The video game industry has expanded enormously into a multi-billion dollar industry and shows no signs of slowing down.
Interestingly enough, video gaming actually started in the 1950s. Since then, the development and popularity continued to grow with various modifications being done year after year. But the mainstream popularity and industry did not emerge until the 1970s. Since then, the interest in video games has grown exponentially, and playing video games is now one of the most popular pastimes around the world. Here are the five oldest video games that formed the foundation for the gaming industry.
Tennis for Two
The multi-player sports game was released in October 1958 by William Higinbotham. Some consider Tennis for Two to be the oldest of all video games. It was also known as Computer Tennis, and it simulated the tennis game. Tennis for Two was the very first computer game to be developed not for academic research but for entertainment. The display of the game was done using an oscilloscope.
Tank
Launched in 1974, Tank was the only original title released by Kee Games, which was a subsidiary of Atari. Tank was a multi-player mode maze game designed by Steve Bristow and developed by Lyle Rains. Just a month after Tank was released, Atari announced a merger with Kee. Atari was helped by Tank’s commercial success, which sold over 10,000 units. This success led to four Tank sequels over the next few years.
Gun Fight
Gun Fight, released in 1975, was one of the first widely successful arcade games released by Taito, the Japanese video game company. The game had two-player modes. In Europe and Japan, the game was called Western Gun. Western Gun was licensed to Midway for its North America release, and it was switched to Gun Fight. The game’s Midway version was the first one to employ the use of a microprocessor.
Pong
Pong was released in 1972, and as a sports game, it featured single and multi-player modes. Its creator was Allan Alcorn, who created it as an assignment by Nolan Bushnell, who founded Atari. Its overall success greatly impacted the industry and made it a feasible venture. The game proved that the industry could earn revenue as it was the first to be commercially successful.
Galaxy Game
The Space combat simulation Galaxy Game was released in 1971 and its creators were Bill Pitts and Hugh Tuck. Galaxy Game had multi-player modes. It was developed around the same time when Computer Space was released and was popular among university students. The creators chose to focus on its engineering and not commercial or business success. Galaxy Game was one of the first video games to be operated using coins.
It is incredible how the oldest arcade games formed the base for the gaming industry’s action.
