard, many earlier computer games were left out of the legal label of the time, although from current historiography they are not excluded from the narrative.

This era also saw the forging of names and myths. Ralph H. Baer He is widely known as the "father of video games" for bringing interactive entertainment to the home television. Nolan BushnellWith Atari, he proved that the arcade could be a mass businessAnd on campuses, Spacewar! had shown that digital fun could be a cultural phenomenon.

Further back still, other pieces of the puzzle appear from time to time. In 1950, Josef Kates assembled Bertie the BrainA huge, playable tic-tac-toe game for fairs, which some cite as the first video game, although it doesn't quite fit the definition of a "classic" video screen. There are also references to Playing Chess (1949) and even Fox and Hounds (1966) domestic attributed to Ralph Baer, ​​Albert "Maricon" and Ted Dabney in certain stories; it is advisable to take them as background discussed within the mosaic of early versions.

Consoles, arcades and global expansion: from Nintendo and SEGA to 3D

The leap to a mainstream audience solidified brands. Atari popularized home gaming with Home Pong and other systems, while Nintendo It entered the market in 1977 with its Color TV-Game. That learning led to the Game & Watchdevices portable of a single game that left its mark. In the late 70s and throughout the 80s, arcades burned with success alongside a home market that It kept growing.

With the call third generation (mid-80s), Nintendo and SEGA set the course with Famicom/NES y Master SystemImprovements in color and sound, and the birth of legendary franchises like Super Mario Bros, The Legend of Zelda, Sonic o final Fantasy They cemented the culture of modern video games. The arcades were still alive, with Donkey Kong, Galagaand that flood of scores that encouraged continuous self-improvement.

In the early 90s, the war of the 16 bits (Mega Drive, Super Nintendo, PC Engine/TurboGrafx, CPS Changer) raised the technical bar and brought the CD-ROM to the conversation. SNK surprised everyone with Neo GeoArcade power in the living room at a prohibitive price. In parallel, PCs began to embrace 3D environments: from the “2D” of Doom a 4D Boxing and the 3D on pre-rendered backgrounds de Alone in the DarkEven in 16-bit systems there were technical milestones such as the pre-rendered graphics de Donkey Kong Country o Killer InstinctAnd on the Mega Drive, the polygonal success of Virtua Racing.

Quickly, 3D took over the market with the consoles of 32 bits (PlayStation, Sega Saturn) and of 64 bits (Nintendo 64, Atari Jaguar), while on PC they appeared 3D acceleratorsPlayStation arrived after the SNES-CD project failed: Nintendo rejected the idea and Sony She continued on her own, changing history. The salons, little by little, began to lose their appeal as home machines improved.

On laptops, Game Boy He dominated with an iron fist despite rivals like Game Gear, Lynx o Neo geo pocketIn the late 90s, PlayStation reigned supreme with Final Fantasy VII, resident evil, Winning Eleven 4, Gran Turismo o Metal Gear SolidOn PC, FPS (Quake, Unreal, Half-Life) and the RTS (Command & Conquer, StarCraftThey dominated headlines. The internet boosted the multiplayer and the MMORPG , the Ultima Online. In 1998, Dreamcast It ushered in the so-called "128-bit" generation.

Eternal debates: who was "the first" and who is "the father"?

“What was the first video game?” doesn’t have a single answer because changes with the definitionIf we prioritize playful intent and two players in real time, Tennis for Two (1958) It's likely. If we demand a digital screen and video signal, OXO (1952) It is placed in the front row. With a legal approach to raster manipulation, the balance favors domestic systems. OdysseyAnd if we look at commercial impact, Pong (1972) He is the one who changes everything.

The nickname of “father of the video games"usually falls on Ralph H. Baer for bringing the game to the living room TV. Next to him, Nolan Bushnell He is considered a key pioneer for industrializing arcades and turning them into a global phenomenon. Behind the scenes, groups like the one from MIT and projects like Spacewar! They provided the creative spark that inspired an entire generation.

There are also candidates who appear depending on the magnifying glass: the CRT of 1947 as the “first visual interactive”; Nimrod (1951) as “the first computer for gaming”; Galaxy Game (1971) as “first computer coin-op”; Computer Space (1971) such as “the first mass-market commercial coin-op”; or those European assemblies from the mid-70s that expanded Pong fever across half of Europe. Everything adds up in the timeline.

From then until now: laptops, motion sensors, online and economic boom

After the rise of the 80s and 90s, the new millennium added decisive layers: online multiplayer on a large scale and global communities in games like Counter-Strike, World of Warcraft, Call of Duty 4: Modern Warfare o League of LegendsThen came the smartphone, the streaming, The virtual reality and cloud services. Motion control (with controversial proposals such as Wii) showed that the design could change how we play.

In figures, the sector has grown to levels unimaginable decades ago. Recent estimates place global revenues at around hundreds of billions annual. Titles such as Minecraft They accumulate hundreds of millions of copies, and formats such as Tetris They add up to staggering figures across all their versions. Meanwhile, open-world sagas and indie experiences coexist in an ecosystem more diverse than ever.

Along the way, the hobby became massive and widespread. Arcades have become a cultural icon, but the competitive spirit lives on in the EsportsAnd although it's often forgotten, even in the early arcades it was the ranking of scores that ignited the social spark. That thirst for improvement and for sharing the passion comes, literally, from the Middle prehistory.

Candidates and key players, one by one

• CRT Device (1947): analog missile simulator with oscilloscope and overlays; visual and interactive, but not digital.
• Nimrod (1951): first computer designed for gaming; light panel and NIM game mastery (normal and inverted versions).
• OXO (1952): Tic-tac-toe by Alexander S. Douglas at EDSAC; first digital graphic display in a computer game.
• Tennis for Two (1958): two players in real time on an oscilloscope; crystal clear playful intent and public success.
• TX-0 (1959-1961)Mouse in the Maze and Tic-Tac-Toe with stylus; direct interaction and graphic experimentation.
• Spacewar! (1961)Space combat on the PDP-1; a seminal shooter that inspired programmers and served as hardware test.
• Galaxy Game (1971) y Computer Space (1971): beginning of coin-op, the latter being the first widely available commercial arcade.
• Pong (1972): the great commercial explosion; the driving force behind the first home consoles and the arcade boom.
• Odyssey (1972): first home console; technical basis for the legal definition of “video game” as manipulation of video signal.
• European clones and variations (mid-70s): VideoSport MK2, Interton Video 2001, Philips cartridge systems, etc.

One last point: many popular chronicles have “crowned” Pong as “first”, when in reality he was the one who first It won over the general publicTo the question of which was the first in history, the honest answer is nuanced: it depends on whether you value playful intentif you demand video screen, if you consider the merchandising or if you lean on the legal definition of a certain era. Be that as it may, all these pioneers paved the way for an industry that has only continued to grow.

Having seen all the pieces, it becomes clear that the origin of video games is a cross between laboratories, arcades, and halls: from oscilloscope to living room TV, from the lights of Nimrod to the polygons of Virtua Racing, from the stylus of the TX-0 to the sensors of Wii, from the challenge of Spacewar! to the Elo ratings of the MMOWhat began as tests and curiosities ended up becoming the dominant interactive entertainment of our time, and the debate about "the first" is, in reality, the best excuse to enjoy the whole journey.

Isaac

Passionate writer about the world of bytes and technology in general. I love sharing my knowledge through writing, and that's what I'll do on this blog, show you all the most interesting things about gadgets, software, hardware, tech trends, and more. My goal is to help you navigate the digital world in a simple and entertaining way.