<s>
Spasim	B-Application
is	O
a	O
32-player	O
3D	O
networked	O
space	O
flight	O
simulation	O
game	O
and	O
first-person	O
space	O
shooter	O
developed	O
by	O
Jim	O
Bowery	O
for	O
the	O
PLATO	B-Operating_System
computer	I-Operating_System
network	O
and	O
released	O
in	O
March	O
1974	O
.	O
</s>
<s>
Although	O
Maze	B-Application
is	O
believed	O
to	O
be	O
the	O
earliest	O
3D	O
game	O
and	O
first-person	O
shooter	O
as	O
it	O
had	O
shooting	O
and	O
multiplayer	O
by	O
fall	O
1973	O
,	O
Spasim	B-Application
has	O
previously	O
been	O
considered	O
along	O
with	O
it	O
to	O
be	O
one	O
of	O
the	O
"	O
joint	O
ancestors	O
"	O
of	O
the	O
first-person	O
shooter	O
genre	O
,	O
due	O
to	O
earlier	O
uncertainty	O
over	O
Mazes	B-Application
development	O
timeline	O
.	O
</s>
<s>
Bowery	O
encountered	O
the	O
PLATO	B-Operating_System
system	I-Operating_System
of	O
thousands	O
of	O
graphics	O
terminals	O
remotely	O
connected	O
to	O
a	O
set	O
of	O
mainframe	B-Architecture
computers	I-Architecture
that	O
January	O
while	O
assisting	O
a	O
computer	O
art	O
class	O
.	O
</s>
<s>
He	O
was	O
inspired	O
to	O
create	O
the	O
original	O
game	O
by	O
the	O
multiplayer	O
PLATO	B-Operating_System
action	O
game	O
Empire	B-Application
,	O
and	O
the	O
second	O
version	O
by	O
the	O
concept	O
of	O
positive	O
sum	O
games	O
.	O
</s>
<s>
Spasim	B-Application
was	O
one	O
of	O
the	O
first	O
3D	O
first-person	O
video	O
games	O
;	O
at	O
one	O
point	O
,	O
Bowery	O
offered	O
a	O
reward	O
to	O
any	O
person	O
who	O
could	O
offer	O
proof	O
that	O
Spasim	B-Application
was	O
not	O
the	O
first	O
.	O
</s>
<s>
He	O
also	O
claims	O
that	O
Spasim	B-Application
was	O
the	O
direct	O
initial	O
inspiration	O
for	O
several	O
other	O
PLATO	B-Operating_System
games	O
,	O
including	O
Airace	O
(	O
1974	O
)	O
and	O
Panther	B-Application
(	O
1975	O
)	O
.	O
</s>
<s>
Spasim	B-Application
is	O
a	O
multiplayer	O
space	O
flight	O
simulation	O
game	O
,	O
in	O
which	O
up	O
to	O
32	O
players	O
fly	O
spaceships	O
around	O
4	O
planetary	O
systems	O
.	O
</s>
<s>
Players	O
are	O
grouped	O
into	O
teams	O
of	O
up	O
to	O
8	O
players	O
,	O
with	O
1	O
team	O
per	O
system	O
;	O
players	O
add	O
their	O
names	O
to	O
the	O
rosters	O
of	O
the	O
four	O
teams	O
,	O
named	O
Aggstroms	O
,	O
Diffractions	O
,	O
Fouriers	O
,	O
and	O
Lasers	O
,	O
each	O
with	O
a	O
different	O
type	O
of	O
spaceship	O
from	O
Star	B-Operating_System
Trek	I-Operating_System
.	O
</s>
<s>
There	O
is	O
no	O
hidden-line	B-Algorithm
removal	I-Algorithm
implemented	O
on	O
the	O
models	O
,	O
meaning	O
that	O
the	O
models	O
appear	O
see-through	O
and	O
the	O
player	O
can	O
see	O
the	O
wireframe	O
of	O
the	O
"	O
back	O
"	O
of	O
an	O
object	O
as	O
well	O
.	O
</s>
<s>
Spasim	B-Application
was	O
intended	O
to	O
include	O
an	O
educational	O
component	O
;	O
players	O
enter	O
instructions	O
to	O
move	O
their	O
spaceships	O
using	O
polar	O
coordinates	O
,	O
e.g.	O
</s>
<s>
The	O
gameplay	O
of	O
the	O
original	O
version	O
of	O
Spasim	B-Application
is	O
focused	O
on	O
space	O
flight	O
and	O
combat	O
.	O
</s>
<s>
The	O
game	O
was	O
developed	O
by	O
Jim	O
Bowery	O
in	O
early	O
1974	O
for	O
the	O
University	O
of	O
Illinois	O
at	O
Champaign	O
's	O
PLATO	B-Operating_System
computer	I-Operating_System
network	O
,	O
which	O
by	O
the	O
1970s	O
supported	O
several	O
thousand	O
graphical	B-Application
terminals	I-Application
distributed	O
worldwide	O
,	O
running	O
processes	O
on	O
nearly	O
a	O
dozen	O
different	O
networked	O
mainframe	B-Architecture
computers	I-Architecture
.	O
</s>
<s>
Bowery	O
started	O
working	O
on	O
the	O
game	O
,	O
titled	O
"	O
spasim	B-Application
"	O
as	O
a	O
contraction	O
of	O
"	O
space	O
simulation	O
"	O
,	O
as	O
a	O
student	O
in	O
January	O
1974	O
while	O
assisting	O
professor	O
Leif	O
Brush	O
with	O
the	O
first	O
computer	O
art	O
class	O
at	O
the	O
university	O
.	O
</s>
<s>
Brush	O
showed	O
Bowery	O
and	O
the	O
class	O
a	O
PLATO	B-Operating_System
graphics	O
terminal	O
in	O
the	O
Lindquist	O
Center	O
on	O
campus	O
,	O
and	O
Bowery	O
,	O
intrigued	O
,	O
signed	O
up	O
for	O
an	O
individual	O
studies	O
course	O
to	O
assist	O
professor	O
Bobby	O
Brown	O
,	O
who	O
ran	O
the	O
lab	O
with	O
this	O
terminal	O
.	O
</s>
<s>
Bowery	O
learned	O
to	O
program	O
on	O
the	O
computer	O
,	O
helped	O
by	O
other	O
users	O
such	O
as	O
John	O
Daleske	O
,	O
the	O
developer	O
of	O
Empire	B-Application
(	O
1973	O
)	O
,	O
and	O
Charles	O
Miller	O
,	O
who	O
later	O
made	O
Moria	B-Application
(	O
1975	O
)	O
.	O
</s>
<s>
Bowery	O
was	O
inspired	O
by	O
the	O
multiplayer	O
and	O
graphical	O
nature	O
of	O
Empire	B-Application
,	O
a	O
space	O
action	O
game	O
,	O
to	O
create	O
something	O
in	O
the	O
same	O
vein	O
.	O
</s>
<s>
Taking	O
code	O
for	O
displaying	O
a	O
3D	O
vector	O
graphics	O
perspective	O
previously	O
written	O
by	O
Don	O
Lee	O
and	O
Ron	O
Resch	O
,	O
he	O
designed	O
3D	O
versions	O
of	O
the	O
ships	O
from	O
Empire	B-Application
,	O
and	O
began	O
adding	O
more	O
features	O
to	O
the	O
game	O
,	O
including	O
weapons	O
inspired	O
by	O
Star	B-Operating_System
Trek	I-Operating_System
.	O
</s>
<s>
The	O
first	O
version	O
of	O
Spasim	B-Application
,	O
subtitled	O
"	O
An	O
Investigation	O
of	O
Holographic	O
Space	O
"	O
,	O
was	O
launched	O
in	O
March	O
1974	O
.	O
</s>
<s>
At	O
first	O
,	O
the	O
pair	O
optimized	O
the	O
3D	O
graphics	O
of	O
the	O
game	O
,	O
but	O
Bowery	O
,	O
inspired	O
by	O
the	O
concept	O
of	O
positive	O
sum	O
games	O
,	O
or	O
cooperative	O
games	O
,	O
decided	O
to	O
delete	O
the	O
entire	O
game	O
code	O
from	O
the	O
mainframe	B-Architecture
and	O
start	O
over	O
,	O
building	O
in	O
strategy	O
and	O
resource	O
management	O
elements	O
into	O
the	O
base	O
game	O
instead	O
of	O
adding	O
them	O
on	O
top	O
.	O
</s>
<s>
The	O
second	O
version	O
of	O
Spasim	B-Application
was	O
developed	O
over	O
the	O
course	O
of	O
three	O
days	O
,	O
and	O
the	O
pair	O
released	O
it	O
in	O
July	O
1974	O
.	O
</s>
<s>
Bowery	O
claims	O
that	O
Spasim	B-Application
had	O
"	O
quite	O
a	O
following	O
"	O
on	O
the	O
PLATO	B-Operating_System
network	I-Operating_System
and	O
that	O
there	O
was	O
"	O
a	O
late	O
night	O
cult	O
"	O
that	O
was	O
devoted	O
to	O
the	O
game	O
,	O
though	O
the	O
emphasis	O
in	O
the	O
second	O
version	O
of	O
strategy	O
over	O
combat	O
cut	O
the	O
playerbase	O
in	O
half	O
.	O
</s>
<s>
Spasim	B-Application
is	O
one	O
of	O
the	O
first	O
3D	O
first-person	O
games	O
ever	O
made	O
;	O
at	O
one	O
point	O
Bowery	O
had	O
a	O
standing	O
offer	O
of	O
$500	O
to	O
any	O
person	O
who	O
could	O
find	O
proof	O
of	O
an	O
earlier	O
such	O
game	O
,	O
or	O
$200	O
for	O
an	O
earlier	O
game	O
that	O
mathematically	O
modeled	O
population	O
versus	O
resource	O
availability	O
and	O
included	O
space	O
resources	O
.	O
</s>
<s>
The	O
very	O
first	O
is	O
believed	O
to	O
be	O
Maze	B-Application
,	O
a	O
maze	B-Application
game	O
which	O
ran	O
on	O
two	O
connected	O
computers	O
at	O
NASA	O
in	O
1973	O
and	O
was	O
expanded	O
to	O
support	O
up	O
to	O
eight	O
players	O
at	O
the	O
Massachusetts	O
Institute	O
of	O
Technology	O
that	O
same	O
year	O
.	O
</s>
<s>
Spasim	B-Application
has	O
been	O
considered	O
,	O
along	O
with	O
Maze	B-Application
,	O
to	O
be	O
one	O
of	O
the	O
"	O
joint	O
ancestors	O
"	O
of	O
the	O
first-person	O
shooter	O
genre	O
,	O
due	O
to	O
earlier	O
uncertainty	O
over	O
Maze	B-Application
development	O
timeline	O
.	O
</s>
<s>
According	O
to	O
Bowery	O
,	O
the	O
initial	O
release	O
of	O
Spasim	B-Application
inspired	O
Silas	B-Application
Warner	I-Application
,	O
one	O
of	O
the	O
developers	O
of	O
Empire	B-Application
,	O
to	O
use	O
Bowery	O
's	O
code	O
in	O
turn	O
to	O
develop	O
the	O
flight	O
simulator	O
game	O
Airace	O
for	O
the	O
PLATO	B-Operating_System
system	I-Operating_System
in	O
1975	O
,	O
which	O
then	O
lead	O
to	O
first	O
Airfight	O
,	O
another	O
flight	O
simulator	O
,	O
and	O
then	O
the	O
tank	O
driving	O
game	O
Panther	B-Application
later	O
that	O
year	O
.	O
</s>
<s>
Spasim	B-Application
has	O
also	O
been	O
cited	O
as	O
a	O
"	O
spiritual	O
ancenstor	O
"	O
of	O
Elite	B-Application
(	O
1984	O
)	O
and	O
the	O
line	O
of	O
space	O
trading	O
games	O
that	O
came	O
from	O
it	O
.	O
</s>
<s>
In	O
December	O
2022	O
,	O
Bowery	O
uploaded	O
the	O
source	O
code	O
for	O
Spasim	B-Application
to	O
GitHub	B-Application
,	O
which	O
he	O
had	O
found	O
in	O
an	O
archive	O
.	O
</s>
