<s>
The	O
history	B-Device
of	I-Device
video	I-Device
games	I-Device
spans	O
a	O
period	O
of	O
time	O
between	O
the	O
invention	O
of	O
the	O
first	O
electronic	O
games	O
and	O
today	O
,	O
covering	O
many	O
inventions	O
and	O
developments	O
.	O
</s>
<s>
Video	O
gaming	O
reached	O
mainstream	O
popularity	O
in	O
the	O
1970s	O
and	O
1980s	O
,	O
when	O
arcade	B-Application
video	I-Application
games	I-Application
,	O
gaming	O
consoles	O
and	O
home	O
computer	O
games	O
were	O
introduced	O
to	O
the	O
general	O
public	O
.	O
</s>
<s>
The	O
early	B-Application
history	I-Application
of	I-Application
video	I-Application
games	I-Application
,	O
therefore	O
,	O
covers	O
the	O
period	O
of	O
time	O
between	O
the	O
first	O
interactive	B-General_Concept
electronic	O
game	O
with	O
an	O
electronic	O
display	O
in	O
1947	O
,	O
the	O
first	O
true	O
video	O
games	O
in	O
the	O
early	O
1950s	O
,	O
and	O
the	O
rise	O
of	O
early	O
arcade	B-Application
video	I-Application
games	I-Application
in	O
the	O
1970s	O
(	O
Pong	B-Application
and	O
the	O
beginning	O
of	O
the	O
first	B-Device
generation	I-Device
of	I-Device
video	I-Device
game	I-Device
consoles	I-Device
with	O
the	O
Magnavox	B-Device
Odyssey	I-Device
,	O
both	O
in	O
1972	O
)	O
.	O
</s>
<s>
During	O
this	O
time	O
there	O
was	O
a	O
wide	O
range	O
of	O
devices	O
and	O
inventions	O
corresponding	O
with	O
large	O
advances	O
in	O
computing	O
technology	O
,	O
and	O
the	O
actual	O
first	B-Application
video	I-Application
game	I-Application
is	O
dependent	O
on	O
the	O
definition	O
of	O
"	O
video	O
game	O
"	O
used	O
.	O
</s>
<s>
Following	O
the	O
1947	O
invention	O
of	O
the	O
cathode-ray	B-Application
tube	I-Application
amusement	I-Application
device	I-Application
—	O
the	O
earliest	O
known	O
interactive	B-General_Concept
electronic	O
game	O
as	O
well	O
as	O
the	O
first	O
to	O
use	O
an	O
electronic	O
display	O
—	O
the	O
first	O
true	O
video	O
games	O
were	O
created	O
in	O
the	O
early	O
1950s	O
.	O
</s>
<s>
Initially	O
created	O
as	O
technology	O
demonstrations	O
,	O
such	O
as	O
the	O
Bertie	B-Application
the	I-Application
Brain	I-Application
and	O
Nimrod	B-Application
computers	O
in	O
1950	O
and	O
1951	O
,	O
video	O
games	O
also	O
became	O
the	O
purview	O
of	O
academic	O
research	O
.	O
</s>
<s>
These	O
include	O
OXO	B-Application
and	O
Christopher	O
Strachey	O
's	O
draughts	O
program	O
in	O
1952	O
,	O
the	O
first	O
software-based	O
games	O
to	O
incorporate	O
a	O
CRT	B-Device
display	I-Device
,	O
and	O
several	O
chess	O
and	O
checkers	O
programs	O
.	O
</s>
<s>
Possibly	O
the	B-Application
first	I-Application
video	I-Application
game	I-Application
created	O
simply	O
for	O
entertainment	O
was	O
1958	O
's	O
Tennis	B-Application
for	I-Application
Two	I-Application
,	O
featuring	O
moving	O
graphics	O
on	O
an	O
oscilloscope	O
.	O
</s>
<s>
These	O
new	O
programmers	O
began	O
to	O
create	O
games	O
for	O
non-academic	O
purposes	O
,	O
leading	O
up	O
to	O
the	O
1962	O
release	O
of	O
Spacewar	B-Application
!	I-Application
</s>
<s>
Video	O
games	O
transitioned	O
into	O
a	O
new	O
era	O
in	O
the	O
early	O
1970s	O
with	O
the	O
launch	O
of	O
the	O
commercial	O
video	O
game	O
industry	O
in	O
1971	O
with	O
the	O
display	O
of	O
the	O
coin-operated	O
arcade	O
game	O
Galaxy	B-Application
Game	I-Application
and	O
the	O
release	O
of	O
the	O
first	O
arcade	B-Application
video	I-Application
game	I-Application
Computer	B-Application
Space	I-Application
,	O
and	O
then	O
in	O
1972	O
with	O
the	O
release	O
of	O
the	O
immensely	O
successful	O
arcade	O
game	O
Pong	B-Application
and	O
the	O
first	O
home	O
video	B-Device
game	I-Device
console	I-Device
,	O
the	O
Magnavox	B-Device
Odyssey	I-Device
,	O
which	O
launched	O
the	O
first	O
generation	O
of	O
video-game	O
consoles	O
.	O
</s>
<s>
The	O
term	O
"	O
video	O
game	O
"	O
has	O
evolved	O
over	O
the	O
decades	O
from	O
a	O
purely	O
technical	O
definition	O
to	O
a	O
general	O
concept	O
defining	O
a	O
new	O
class	O
of	O
interactive	B-General_Concept
entertainment	O
.	O
</s>
<s>
This	O
can	O
(	O
but	O
not	O
always	O
)	O
include	O
a	O
cathode	B-Device
ray	I-Device
tube	I-Device
(	O
CRT	O
)	O
,	O
oscilloscope	O
,	O
liquid	B-Device
crystal	I-Device
display	I-Device
,	O
vector-scan	O
monitor	O
,	O
etc	O
.	O
</s>
<s>
This	O
definition	O
would	O
preclude	O
early	O
computer	O
games	O
that	O
outputted	O
results	O
to	O
a	O
printer	O
or	O
teletype	O
rather	O
than	O
a	O
display	O
,	O
as	O
well	O
as	O
games	O
that	O
used	O
static	O
LCD	B-Device
graphics	O
,	O
for	O
example	O
Nintendo	O
's	O
Game	B-Device
&	I-Device
Watch	I-Device
,	O
or	O
most	O
Tiger	O
Electronics	O
handhelds	O
.	O
</s>
<s>
While	O
still	O
rather	O
ill-defined	O
,	O
the	O
term	O
"	O
video	O
game	O
"	O
now	O
generally	O
encompasses	O
any	O
game	O
played	O
on	O
hardware	O
built	O
with	O
electronic	O
logic	O
circuits	O
that	O
incorporates	O
an	O
element	O
of	O
interactivity	B-General_Concept
and	O
outputs	O
the	O
results	O
of	O
the	O
player	O
's	O
actions	O
to	O
a	O
display	O
.	O
</s>
<s>
Going	O
by	O
this	O
broader	O
definition	O
,	O
the	B-Application
first	I-Application
video	I-Application
games	I-Application
appeared	O
in	O
the	O
early	O
1950s	O
;	O
they	O
were	O
tied	O
largely	O
to	O
research	O
projects	O
at	O
universities	O
and	O
large	O
corporations	O
,	O
though	O
,	O
and	O
had	O
little	O
influence	O
on	O
each	O
other	O
due	O
to	O
their	O
primary	O
purpose	O
as	O
academic	O
and	O
promotional	O
devices	O
rather	O
than	O
entertainment	O
games	O
.	O
</s>
<s>
The	O
ancestors	O
to	O
these	O
games	O
include	O
the	O
cathode-ray	B-Application
tube	I-Application
amusement	I-Application
device	I-Application
,	O
the	O
earliest	O
known	O
interactive	B-General_Concept
electronic	O
game	O
as	O
well	O
as	O
the	O
first	O
to	O
incorporate	O
a	O
cathode-ray	B-Device
tube	I-Device
screen	O
.	O
</s>
<s>
The	O
player	O
simulates	O
an	O
artillery	O
shell	O
trajectory	O
on	O
a	O
CRT	B-Device
screen	I-Device
connected	O
to	O
an	O
oscilloscope	O
,	O
with	O
a	O
set	O
of	O
knobs	O
and	O
switches	O
.	O
</s>
<s>
This	O
,	O
along	O
with	O
the	O
lack	O
of	O
electronic	O
logic	O
circuits	O
,	O
keeps	O
the	O
device	O
from	O
being	O
considered	O
the	B-Application
first	I-Application
video	I-Application
game	I-Application
.	O
</s>
<s>
The	O
first	O
electronic	O
digital	O
computers	O
,	O
Colossus	B-Device
and	O
ENIAC	B-Device
,	O
were	O
built	O
during	O
World	O
War	O
II	O
to	O
aid	O
the	O
Allied	O
war	O
effort	O
.	O
</s>
<s>
Shortly	O
after	O
the	O
war	O
,	O
the	O
promulgation	O
of	O
the	O
first	O
stored	B-Architecture
program	I-Architecture
architectures	I-Architecture
at	O
the	O
University	O
of	O
Manchester	O
(	O
Manchester	B-Device
Mark	I-Device
1	I-Device
)	O
,	O
University	O
of	O
Cambridge	O
(	O
EDSAC	B-Device
)	O
,	O
the	O
University	O
of	O
Pennsylvania	O
(	O
EDVAC	B-Device
)	O
,	O
and	O
Princeton	O
University	O
(	O
IAS	B-Device
machine	I-Device
)	O
allowed	O
computers	O
to	O
be	O
easily	O
reprogrammed	O
to	O
undertake	O
a	O
variety	O
of	O
tasks	O
,	O
which	O
facilitated	O
commercializing	O
computers	O
in	O
the	O
early	O
1950s	O
by	O
companies	O
like	O
Remington	O
Rand	O
,	O
Ferranti	O
,	O
and	O
IBM	O
.	O
</s>
<s>
It	O
was	O
in	O
this	O
environment	O
that	O
the	B-Application
first	I-Application
video	I-Application
games	I-Application
were	O
born	O
.	O
</s>
<s>
The	O
computer	O
games	O
of	O
the	O
1950s	O
can	O
generally	O
be	O
divided	O
into	O
three	O
categories	O
:	O
training	O
and	O
instructional	O
programs	O
,	O
research	O
programs	O
in	O
fields	O
such	O
as	O
artificial	B-Application
intelligence	I-Application
,	O
and	O
demonstration	O
programs	O
intended	O
to	O
impress	O
or	O
entertain	O
the	O
public	O
.	O
</s>
<s>
For	O
the	O
same	O
reason	O
,	O
it	O
is	O
impossible	O
to	O
be	O
certain	O
who	O
developed	O
the	O
first	B-Application
computer	I-Application
game	I-Application
or	O
who	O
originally	O
modeled	O
many	O
of	O
the	O
games	O
or	O
play	O
mechanics	O
introduced	O
during	O
the	O
decade	O
,	O
as	O
there	O
are	O
likely	O
several	O
games	O
from	O
this	O
period	O
that	O
were	O
never	O
publicized	O
and	O
are	O
thus	O
unknown	O
today	O
.	O
</s>
<s>
Bertie	B-Application
the	I-Application
Brain	I-Application
was	O
an	O
arcade	O
game	O
of	O
tic-tac-toe	O
,	O
built	O
by	O
Josef	O
Kates	O
for	O
the	O
1950	O
Canadian	O
National	O
Exhibition	O
.	O
</s>
<s>
Nearly	O
a	O
year	O
later	O
on	O
May	O
5	O
,	O
1951	O
,	O
the	O
Nimrod	B-Application
computer	O
—	O
created	O
by	O
engineering	O
firm	O
and	O
nascent	O
computer	O
developer	O
Ferranti	O
—	O
was	O
presented	O
at	O
the	O
Festival	O
of	O
Britain	O
,	O
and	O
then	O
showcased	O
for	O
three	O
weeks	O
in	O
October	O
at	O
the	O
Berlin	O
Industrial	O
Show	O
before	O
being	O
dismantled	O
.	O
</s>
<s>
Using	O
a	O
panel	O
of	O
lights	O
for	O
its	O
display	O
,	O
it	O
was	O
designed	O
exclusively	O
to	O
play	O
the	O
game	O
of	O
Nim	B-Application
;	O
moves	O
were	O
made	O
by	O
players	O
pressing	O
buttons	O
which	O
corresponded	O
with	O
the	O
lights	O
.	O
</s>
<s>
Nimrod	B-Application
could	O
play	O
either	O
the	O
traditional	O
or	O
"	O
reverse	O
"	O
form	O
of	O
the	O
game	O
.	O
</s>
<s>
It	O
was	O
based	O
on	O
an	O
earlier	O
Nim-playing	O
machine	O
,	O
"	O
Nimatron	O
"	O
,	O
designed	O
by	O
Edward	O
Condon	O
and	O
built	O
by	O
Westinghouse	O
Electric	O
in	O
1940	O
for	O
display	O
at	O
the	O
New	O
York	O
World	O
's	O
Fair	O
.	O
</s>
<s>
The	O
Nimrod	B-Application
was	O
primarily	O
intended	O
to	O
showcase	O
Ferranti	O
's	O
computer	O
design	O
and	O
programming	O
skills	O
rather	O
than	O
entertain	O
,	O
and	O
was	O
not	O
followed	O
up	O
by	O
any	O
future	O
games	O
.	O
</s>
<s>
Around	O
this	O
time	O
,	O
non-visual	O
games	O
were	O
being	O
developed	O
at	O
various	O
research	O
computer	O
laboratories	O
;	O
for	O
example	O
,	O
Christopher	O
Strachey	O
developed	O
a	O
simulation	O
of	O
the	O
game	O
draughts	O
,	O
or	O
checkers	O
,	O
for	O
the	O
Pilot	B-Device
ACE	I-Device
that	O
he	O
unsuccessfully	O
attempted	O
to	O
run	O
for	O
the	O
first	O
time	O
in	O
July	O
1951	O
at	O
the	O
British	O
National	O
Physical	O
Laboratory	O
and	O
completed	O
in	O
1952	O
;	O
this	O
is	O
the	O
first	O
known	O
computer	O
game	O
to	O
be	O
created	O
for	O
a	O
general-purpose	O
computer	O
,	O
rather	O
than	O
a	O
machine	O
specifically	O
made	O
for	O
the	O
game	O
like	O
Bertie	O
.	O
</s>
<s>
Strachey	O
's	O
program	O
inspired	O
Arthur	O
Samuel	O
to	O
develop	O
his	O
own	O
checkers	O
game	O
in	O
1952	O
for	O
the	O
IBM	B-Device
701	I-Device
;	O
successive	O
iterations	O
developed	O
rudimentary	O
artificial	B-Application
intelligence	I-Application
by	O
1955	O
and	O
a	O
version	O
was	O
shown	O
on	O
television	O
in	O
1956	O
.	O
</s>
<s>
Also	O
in	O
1951	O
,	O
Dietrich	O
Prinz	O
wrote	O
the	O
first	O
limited	O
program	O
of	O
chess	O
for	O
the	O
University	O
of	O
Manchester	O
's	O
general-purpose	O
Ferranti	B-Device
Mark	I-Device
1	I-Device
computer	O
,	O
one	O
of	O
the	O
first	O
commercially	O
available	O
computers	O
.	O
</s>
<s>
Around	O
the	O
same	O
time	O
in	O
the	O
early	O
1950s	O
,	O
military	O
research	O
organizations	O
like	O
the	O
RAND	O
Corporation	O
developed	O
a	O
series	O
of	O
combat	O
simulation	O
games	O
of	O
increasing	O
complexity	O
,	O
such	O
as	O
Carmonette	B-Application
,	O
where	O
the	O
player	O
would	O
enter	O
orders	O
to	O
intercept	O
enemy	O
aircraft	O
,	O
or	O
set	O
up	O
their	O
forces	O
to	O
counter	O
an	O
enemy	O
army	O
invasion	O
.	O
</s>
<s>
In	O
1952	O
,	O
Alexander	O
S	O
.	O
Douglas	O
created	O
OXO	B-Application
,	O
a	O
software	O
program	O
for	O
the	O
EDSAC	B-Device
computer	O
,	O
which	O
simulates	O
a	O
game	O
of	O
tic-tac-toe	O
.	O
</s>
<s>
The	O
EDSAC	B-Device
was	O
one	O
of	O
the	O
first	O
stored-program	O
computers	O
,	O
with	O
memory	O
that	O
could	O
be	O
read	B-Architecture
from	I-Architecture
or	I-Architecture
written	I-Architecture
to	I-Architecture
,	O
and	O
filled	O
an	O
entire	O
room	O
;	O
it	O
included	O
three	O
35×16	O
dot	O
matrix	O
cathode	B-Device
ray	I-Device
tubes	I-Device
to	O
graphically	O
display	O
the	O
state	O
of	O
the	O
computer	O
's	O
memory	O
.	O
</s>
<s>
The	O
game	O
was	O
not	O
available	O
to	O
the	O
general	O
public	O
,	O
and	O
was	O
only	O
available	O
to	O
be	O
played	O
in	O
the	O
University	O
of	O
Cambridge	O
's	O
Mathematical	O
Laboratory	O
,	O
by	O
special	O
permission	O
,	O
as	O
the	O
EDSAC	B-Device
could	O
not	O
be	O
moved	O
.	O
</s>
<s>
Around	O
the	O
same	O
time	O
,	O
Strachey	O
expanded	O
his	O
draughts	O
program	O
for	O
another	O
mainframe	B-Architecture
computer	I-Architecture
,	O
the	O
Manchester	B-Device
Mark	I-Device
1	I-Device
,	O
culminating	O
in	O
a	O
version	O
for	O
the	O
Ferranti	B-Device
Mark	I-Device
1	I-Device
in	O
1952	O
,	O
which	O
had	O
a	O
CRT	B-Device
display	I-Device
.	O
</s>
<s>
Like	O
OXO	B-Application
,	O
the	O
display	O
was	O
mostly	O
static	O
,	O
updating	O
only	O
when	O
a	O
move	O
was	O
made	O
.	O
</s>
<s>
OXO	B-Application
and	O
Strachey	O
's	O
draughts	O
program	O
are	O
the	O
earliest	O
known	O
games	O
to	O
display	O
visuals	O
on	O
an	O
electronic	O
screen	O
.	O
</s>
<s>
The	O
first	O
known	O
game	O
incorporating	O
graphics	O
that	O
updated	O
in	O
real	O
time	O
,	O
rather	O
than	O
only	O
when	O
the	O
player	O
made	O
a	O
move	O
,	O
was	O
a	O
simulation	O
of	O
a	O
bouncing	O
ball	O
created	O
by	O
Massachusetts	O
Institute	O
of	O
Technology	O
(	O
MIT	O
)	O
student	O
Oliver	O
Aberth	O
for	O
the	O
Whirlwind	B-Device
I	I-Device
computer	O
.	O
</s>
<s>
While	O
further	O
games	O
like	O
checkers	O
and	O
chess	O
were	O
developed	O
on	O
research	O
computers	O
,	O
the	O
next	O
milestone	O
in	O
video	O
games	O
came	O
in	O
1958	O
with	O
Tennis	B-Application
for	I-Application
Two	I-Application
.	O
</s>
<s>
Perhaps	O
the	O
first	O
game	O
created	O
solely	O
for	O
entertainment	O
rather	O
than	O
as	O
a	O
technology	O
demonstration	O
or	O
a	O
research	O
tool	O
,	O
the	O
program	O
simulated	O
a	O
game	O
of	O
tennis	B-Device
.	O
</s>
<s>
Created	O
by	O
American	O
physicist	O
William	O
Higinbotham	O
for	O
visitors	O
at	O
the	O
Brookhaven	O
National	O
Laboratory	O
to	O
be	O
more	O
entertaining	O
for	O
visitors	O
on	O
their	O
public	O
day	O
than	O
the	O
usual	O
static	O
exhibits	O
about	O
nuclear	O
power	O
,	O
the	O
game	O
ran	O
on	O
a	O
Donner	O
Model	O
30	O
analog	O
computer	O
and	O
displayed	O
a	O
side	O
view	O
of	O
a	O
tennis	B-Device
court	O
on	O
an	O
oscilloscope	O
.	O
</s>
<s>
A	O
few	O
programs	O
,	O
however	O
,	O
while	O
used	O
to	O
showcase	O
the	O
power	O
of	O
the	O
computer	O
they	O
ran	O
on	O
were	O
also	O
intended	O
as	O
entertainment	O
products	O
;	O
these	O
were	O
generally	O
created	O
by	O
undergraduate	O
students	O
,	O
such	O
as	O
at	O
MIT	O
where	O
they	O
were	O
allowed	O
on	O
occasion	O
to	O
develop	O
programs	O
for	O
the	O
TX-0	B-Device
experimental	O
computer	O
.	O
</s>
<s>
These	O
interactive	B-General_Concept
graphical	O
games	O
were	O
created	O
by	O
a	O
community	O
of	O
programmers	O
,	O
many	O
of	O
them	O
students	O
affiliated	O
with	O
the	O
Tech	O
Model	O
Railroad	O
Club	O
(	O
TMRC	O
)	O
led	O
by	O
Alan	O
Kotok	O
,	O
Peter	O
Samson	O
,	O
and	O
Bob	O
Saunders	O
.	O
</s>
<s>
The	O
games	O
included	O
Tic-Tac-Toe	O
,	O
which	O
used	O
a	O
light	B-Device
pen	I-Device
to	O
play	O
a	O
simple	O
game	O
of	O
noughts	B-Application
and	I-Application
crosses	I-Application
against	O
the	O
computer	O
,	O
and	O
Mouse	O
in	O
the	O
Maze	O
.	O
</s>
<s>
Mouse	O
in	O
the	O
Maze	O
allowed	O
users	O
to	O
use	O
a	O
light	B-Device
pen	I-Device
to	O
set	O
up	O
a	O
maze	O
of	O
walls	O
on	O
the	O
monitor	O
,	O
and	O
spots	O
that	O
represented	O
bits	O
of	O
cheese	O
or	O
glasses	O
of	O
martini	O
.	O
</s>
<s>
By	O
1961	O
,	O
MIT	O
had	O
acquired	O
the	O
DEC	B-Device
PDP-1	I-Device
minicomputer	O
,	O
the	O
successor	O
to	O
the	O
TX-0	B-Device
,	O
which	O
also	O
used	O
a	O
vector	O
display	O
system	O
.	O
</s>
<s>
The	O
system	O
's	O
comparatively	O
small	O
size	O
and	O
processing	O
speed	O
meant	O
that	O
,	O
like	O
with	O
the	O
TX-0	B-Device
,	O
the	O
university	O
allowed	O
its	O
undergraduate	O
students	O
and	O
employees	O
to	O
write	O
programs	O
for	O
the	O
computer	O
which	O
were	O
not	O
directly	O
academically	O
related	O
whenever	O
it	O
was	O
not	O
in	O
use	O
.	O
</s>
<s>
In	O
1961	O
–	O
62	O
,	O
Harvard	O
and	O
MIT	O
employees	O
Martin	O
Graetz	O
,	O
Steve	O
Russell	O
,	O
and	O
Wayne	O
Wiitanen	O
created	O
the	O
game	O
Spacewar	B-Application
!	I-Application
</s>
<s>
on	O
the	O
PDP-1	B-Device
,	O
inspired	O
by	O
science	O
fiction	O
books	O
such	O
as	O
the	O
Lensman	O
series	O
.	O
</s>
<s>
The	O
game	O
was	O
copied	O
to	O
several	O
of	O
the	O
early	O
minicomputer	O
installations	O
in	O
American	O
academic	O
institutions	O
,	O
making	O
it	O
potentially	O
the	B-Application
first	I-Application
video	I-Application
game	I-Application
to	O
be	O
available	O
outside	O
a	O
single	O
research	O
institute	O
.	O
</s>
<s>
After	O
the	O
game	O
's	O
initial	O
development	O
,	O
members	O
of	O
the	O
TMRC	O
worked	O
to	O
improve	O
the	O
game	O
,	O
adding	O
an	O
accurate	O
starfield	O
and	O
a	O
gravitational	O
body	O
,	O
and	O
spread	O
it	O
to	O
the	O
couple	O
dozen	O
other	O
institutions	O
with	O
a	O
PDP-1	B-Device
,	O
a	O
process	O
which	O
continued	O
over	O
the	O
next	O
few	O
years	O
.	O
</s>
<s>
As	O
the	O
computer	O
was	O
uncomfortable	O
to	O
use	O
for	O
extended	O
periods	O
of	O
time	O
,	O
Kotok	O
and	O
Saunders	O
created	O
a	O
detached	O
control	O
device	O
,	O
essentially	O
an	O
early	O
gamepad	B-Device
.	O
</s>
<s>
Spacewar	B-Application
was	O
reportedly	O
used	O
as	O
a	O
smoke	O
test	O
by	O
DEC	O
technicians	O
on	O
new	O
PDP-1	B-Device
systems	O
before	O
shipping	O
,	O
since	O
it	O
was	O
the	O
only	O
available	O
program	O
that	O
exercised	O
every	O
aspect	O
of	O
the	O
hardware	O
.	O
</s>
<s>
Although	O
the	O
game	O
was	O
widespread	O
for	O
the	O
era	O
,	O
it	O
was	O
still	O
very	O
limited	O
in	O
its	O
direct	O
reach	O
:	O
the	O
PDP-1	B-Device
was	O
priced	O
at	O
US$	O
120,000	O
(	O
)	O
and	O
only	O
55	O
were	O
ever	O
sold	O
,	O
many	O
without	O
a	O
monitor	O
,	O
which	O
prohibited	O
Spacewar	B-Application
or	O
any	O
game	O
of	O
the	O
time	O
from	O
reaching	O
beyond	O
a	O
narrow	O
,	O
academic	O
audience	O
.	O
</s>
<s>
These	O
included	O
board	O
games	O
,	O
"	O
BBC	O
Vik	O
The	O
Baseball	B-Application
Demonstrator	O
"	O
,	O
and	O
"	O
Three	O
Dimensional	O
Tic-Tack-Toe	O
"	O
.	O
</s>
<s>
Following	O
the	O
spread	O
of	O
Spacewar	B-Application
,	O
further	O
computer	O
games	O
developed	O
by	O
programmers	O
at	O
universities	O
were	O
also	O
developed	O
and	O
distributed	O
over	O
the	O
next	O
few	O
years	O
.	O
</s>
<s>
Mainframe	B-Architecture
games	O
were	O
developed	O
outside	O
of	O
the	O
IBM	O
and	O
DEC	O
communities	O
as	O
well	O
,	O
such	O
as	O
the	O
1962	O
Polish	O
Marienbad	B-Application
for	O
the	O
Odra	B-Device
1003	I-Device
.	O
</s>
<s>
A	O
joint	O
research	O
project	O
between	O
IBM	O
and	O
the	O
Board	O
of	O
Cooperative	O
Educational	O
Services	O
of	O
Westchester	O
County	O
,	O
New	O
York	O
led	O
to	O
the	O
creation	O
of	O
The	B-Application
Sumerian	I-Application
Game	I-Application
,	O
one	O
of	O
the	O
first	O
strategy	B-Application
video	I-Application
games	I-Application
ever	O
made	O
,	O
the	O
first	O
game	O
with	O
a	O
narrative	O
,	O
and	O
the	O
first	O
edutainment	O
game	O
;	O
it	O
was	O
also	O
the	O
first	O
known	O
game	O
to	O
be	O
designed	O
by	O
a	O
woman	O
,	O
teacher	O
Mabel	O
Addis	O
.	O
</s>
<s>
These	O
games	O
included	O
a	O
baseball	B-Application
simulation	O
game	O
written	O
in	O
BASIC	O
by	O
John	O
Kemeny	O
in	O
1965	O
;	O
a	O
BASIC	O
bingo	O
game	O
by	O
Larry	O
Bethurum	O
in	O
1966	O
;	O
a	O
basketball	O
simulation	O
game	O
written	O
in	O
BASIC	O
by	O
Charles	O
R	O
.	O
Bacheller	O
in	O
May	O
1967	O
;	O
another	O
baseball	B-Application
game	O
that	O
simulates	O
the	O
1967	O
World	O
Series	O
written	O
in	O
BASIC	O
by	O
Jacob	O
Bergmann	O
in	O
August	O
1967	O
;	O
Space	B-Application
Travel	I-Application
,	O
written	O
by	O
Ken	O
Thompson	O
for	O
a	O
Multics	B-Application
system	O
in	O
1969	O
and	O
which	O
led	O
in	O
part	O
to	O
the	O
development	O
of	O
the	O
Unix	B-Application
operating	I-Application
system	I-Application
;	O
and	O
Hamurabi	B-Application
,	O
a	O
text-based	O
FOCAL	B-Language
game	O
written	O
by	O
Doug	O
Dyment	O
in	O
1968	O
based	O
on	O
a	O
description	O
of	O
The	B-Application
Sumerian	I-Application
Game	I-Application
and	O
converted	O
to	O
BASIC	O
by	O
David	O
H	O
.	O
Ahl	O
in	O
1969	O
.	O
</s>
<s>
Hamurabi	B-Application
and	O
Space	B-Application
Travel	I-Application
were	O
among	O
several	O
early	B-Application
mainframe	I-Application
games	I-Application
that	O
were	O
written	O
during	O
the	O
time	O
,	O
and	O
spread	O
beyond	O
their	O
initial	O
mainframe	B-Architecture
computers	I-Architecture
to	O
general-purpose	O
languages	O
like	O
BASIC	O
.	O
</s>
<s>
The	O
history	B-Device
of	I-Device
video	I-Device
games	I-Device
transitioned	O
into	O
a	O
new	O
era	O
early	O
in	O
the	O
decade	O
,	O
however	O
,	O
with	O
the	O
rise	O
of	O
the	O
commercial	O
video	O
game	O
industry	O
.	O
</s>
<s>
The	O
arcade	B-Application
video	I-Application
game	I-Application
industry	O
grew	O
out	O
of	O
the	O
pre-existing	O
arcade	O
game	O
industry	O
,	O
which	O
was	O
previously	O
dominated	O
by	O
electro-mechanical	O
games	O
(	O
EM	O
games	O
)	O
.	O
</s>
<s>
The	O
first	O
commercial	O
arcade	B-Application
video	I-Application
game	I-Application
was	O
Computer	B-Application
Space	I-Application
(	O
1971	O
)	O
,	O
which	O
was	O
developed	O
by	O
Nolan	O
Bushnell	O
and	O
Ted	O
Dabney	O
and	O
was	O
based	O
on	O
Spacewar	B-Application
.	O
</s>
<s>
Bushnell	O
,	O
who	O
had	O
previously	O
worked	O
at	O
an	O
arcade	O
,	O
wanted	O
to	O
recreate	O
Spacewar	B-Application
as	O
an	O
arcade	O
game	O
.	O
</s>
<s>
They	O
had	O
found	O
the	O
Data	B-Device
General	I-Device
Nova	I-Device
,	O
a	O
US$	O
4,000	O
computer	O
that	O
they	O
thought	O
would	O
be	O
powerful	O
enough	O
to	O
run	O
four	O
games	O
of	O
Spacewar	B-Application
at	O
once	O
;	O
the	O
computer	O
turned	O
out	O
to	O
not	O
actually	O
be	O
powerful	O
enough	O
for	O
the	O
project	O
.	O
</s>
<s>
Another	O
early	O
coin-operated	O
arcade	B-Application
video	I-Application
game	I-Application
was	O
Galaxy	B-Application
Game	I-Application
(	O
1971	O
)	O
,	O
developed	O
by	O
Bill	O
Pitts	O
and	O
Hugh	O
Tuck	O
at	O
Stanford	O
University	O
using	O
a	O
DEC	B-Device
PDP-11	I-Device
computer	O
with	O
vector	O
displays	O
.	O
</s>
<s>
The	O
pair	O
was	O
also	O
inspired	O
to	O
make	O
the	O
game	O
by	O
Spacewar	B-Application
;	O
Tuck	O
had	O
remarked	O
in	O
1966	O
while	O
playing	O
the	O
game	O
that	O
a	O
coin-operated	O
version	O
of	O
the	O
game	O
would	O
be	O
very	O
successful	O
.	O
</s>
<s>
Such	O
a	O
device	O
was	O
unfeasible	O
in	O
1966	O
due	O
to	O
the	O
cost	O
of	O
computers	O
,	O
but	O
in	O
1969	O
DEC	O
released	O
the	O
PDP-11	B-Device
for	O
US$	O
20,000	O
(	O
)	O
;	O
while	O
this	O
was	O
still	O
too	O
high	O
for	O
a	O
commercially	O
viable	O
product	O
,	O
as	O
most	O
games	O
in	O
arcades	O
cost	O
around	O
US$	O
1,000	O
at	O
the	O
time	O
,	O
the	O
pair	O
felt	O
it	O
was	O
low	O
enough	O
to	O
build	O
a	O
prototype	O
to	O
determine	O
interest	O
and	O
optimal	O
per-game	O
pricing	O
.	O
</s>
<s>
Bushnell	O
felt	O
that	O
Galaxy	B-Application
Game	I-Application
was	O
not	O
a	O
real	O
competitor	O
to	O
Computer	B-Application
Space	I-Application
,	O
due	O
to	O
its	O
high	O
price	O
.	O
</s>
<s>
Pitts	O
and	O
Tuck	O
believed	O
,	O
however	O
,	O
that	O
despite	O
the	O
economic	O
argument	O
their	O
game	O
was	O
superior	O
,	O
as	O
they	O
felt	O
that	O
Galaxy	B-Application
Game	I-Application
was	O
a	O
true	O
expansion	O
of	O
Spacewar	B-Application
,	O
while	O
Computer	B-Application
Space	I-Application
just	O
a	O
pale	O
imitation	O
.	O
</s>
<s>
Some	O
players	O
at	O
the	O
time	O
,	O
however	O
,	O
believed	O
Galaxy	B-Application
Game	I-Application
to	O
actually	O
be	O
just	O
a	O
version	O
of	O
Spacewar	B-Application
!	I-Application
.	O
</s>
<s>
Galaxy	B-Application
Games	I-Application
prototype	O
installation	O
was	O
very	O
popular	O
,	O
though	O
at	O
a	O
low	O
price-per-game	O
,	O
and	O
the	O
pair	O
developed	O
a	O
second	O
version	O
to	O
display	O
at	O
the	O
same	O
location	O
;	O
they	O
were	O
never	O
able	O
to	O
enter	O
production	O
,	O
though	O
,	O
as	O
they	O
eventually	O
had	O
to	O
abandon	O
the	O
idea	O
after	O
spending	O
US$	O
65,000	O
developing	O
it	O
due	O
to	O
the	O
high	O
cost	O
and	O
lack	O
of	O
business	O
plan	O
.	O
</s>
<s>
Around	O
the	O
same	O
time	O
as	O
Galaxy	B-Application
Games	I-Application
prototype	O
installation	O
,	O
Computer	B-Application
Space	I-Application
was	O
released	O
.	O
</s>
<s>
While	O
it	O
did	O
well	O
in	O
its	O
initial	O
locations	O
near	O
college	O
campuses	O
,	O
it	O
performed	O
very	O
poorly	O
in	O
bars	O
and	O
arcades	O
where	O
pinball	B-Application
and	O
other	O
arcade	O
games	O
were	O
typically	O
placed	O
;	O
while	O
it	O
was	O
commercially	O
successful	O
and	O
made	O
over	O
US$1	O
,	O
000	O
,	O
000	O
,	O
it	O
did	O
not	O
meet	O
the	O
high	O
expectations	O
of	O
Nutting	O
,	O
who	O
had	O
expected	O
to	O
sell	O
more	O
than	O
1,500	O
units	O
.	O
</s>
<s>
Bushnell	O
and	O
Dabney	O
immediately	O
started	O
work	O
on	O
another	O
game	O
,	O
using	O
the	O
same	O
television	O
set	O
design	O
as	O
Computer	B-Application
Space	I-Application
,	O
as	O
well	O
as	O
founding	O
their	O
own	O
company	O
Atari	O
,	O
Inc	O
.	O
to	O
back	O
their	O
projects	O
.	O
</s>
<s>
Instead	O
,	O
the	O
project	O
was	O
given	O
to	O
Atari	O
's	O
first	O
employee	O
,	O
Allan	O
Alcorn	O
,	O
and	O
as	O
Bushnell	O
believed	O
the	O
driving	O
game	O
would	O
be	O
too	O
complicated	O
as	O
a	O
first	O
project	O
he	O
suggested	O
a	O
prototype	O
ping-pong	O
game	O
.	O
</s>
<s>
Pong	B-Application
was	O
released	O
in	O
1972	O
,	O
a	O
year	O
after	O
Computer	B-Application
Space	I-Application
.	O
</s>
<s>
That	O
same	O
year	O
saw	O
the	O
release	O
of	O
the	O
Magnavox	B-Device
Odyssey	I-Device
,	O
the	O
first	O
home	O
video	B-Device
game	I-Device
console	I-Device
which	O
could	O
be	O
connected	O
to	O
a	O
television	O
set	O
.	O
</s>
<s>
The	O
inventor	O
,	O
Ralph	O
H	O
.	O
Baer	O
,	O
had	O
initially	O
had	O
the	O
idea	O
in	O
1951	O
to	O
make	O
an	O
interactive	B-General_Concept
game	O
on	O
a	O
television	O
set	O
.	O
</s>
<s>
Unable	O
to	O
do	O
so	O
with	O
the	O
technological	O
constraints	O
at	O
the	O
time	O
,	O
he	O
began	O
work	O
on	O
a	O
device	O
that	O
would	O
attach	O
to	O
a	O
television	O
set	O
and	O
display	O
games	O
in	O
1966	O
,	O
and	O
the	O
"	O
Brown	B-Device
Box	I-Device
"	O
,	O
the	O
last	O
prototype	O
of	O
seven	O
,	O
was	O
licensed	O
to	O
Magnavox	O
to	O
adapt	O
and	O
produce	O
.	O
</s>
<s>
The	O
console	O
and	O
its	O
games	O
featured	O
numerous	O
innovations	O
beyond	O
being	O
the	B-Application
first	I-Application
video	I-Application
game	I-Application
device	O
for	O
home	O
consumers	O
:	O
it	O
was	O
the	O
first	O
game	O
to	O
use	O
a	O
raster-scan	O
video	O
display	O
,	O
or	O
television	O
set	O
,	O
directly	O
displayed	O
via	O
modification	O
of	O
a	O
video	O
signal	O
;	O
it	O
was	O
also	O
the	O
first	O
video	O
gaming	O
device	O
to	O
be	O
displayed	O
in	O
a	O
television	O
commercial	O
.	O
</s>
<s>
It	O
sold	O
for	O
US$100	O
and	O
shipped	O
with	O
several	O
games	O
,	O
including	O
"	O
Table	O
tennis	B-Device
"	O
,	O
which	O
Bushnell	O
had	O
seen	O
a	O
demo	O
of	O
and	O
which	O
Pong	B-Application
had	O
been	O
based	O
on	O
.	O
</s>
<s>
The	O
Odyssey	B-Device
sold	O
over	O
100,000	O
units	O
in	O
1972	O
,	O
and	O
more	O
than	O
350,000	O
by	O
the	O
end	O
of	O
1975	O
,	O
buoyed	O
by	O
the	O
popularity	O
of	O
the	O
table	O
tennis	B-Device
game	O
,	O
in	O
turn	O
driven	O
by	O
the	O
success	O
of	O
Pong	B-Application
.	O
</s>
<s>
Pong	B-Application
and	O
the	O
Odyssey	B-Device
kicked	O
off	O
a	O
new	O
era	O
of	O
video	O
gaming	O
,	O
with	O
numerous	O
other	O
competitors	O
starting	O
up	O
in	O
the	O
video	O
game	O
industry	O
as	O
it	O
grew	O
in	O
popularity	O
.	O
</s>
