<s>
The	O
Nimrod	B-Application
,	O
built	O
in	O
the	O
United	O
Kingdom	O
by	O
Ferranti	O
for	O
the	O
1951	O
Festival	O
of	O
Britain	O
,	O
was	O
an	O
early	O
computer	O
custom-built	O
to	O
play	O
Nim	B-Application
,	O
inspired	O
by	O
the	O
earlier	O
Nimatron	O
.	O
</s>
<s>
The	O
twelve-by-nine-by-five-foot	O
(	O
3.7-by-2.7-by-1.5-meter	O
)	O
computer	O
,	O
designed	O
by	O
John	O
Makepeace	O
Bennett	O
and	O
built	O
by	O
engineer	O
Raymond	O
Stuart-Williams	O
,	O
allowed	O
exhibition	O
attendees	O
to	O
play	O
a	O
game	O
of	O
Nim	B-Application
against	O
an	O
artificial	B-Application
intelligence	I-Application
.	O
</s>
<s>
The	O
player	O
pressed	O
buttons	O
on	O
a	O
raised	O
panel	O
corresponding	O
with	O
lights	O
on	O
the	O
machine	O
to	O
select	O
their	O
moves	O
,	O
and	O
the	O
Nimrod	B-Application
moved	O
afterward	O
,	O
with	O
its	O
calculations	O
represented	O
by	O
more	O
lights	O
.	O
</s>
<s>
The	O
speed	O
of	O
the	O
Nimrod	B-Application
's	O
calculations	O
could	O
be	O
reduced	O
to	O
allow	O
the	O
presenter	O
to	O
demonstrate	O
exactly	O
what	O
the	O
computer	O
was	O
doing	O
,	O
with	O
more	O
lights	O
showing	O
the	O
state	O
of	O
the	O
calculations	O
.	O
</s>
<s>
The	O
Nimrod	B-Application
was	O
intended	O
to	O
demonstrate	O
Ferranti	O
's	O
computer	O
design	O
and	O
programming	O
skills	O
rather	O
than	O
to	O
entertain	O
,	O
though	O
Festival	O
attendees	O
were	O
more	O
interested	O
in	O
playing	O
the	O
game	O
than	O
the	O
logic	O
behind	O
it	O
.	O
</s>
<s>
After	O
its	O
initial	O
exhibition	O
in	O
May	O
,	O
the	O
Nimrod	B-Application
was	O
shown	O
for	O
three	O
weeks	O
in	O
October	O
1951	O
at	O
the	O
Berlin	O
Industrial	O
Show	O
before	O
being	O
dismantled	O
.	O
</s>
<s>
The	O
game	O
of	O
Nim	B-Application
running	O
on	O
the	O
Nimrod	B-Application
is	O
a	O
candidate	O
for	O
one	O
of	O
the	O
first	O
video	O
games	O
,	O
as	O
it	O
was	O
one	O
of	O
the	O
first	O
computer	O
games	O
to	O
have	O
any	O
sort	O
of	O
visual	O
display	O
of	O
the	O
game	O
.	O
</s>
<s>
It	O
appeared	O
only	O
four	O
years	O
after	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
to	O
use	O
an	O
electronic	O
display	O
,	O
and	O
one	O
year	O
after	O
Bertie	B-Application
the	I-Application
Brain	I-Application
,	O
a	O
computer	O
similar	O
to	O
the	O
Nimrod	B-Application
which	O
played	O
tic-tac-toe	O
at	O
the	O
1950	O
Canadian	O
National	O
Exhibition	O
.	O
</s>
<s>
The	O
Nimrod	B-Application
's	O
use	O
of	O
light	O
bulbs	O
rather	O
than	O
a	O
screen	O
with	O
real-time	O
visual	O
graphics	O
,	O
however	O
,	O
much	O
less	O
moving	O
graphics	O
,	O
does	O
not	O
meet	O
some	O
definitions	O
of	O
a	O
video	O
game	O
.	O
</s>
<s>
In	O
late	O
1950	O
,	O
John	O
Makepeace	O
Bennett	O
,	O
an	O
Australian	O
employee	O
of	O
the	O
firm	O
and	O
recent	O
Ph.D.	O
graduate	O
from	O
the	O
University	O
of	O
Cambridge	O
,	O
proposed	O
that	O
the	O
company	O
create	O
a	O
computer	O
that	O
could	O
play	O
the	O
game	O
of	O
Nim	B-Application
.	O
</s>
<s>
In	O
Nim	B-Application
,	O
players	O
take	O
turns	O
removing	O
at	O
least	O
one	O
object	O
from	O
a	O
set	O
of	O
objects	O
,	O
with	O
the	O
goal	O
of	O
being	O
the	O
player	O
who	O
removes	O
the	O
last	O
object	O
;	O
gameplay	O
options	O
can	O
be	O
modeled	O
mathematically	O
.	O
</s>
<s>
Bennett	O
's	O
suggestion	O
was	O
supposedly	O
inspired	O
by	O
an	O
earlier	O
Nim-playing	O
machine	O
,	O
"	O
Nimatron	O
"	O
,	O
which	O
had	O
been	O
displayed	O
in	O
1940	O
at	O
the	O
New	O
York	O
World	O
's	O
Fair	O
.	O
</s>
<s>
Although	O
Bennett	O
's	O
suggestion	O
was	O
a	O
game	O
,	O
his	O
goal	O
was	O
to	O
show	O
off	O
the	O
computer	O
's	O
ability	O
to	O
do	O
mathematical	O
calculations	O
,	O
as	O
Nim	B-Application
is	O
based	O
on	O
mathematical	O
principles	O
,	O
and	O
thus	O
showcase	O
Ferranti	O
's	O
computer	O
design	O
and	O
programming	O
skills	O
rather	O
than	O
to	O
entertain	O
.	O
</s>
<s>
The	O
Nimrod	B-Application
took	O
the	O
form	O
of	O
a	O
large	O
box	O
with	O
panels	O
of	O
lights	O
,	O
with	O
a	O
raised	O
stand	O
in	O
front	O
of	O
it	O
with	O
buttons	O
corresponding	O
with	O
the	O
lights	O
,	O
which	O
in	O
turn	O
represented	O
the	O
objects	O
the	O
player	O
could	O
remove	O
.	O
</s>
<s>
A	O
visual	O
guide	O
attached	O
to	O
the	O
Nimrod	B-Application
explained	O
what	O
the	O
computer	O
was	O
doing	O
during	O
its	O
turn	O
,	O
as	O
well	O
as	O
showing	O
possible	O
game	O
states	O
and	O
how	O
they	O
would	O
be	O
represented	O
by	O
the	O
lights	O
.	O
</s>
<s>
On	O
5	O
May	O
1951	O
,	O
the	O
Nimrod	B-Application
computer	O
was	O
presented	O
at	O
the	O
Festival	O
as	O
the	O
Nimrod	B-Application
Digital	O
Computer	O
,	O
advertised	O
as	O
"	O
faster	O
than	O
thought	O
"	O
and	O
an	O
"	O
electronic	O
brain	O
"	O
.	O
</s>
<s>
It	O
exclusively	O
played	O
the	O
game	O
of	O
Nim	B-Application
;	O
moves	O
were	O
made	O
by	O
players	O
seated	O
at	O
the	O
raised	O
stand	O
,	O
with	O
the	O
demonstrator	O
sitting	O
on	O
the	O
other	O
side	O
between	O
the	O
stand	O
and	O
the	O
computer	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>
A	O
short	O
guidebook	O
was	O
sold	O
to	O
visitors	O
for	O
one	O
shilling	O
and	O
sixpence	O
explaining	O
how	O
computers	O
worked	O
,	O
how	O
the	O
Nimrod	B-Application
worked	O
,	O
and	O
advertising	O
Ferranti	O
's	O
other	O
developments	O
.	O
</s>
<s>
It	O
explained	O
that	O
the	O
use	O
of	O
a	O
game	O
to	O
demonstrate	O
the	O
power	O
of	O
the	O
machine	O
did	O
not	O
mean	O
that	O
it	O
was	O
meant	O
for	O
entertainment	O
and	O
compared	O
the	O
mathematical	O
underpinnings	O
of	O
Nim	B-Application
with	O
modeling	O
the	O
economics	O
of	O
countries	O
.	O
</s>
<s>
Players	O
of	O
the	O
Nimrod	B-Application
during	O
the	O
Festival	O
included	O
computer	O
science	O
pioneer	O
Alan	O
Turing	O
.	O
</s>
<s>
After	O
the	O
Festival	O
,	O
the	O
Nimrod	B-Application
was	O
showcased	O
for	O
three	O
weeks	O
in	O
October	O
at	O
the	O
Berlin	O
Industrial	O
Show	O
,	O
where	O
it	O
also	O
drew	O
crowds	O
,	O
including	O
the	O
West	O
Germany	O
economics	O
minister	O
Ludwig	O
Erhard	O
.	O
</s>
<s>
It	O
was	O
then	O
briefly	O
shown	O
in	O
Toronto	O
;	O
afterwards	O
,	O
however	O
,	O
as	O
it	O
had	O
served	O
its	O
purpose	O
the	O
Nimrod	B-Application
was	O
dismantled	O
.	O
</s>
<s>
As	O
the	O
Nimrod	B-Application
was	O
not	O
intended	O
as	O
an	O
entertainment	O
product	O
,	O
it	O
was	O
not	O
followed	O
up	O
by	O
any	O
future	O
games	O
,	O
and	O
Ferranti	O
continued	O
its	O
work	O
on	O
designing	O
general	O
purpose	O
computers	O
.	O
</s>
<s>
Nim	B-Application
was	O
used	O
as	O
a	O
demonstration	O
program	O
for	O
several	O
computers	O
over	O
the	O
next	O
few	O
years	O
,	O
including	O
the	O
Norwegian	O
NUSE	O
(	O
1954	O
)	O
,	O
Swedish	O
SMIL	B-Device
(	O
1956	O
)	O
,	O
Australian	O
SILLIAC	B-Device
(	O
1956	O
)	O
,	O
Polish	O
Odra	B-Device
1003	I-Device
(	O
Marienbad	B-Application
,	O
1962	O
)	O
,	O
Dutch	O
Nimbi	O
(	O
1963	O
)	O
,	O
and	O
French	O
Antinéa	O
(	O
1963	O
)	O
.	O
</s>
<s>
The	O
Nimrod	B-Application
was	O
created	O
only	O
four	O
years	O
after	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
,	O
and	O
one	O
year	O
after	O
a	O
similar	O
purpose	O
built	O
game-playing	O
machine	O
,	O
Bertie	B-Application
the	I-Application
Brain	I-Application
,	O
the	O
first	O
computer-based	O
game	O
to	O
feature	O
a	O
visual	O
display	O
of	O
any	O
sort	O
.	O
</s>
<s>
The	O
Nimrod	B-Application
is	O
considered	O
under	O
some	O
definitions	O
one	O
of	O
the	O
first	O
video	O
games	O
,	O
possibly	O
the	O
second	O
.	O
</s>
<s>
While	O
definitions	O
vary	O
,	O
the	O
prior	O
cathode-ray	B-Application
tube	I-Application
amusement	I-Application
device	I-Application
was	O
a	O
purely	O
analog	O
electrical	O
game	O
,	O
and	O
while	O
the	O
Nimrod	B-Application
and	O
Bertie	O
did	O
not	O
feature	O
an	O
electronic	O
screen	O
they	O
both	O
had	O
a	O
game	O
running	O
on	O
a	O
computer	O
.	O
</s>
<s>
The	O
software-based	O
tic-tac-toe	O
game	O
OXO	B-Application
and	O
a	O
draughts	O
program	O
by	O
Christopher	O
Strachey	O
were	O
programmed	O
a	O
year	O
later	O
in	O
1952	O
and	O
were	O
the	O
first	O
computer	O
games	O
to	O
display	O
visuals	O
on	O
an	O
electronic	O
screen	O
rather	O
than	O
through	O
light	O
bulbs	O
.	O
</s>
