Being in the extraordinary era of technological advancement through the Internet, many are interested in what has been the evolution of video games. Generation X saw the birth of this new project, but it has developed significantly in the generation of Millennials.
However, when talking about video games throughout history, we refer to the year 1940, when the “first video game” appeared at the New York World’s Fair, Westinghouse exhibition.
The nuclear physicist Edward Uhler Condon created the simple mathematical game where the person vs. the machine interacts. Of course, among the many competitions, the winner exceeded 90% in favor, and you can imagine who it was.
Important changes through evolution
In 1952, a video game called OXO – (circles and crosses), developed by Alexander S. Douglas, was created. It was a computerized version that operated on EDSAC. The game allowed a person to play against the computer.
In 1958, William Higginbotham invented the video game “table tennis for two,” a simulator exhibited at Brookhaven National Laboratory. As you can appreciate, this was the first game developed for the activity of two people at the same time.
In 1962, student Steve Russell ingeniously developed a computer video game based on vector graphics. He named it Spacewar, and it consisted of two spacecraft controlled by two players and ran on a PDP-1.
By 1966, engineers Ralph Baer, Albert Maricon, and Ted Dabney developed a home video game project called Fox and Hounds. Of course, this creation was the basis for the evolution of home video games. For in 1972, it became the prototype Magnavox Odyssey, which connects to a television set to run several games at once.
Video game developers in the 1970s and 1980s
Commenting on the era of the 70s, we can name Nolan Bushnell entering the market with versions of Space War. In his process, Computer Space, Galaxy War, and Empire for multiplayer video games attracted attention.
Around 1972, the great arcade machine that is considered the version of tennis for two, called “Pong,” was launched. In the hands of Atari, which developed its operation on the Al Alcom system. All this to say, this is the basis of great technological advances in the video game and computer sector.
Within the elements involved in the operation of the systems, we can mention the memory chips and microprocessors. Giving the appearance of the “Arcade” machines. Reinforcing the technical activities of the new sports betting houses and activating operations in video game arcades and casinos.
In the ’80s, considering the immense acceptance and growth of the industry, well-known companies launched the bait:
- Atari 5200 and 7800: consoles with more than 25 video games and Battle Zona
- Phillips: Odyssey 2.
- Mattel: Intellivision.
- Coleco: Colecovision.
- NEC: Turbografx.
- Namco: Pacman and Pole Position.
- Midway: Tron System.
- Sega: Zaxxon and Master System.
Even with the video game crisis between 1983 and 1985, Japan took a risk on the console side with the
Famicom system. In other words, the Nintendo Entertainment System was a great success at the time. With Super Mario Bros, a game that develops an objective and a defined ending are fulfilled.
By the end of the ’80s, video game consoles were created with 16 bits, such as SEGA’s Mega Drive. In addition, personal computers built by IBM displaced microcomputers. Clearly, portable video game platforms, such as those from Nintendo and Mattel, were already predominant.
The 3D revolution in video games and the new century
The 16-bit generation marked an important milestone in video game console technology. The CD-ROM appears, and the different companies evolve in the three-dimensional field, exercising their development on PCs. The first polygonal game was created, which determined a significant time for 3D games on video game consoles.
The 3D advancement was so fast that the “32-bit” generation of Sega and Sony Play Station was launched on the market. Following the “64 bits” of Nintendo and Atari Jaguar. It was here when the “Arcade” began to be displaced by game consoles and updated computers.
XXI century is the time of software development and websites about online essay writers, with data storage or pictures, etc. By the 2000s, there were big changes, and Microsoft entered the market with the creation of Xbox. Nintendo launches the Game Boy, Sony creates the Play Station 2, and Sega leaves the industry unable to compete.Â
Thus, we can conclude that the evolution of video games rests today on the computer or PC. It is the machine with the greatest possibilities of existing in the long term. This is because its components can be changed to improve operating performance. In other words, both software and hardware are constantly updated.