Timeline of Games
In this blog I will display and in detail talk about the different eras of games starting from the
1950’s and up until the present day. I will talk about the different platforms
that have emerged over the years and alongside that I will display the facts,
the significance it had on the development of games and the main features and
limitations. The game types I will cover are:
- Arcade Games
- Console Games
- Mobile Game platforms
- PC Based Games
-
Interactive TV based games
The blog will cover each different decade and how it has
developed in that area, which companies have led to the development of games,
consoles and PC systems including examples. I am going to cover a range of key
technologies, games, companies, designers and developers you have looked at as
well as any additional information. I will include a few advancements per
decade in detail.
1950’s/60’s
That was the era where the first arcade games were developed
and advancements were made to dramatically increase the rate of arcade production
as well as games in general. These computers were bulky and consisted of 1
button or joystick to use. The graphics in this era were poor but are always
set to improve in the coming decade; this applies for all decades in this blog.
People were beginning to take full advantage of the computers they’re
interacting with by creating games primarily as well as then programming the
computer to play the game themselves.
1952
That was the year that computer program
for Tic-Tac-Toe (Noughts and Crosses) and it was created by Alexander S.
Douglas as an illustration project for his Ph.D. in Human-Computer Interaction.
This was the very first digital graphic simulation game which will lead to
various advancements in that area in the years to come. The famous game
consists of crossed lines created 9 different slots where either an ‘O’ or an
‘X’ can be place and a line of three either in a straight line or a slanted
line and the first user to get a line of 3 will win the game.
1956
Arthur Samuel programs his computer to learn the checkers
game; this consisted of moves to take and where to go in certain situations in
the game. 6 years after this was programmed the computer went on to defeat a
checkers master entirely alone and as an AI. This was a massive accomplishment
and shows that computers can be smart when programmed correctly.
1961
Was when the real game revolution
began; a group of students located at MIT programmed a game going by the name
‘Spacewar!’ on a computer called the DEC PDP-1. This computer was very new at
the time with new capabilities to old computers and when the game was properly
created it was distributed on the same computer it was made on (DEC PDP-1).
The game itself was a player vs. player game with one person
controlling the spacecraft on the left and the exact same on the other side,
the spacecraft were able to shoot rockets and attempt to hit the other player
with them. There was a little obstacle in the middle of the screen meaning the
player had to shoot over the obstacle if they wanted to score.
Arcade and PC games were the only types of games available
in the 1960’s as technology hadn’t advanced enough at the time to play games on
a console, mobile phone or interactive TV. This made there isn't a lot of games
available to play just the new designed ones.
1966
A man by the name of Ralph Baer who already rekindled his
famous idea of an interactive video game machine and wrote up a 4 page document
based on his ideas. Inside of the document was various different game types he
thought would run correctly such as:
- Action Games
- Board Games
- Sports Games
- Chase Games
These games would appear on the different channels on the TV
(3 and 4). After this game was made later the same year he designed a game for
2 players called ‘Chase Game’ which is 2 different squares displayed on the
screen with 1 of the squares assigned to the each player.
Just like in the same decade only arcade games and PC games
were available to play as the technology hasn’t advanced enough at the time.
1967
The first console that will work on standard TV’s scattered
across the world, the console was created with a vacuum tube circuit that will
connect to the TV the console is being played on. The game on the console was a
chase game which consisted of blocks chasing each other on a screen.
This is where console games first started off
and lead to various different consoles being created in the future which lead
to the famous consoles we play to this date.
1970’s
Was the era where games started expanding outside of
universities and rooms and became available to play as arcade games in highly
populated places, the rise of the Arcade Gameroom and the Digital Out-Of-Home
Entertainment industry. This is the era which introduced games consoles into
the mix after the famous arcade game was created and changed to be played at
home. Blocky arcade games were the main bulk of this era as well as the start of
console gaming.
1971
The rise of the arcade games began and the first coin
operated game system was developed, emerging in September it was a redesigned
version of the 1960 game known as ‘Spacewar!’ designed for 2 players. Costing
$20,000 to build at the time it ran from the same computer that ran ‘Spacewar!’
(DEC PDP-11) as well as using a Vector display. At the time it costs 10 cent to
play or if you entered in 25 cent into the machine you would be granted 3
playable games. Upon release of the pay to play arcade game it caused a lot of
hype and attention in the university it was based with as long as a 1 hour
waiting time to play.
1972-1974
The
beginning of Atari, Inc. although no one was aware but this company was about
to change the game forever with their special advancements in technology and
gaming. Upon the creation of the company their smash hit of a game ‘PONG’ was
released the same year.
‘PONG’ was a tennis game which was a flat screen where a
ball flew from side to side which varied based on where the user hit the ball.
The game pong was made into an arcade game by the creator Allan Alcorn buying a
TV and placed it inside a wooden cabinet and from there soldered wires into
boards fixing the circuitry to make the game function. Once the game was
created Nolan Bushnell and Ted Dabney thought the game was going to be very
successful so they invested and created it in a marketable fashion.
After this was created the creators began moving out the
arcade game into different shops, the first place the arcade game was placed
was a bar located in the north of California called Andy Capp’s Tavern. Towards
the end of that year the company Atari had 25,000 and during 1974 there were
8,000 total units sold worldwide.
1975
This is the year that Atari turned their iconic game ‘PONG’
into a home console, this was the first home games console which allowed people
to play the fan loved game at home. Atari was struggling to find a partner to
co-produce the games console so instead of using a toy company he struck a
partnership with a sport company.
1976
Was the creation of
the first text based game; this is very detailed text which was intended to
immerse the player into a Dungeons and Dragons style game. The game was
designed and inspired around the famous Dungeons and Dragons. The user would
enter in their answers to options and that would then influence the outcome of
the current situation.
1977
The first games console featuring a usable joystick, colour
games and changeable cartridges were distributed by Atari and sold millions.
This really got the ball rolling and allowed the company to really see how much
people like games and are clearly willing to pay to play them. After this the
consoles only got better for the average user at home.
1980’s
That was the era where a lot of famous franchises that are
still loved today originated. A lot of different games and consoles were
created. In this era the first mobile games were created which again was the
beginning of something great to come in the future related to mobile gaming.
1980-1982
That was the first version of Pac Man being created and
released in an arcade game format. This was a massive hit but 2 year later in
1982 Ms. Pac Man emerged and set a new record for the bestselling arcade game
to date.
In 1981 the famous game ‘Donkey Kong’ became famous for
various reasons, the game required great timing and hand eye co-ordination, and
the player used the character Jump man to jump over barrels thrown down by the
Donkey Kong and to rescue the damsel in distress (Princess Peach). The creators
of this game (Nintendo) decided to make the worldwide loved character Jump man have
a chain of games in the future under the new name ‘Super Mario’.
1984
A Russian mathematician by the name of Alexey Pajitnov
created the game Tetris which is still played to the current day. The game
consisted of a 2D non colour screen and different design blocks which you had
to create a pattern and once it is made it will give the user points and then
disappear to make room for other blocks.
1985
The first Nintendo game console was released in the U.S. 2
years after the initial release in Japan; this is a console that came with 2
controllers for the user with a D-Pad and 4 buttons.
1989
Hand help gaming was born here; Nintendo released their infamous
Game Boy. Which was hand help gaming on the move with changeable cartridges.
This was designed to and had an easy interface, easy to use for the user and
easy to change cartridges. The Game Boy had a long life and ran on AA
batteries; you simply replace the batteries when the ones the Game Boy is using
runs out.
1990’s
That was the era just like the other eras there are lots of
different games franchises beginning which still make games to the current day
and sold extremely well throughout the years. As well during this decade the
beginning of the era which revolutionised console gaming and is the bloodline
to today’s best-selling console.
1990
That year Microsoft
release a new update to the Windows operating system and alongside that is the
card game Solitaire. This catered to game lovers and non-game lovers as just
general computer users would have this game automatically on their computer and
to the surprise of many enjoyed playing the game. As a result of being on the
windows operating system is very quickly became one of the most played games
worldwide.
1991
Sonic the hedgehog is born alongside the Genesis console by
Sega, this sells a lot and the craving for the next sonic game begins for
Americans. The Genesis console was the third of its generation and was a 16 bit
console.
1993
The year and creation of the gory fighting game ‘Mortal Kombat’ on
arcade games widespread across America causes an uproar and as a result of this
the game rating system which is still in effect today was created restricting
certain age people from playing the game. That same year the game ‘DOOM’ kick
started the first person shooter popularity.
1995
Mid 90’s was The
PlayStations creation and was Sony’s way of blowing out the competition
arrived. The console would sell for a lot less than the Sega Saturn. With
changeable disk games and multiple player possibilities this was the start of
something great for console game lovers worldwide as a lot of game consoles
were prepping to be released and receive some more attention. This was the
start of 3D graphics, all games up until this year was 2D and this was a
massive advancement in gaming setting the overall standard and from this point
on all games had 3D graphics.
1996
The
release of the Nintendo 64 in the late 90’s and the iconic Tomb Raider hits the
shelves immersing people into yet another amazingly successful franchise for
years to come. The N64 combines buttons and an analogue on a controller to
allow more user interaction in the game allowing the player to look around and
enjoy the games available on the N64 even more. It was the third of the
franchise home consoles and had a 64-bit central processing unit and released
mid-year.
1998
The first Legend of Zelda was created and sold worldwide with
an immersive story, fantastic character play and building as well as puzzling
tasks throughout the game. The sounds and music inside of this game was great
and the instrument used was the most memorable music instrument to ever appear
in a video game. This game alongside a lot of games created in these early eras
came along to be one of the most successful games still releasing to date.
2000’s
The millennium era where a lot of advances in gaming
technology began, bestselling consoles were created and the barrier of current
hardware was excelled. A lot of games and consoles were released by various
companies all competing with each other. These computers were very good
hardware at the time and lasted for various years after release. These console
releases really took off for Sony and Microsoft which still lead the console
market to date. This era began the built in online play allowing Xbox and
PlayStation users to play online with the built in hardware. Users had their
unique usernames and could add, play and speak to your friends and other people
worldwide not only for the consoles but for the Nintendo DS allowing
multiplayer.
2000
That was the year the release of the Ps2 alongside SIMS;
these were two great additions to start off the decade with hardware advancement
and a new genre of game really taking off. The PlayStation 2 had a controller
with buttons and analogue allowing the user more interactive experience. The
SIMS was not the first simulation game to be released but was the first one to
really get noticed and sell well. This game quickly becomes the bestselling PC
game ever as well as being popular with females.
2001
That was the year Microsoft
dive into the game industry head first with the release of the Xbox alongside
the fan favourite exclusive, Halo. This was introduced to compete with Sony and
its PlayStation console, the console was released worldwide and quickly became
a very reputable console. This console introduced online gaming by the name of
Xbox Live, allowing users who paid the membership to speak and play with other
members worldwide. This was the beginning of something great for people who
want to play with their friends while playing games. 
2003
That was the year Steam was released for PC gamers, this
allowed people to play together and speak to each other just like a console,
steam was an application for PC that you installed and used to download games
and speak to friends. This still runs to date and has become huge and is used
by a lot of PC gamers. This was the first of its kind and took the market by
storm as it was well designed and planned.
2004
That was when Nintendo continues to rule the handheld gaming
market as they release the Nintendo DS, this featured 2 screens with the bottom
one of them touch screen. The bottom screen was touch screen and was often
input into games to grand more user interaction, the game would mainly be
played on the top screen using the D-Pad and 4 buttons. This had 2 processors
and did support multiplayer at closer ranges. Alongside changing the game
completely they also had a few great releases with the DS to make the
experience that much butter. This was a massive advancement in the handheld
market and has set the standards of 2 screens for years to come. Only in 2004
was the hardware capable to support dual screen interaction.
2005/6
That
was the year the Xbox 360 was released and once again advanced the current
technology; this outclassed all the current consoles and gained a lot of
reputation for its fantastic graphics, controller and playable games. This
console remained dominant for a while because of its fantastic support from
games companies and lack of competition until later the following year. On the
tail of Microsoft were Sony and Nintendo (the other 2 big games companies) who
released a new console and a new type of console (PlayStation 3 and the Wii). 
The PlayStation was just the Sony version of the Xbox 360
with the same graphic capabilities and game support with a few exclusive just
like Xbox. The Nintendo Wii was a new type of console; it used disks just like
any console but instead of only an interactive controller it used a Brick type
controller with 2 buttons and a D Pad which you connected with a Nun chuck
which had an analogue. Both were used in
game but the controller was used to aim at the screen via a sensor at the top
or bottom of the TV you were playing on. This was a one of a kind console and
sold greatly across the world due to its multiplayer and unique experience.
2007
The release of Rock Band made music/gamer fans across the
world happy, this game featured various different music instruments such as a
regular guitar, bass guitar, drum kit and a microphone allowing up to 4 people
to feature in play at one time. This set specific standards for music games
from that point on. Its only real competitor Guitar Hero undeniably took over
after its various different releases before and better than Rock Band.
2009
That
year was the release of Angry Birds for mobile games took the world by storm,
this drawn a lot of people in as hours were spent playing the new game by a lot
of people worldwide, the release of the new iPhone helped this market a lot and
from this point on Mobile Gaming became a lot more popular and a lot of games
were being released by various companies as the market was increasing
massively. The angry bird’s saga went on for another year or so until other
games took over and the game became less popular. 
2010
Was the year Markus
Peerson releases the new best indie game by the name of ‘Minecraft’ this game
consisted of brick designed world where the user has to survive by killing
animals and finding resources and materials in order to survive, this has been
most popular with kids over a decade after its initial launch and has advanced
a lot over the years with various additions in every update to create a more
immersive experience for the player. This game has broken records and has
inspired a lot of other game companies to create a similar game therefore
increasing the indie game market.
Overall Summary
This blog has displayed how the different types of gaming
have advanced over the last 6 decades starting from 1950-2010; in general the
gaming market has changed phenomenally and come leaps and bounds to the point
it is now a multi-billion dollar company worldwide selling across the world.
The release of new consoles every few years from various companies and the ever
advancing hardware for PCs and consoles are always becoming better than the
previous year. The introduction to items such as Virtual Reality playable on
games is the start of something massive for the gaming industry providing a
more immersive experience.
Bibliography
Website 1 - http://www.museumofplay.org/icheg-game-history/timeline/
Website 2 - http://www.bmigaming.com/videogamehistory.htm
