The Evolution of Video Games

1
The Evolution of Video Games

• A Brief History from the 1800s-Present

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Ancestors of Video Games

• The beginnings of the video game industry can be
  traced back to the pinball machine industry.
• Pinball itself can be traced back to the 1800s
  game Bagatelle, a form of billiards in which
  players used a cue to shoot balls up a sloped
  table, hoping to have the ball land in a pocket
  on the way down.

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Ancestors of Video Games

• In 1931, Automatic Industries introduced the
  first real pinball machine, Whiffle, which used a
  plunger instead of a cue. It was also one of the
  first devices that was coin activated.
• Later in 1931, David Gottlieb introduced the
  hugely popular Baffle Ball, which launched
  pinball into a serious industry.
• At this point, there were no flippers, bumpers,
  or scoring device.

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Ancestors of Video Games

• Harry Williams introduced Contact in 1933, the
  first electric machine.
• Around this time, pay-out machines were
  introduced that combined pinball and gambling.
• Many states passed laws prohibiting gambling and
  these pay-out machines.
• In New York, pinball was ruled an extension of
  gambling and was made illegal (until the
  1980s!). Many states followed this precedent
  and the gaming industry was tainted.

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Ancestors of Video Games

• In 1947, Gottleib introduced Humpty Dumpty, the
  first game to use flippers, to establish pinball
  as a game of skill and not a game of chance.
• Some states relented, but the gaming industry
  was still tainted and linked to gambling.
• Other innovations followed, and the pinball
  industry grew with companies like Gottleib,
  Williams, Bally, and Midway.
• Many of the founders and innovators of the video
  game industry had their starts in pinball.

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The First Video Game?

• Early computers could only play simple games like
  tic-tac-toe.
• Most historians agree the first video game was
  invented in 1958 by Willy Higginbotham at the
  Brookhaven National Laboratory.
• It was an oscilloscope and analog Donner computer
  to play Tennis for Two as a demonstration for
  the annual visitor day.

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The First Video Game?
Rebuilt in 1997
Original Game
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Spacewar

• In 1961, Steve Russell built Spacewar on a DEC
  PDP-1 at MIT.
• It took 6 months and 200 hours of programming.
• Using toggle switches, two players could control
  dueling ships firing torpedoes at each other.
• Additional effects like gravity, hyperspace
  (teleporting), and unreliable weapons were
  eventually added.
• Due to its eventual influence on the industry and
  its well-known history, many people consider this
  the first true video game.

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Spacewar
The Spacewar PDP-1
Steve Russell and the Original Spacewar
Spacewar Screenshot
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The Magnavox Odyssey

• In the late 1960s, Ralph Baer began work on a
  video game system while working at Sanders
  Associates.
• The game was a form of ping pong using a moving
  ball and player controlled paddles.
• The system consisted of a game box containing the
  logic, two simple controllers, and used a
  standard television for a display.
• Magnavox struck a deal, and the system became the
  Odyssey, launched in 1972.

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The Magnavox Odyssey

• Other games were also supported through the use
  of coloured screen overlays and accessories.
• Magnavox, unfortunately, overpriced the system
  and marketed it as only working with Magnavox
  sets.
• The system nevertheless sold reasonably well for
  being the first home video game console.
• It also had great influence on the first major
  arcade video game Pong.

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The Beginnings of Atari

• Nolan Bushnell was first introduced to gaming
  through the pinball industry.
• At the same time, Bushnell attended the
  University of Utah, where he first saw and played
  Spacewar.
• He went on to create Computer Space, a coin
  operated version of Spacewar using custom
  hardware and a television for a display in 1970.

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The Beginnings of Atari

• With help from Bill Nutting of Nutting
  Associates, 1,500 Computer Space machines were
  manufactured in 1971.
• Due to poor marketing and complex game play (it
  needed several pages of instructions to explain),
  the game did poorly.
• Not to be deterred, Bushnell went on to form
  Atari in 1972 as the first video game company.

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Atari and Pong

• Ataris first commercial success was Pong.
• It was test marketed at Andy Capps Tavern in
  Sunnyvale, California late in 1972.
• It was a huge success.
• Forgeries and copies appeared on the scene to
  cash in on the new craze.

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Atari and Pong

• Magnavox sued Atari for patent infringement.
• Since Bushnell had seen the Odyssey at a trade
  show months before Pong was made, Atari was in
  trouble.
• They settled with Magnavox and became the sole
  licensee for this technology.
• Magnavox prosecuted all of the imitators, leaving
  Atari back on top of the industry.

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More Early Home Consoles

• Ataris Home Pong in 1975
• The Connecticut Leather Company (Coleco) and
  Telstar in 1976.
• Fairchild Camera and Instrument releases Channel
  F, also in 1976, the first programmable home
  game to use cartridges.

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More Early Home Consoles

• Atari released the Video Computer System (better
  known as the 2600) in 1977. Immensely popular.
• Magnavox and Odyssey2 in 1978.
• Mattel Electronics introduced the Intellivision
  in 1979.

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The Early Arcade

• Arcades did not exist at first video games were
  largely installed in bars and were not seen as
  childrens amusements.
• Bushnell saw the huge potential and Atari
  introduced the Pizza Time Theatre (Chuck E.
  Cheese) to help establish video games for
  children in 1977.
• Arcades for the whole family began to spring up
  as video games grew in popularity.

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Early Arcade Developments

• 1975 Midway imports Taitos game Gunfight the
  first to use a microprocessor.
• 1976 Exidy Games releases Death Race, in which
  players drive over stick figures. Protests
  ensue.
• 1978 Atari releases Football and Midway
  releases Space Invaders. Both set records.

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Early Arcade Developments

• 1979 Atari releases Lunar Lander, its first
  vector graphics game. Atari later released
  Asteroids, its best-selling game.
• 1980 Namco releases Pac-Man, the most popular
  arcade game ever world-wide.
• 1980 Atari releases Battlezone, perhaps the
  first true first-person video game.

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Early Arcade Developments

• 1981 Relative newcomer Nintendo releases Donkey
  Kong, with the first appearance of what would
  become Mario, later Nintendos main mascot.
• Other classics followed
• 1981 Galaga, Frogger, Ms. Pac-Man, Centipede
• 1982 Dig Dug, Burger Time, Mr. Do!, QBert, Pole
  Position, Joust, Zaxxon, Moon Patrol (first game
  with parallax scrolling), Time Pilot
• 1983 Dragons Lair (first laser disc game),
  Mario Bros., Spy Hunter

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Meanwhile, Atari at Home

• 1979 Atari designer Warren Robinett introduces
  Easter Eggs to video games, hiding a room with
  his name in a 2600 game called Adventure.
• 1980 Atari ports Space Invaders to the 2600.
  The practice of porting arcade hits to home
  begins.
• 1981 Atari ports Pac-Man to the 2600. Still
  ranks 4 on the Top Ten most Shameful Games of
  all time. Really, really bad.
• 1982 Atari rushes E.T. for the 2600 to market
  for Christmas. Millions of cartridges are
  reportedly dumped and buried in the New Mexico
  desert. Even worse!
• 1982 Atari releases the 5200 game console. It
  also did not do very well. Atari in big trouble.

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Also at Home

• 1980 Sensing Atari was in trouble, several
  developers left and formed Activision, the first
  third-party game publisher.
• 1982 General Consumer Electronics produces the
  Vectrex.
• The first vector graphics home console.
• It was monochromatic, but used coloured plastic
  overlays like the first Magnavox Odyssey.
• 1982 Coleco releases the Colecovision.
• Both consoles faltered in 1983 and died off in
  1984, when the rest of the industry crashed.

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The Crash of 1983-1984

• After the golden age up to 1982, the video game
  market collapsed with several companies
  abandoning the industry or totally out of
  business. Why?
• There was no new technology able to sustain and
  drive growth of the industry.
• There was a huge over-supply of game cartridges.
• Atari believed they were unstoppable and could do
  anything. Turns out they were wrong.
• Home computers arrived on the scene, and people
  began to panic at the new threat.
• People lacked faith, and many felt video games
  were a fad. Retailers, distributors, the press,
  and good portions of the public turned their
  backs on them.

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The Advent of the Home Computer

• In the early 1980s, home computers began to grow
  in popularity.
• Some did not do very well, like the Coleco Adam
  (1984), but some proved popular as a gaming
  platform.
• Commodore, with the VIC 20 (1981) and Commodore
  64 (1982) and again later with the Amiga.
• Apple with the Apple II and later generations.
• IBM and various PC clones, which has become the
  predominant home computing gaming platform.

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The Advent of the Home Computer

• Several new companies began developing for these
  new platforms
• Accolade
• Origin
• Infocom
• Epyx
• Broderbund
• Sierra
• Microprose
• Electronic Arts
• Lucas Arts
• And many, many others

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Nintendo and Sega

• In 1984, Nintendo released the Family Computer
  (Famicom) in Japan. It was rebranded in 1985
  as the Nintendo Entertainment System (NES) for
  North America.
• In 1986, Sega (once known as SErvice GAmes)
  released the Sega Master System.
• These two new home consoles begin to revitalize
  the sagging game market.

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Nintendo and Sega

• Sega lagged behind Nintendo in sales.
• In 1989, Sega introduced the new 16-bit Genesis
  console, but it still lagged behind as people
  awaited the Super NES.
• When the Super NES was introduced in 1991, Sega
  had a surprise its new mascot, Sonic the
  Hedgehog.
• In 1992, Sega shipped the Sega CD peripheral for
  the Genesis, which did not fare very well.

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Other Contenders

• 1987 NEC introduces the hybrid 8/16 bit PC
  Engine in Japan, later releasing it in 1989 in
  the U.S. as TurboGrafx.
• 1990 SNK introduces the new 24-bit NeoGeo game
  console in the U.S.
• 1993 Panasonic releases the 32-bit 3DO system, a
  CD based system.
• Despite their technical innovations, none of
  these systems fared as well as Nintendos or
  Segas.

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Arcades Fight Back

• In 1987, CAPCOM introduced Street Fighter, but
  hardware lacked the power to really drive the
  game.
• In 1991, that was fixed with Street Fighter II,
  and new life was breathed into the arcade.
• CAPCOM followed with many more fighting game
  classics.
• In 1992, Midway followed suit and introduced the
  gory Mortal Kombat series. More protests.

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Arcades Fight Back

• Though fighting games brought life back to
  arcades, it was never the same as before the
  crash.
• Arcades became testing grounds for next
  generation hardware and games for home consoles
  for Nintendo, Sega, and Sony.
• Arcades also came to house specialized hardware
  unavailable to the home console, or the classic
  games that once defined the industry.
• Despite the boost in popularity, arcades were not
  able to revive their glory days. But, this was
  not the end of the arcade either

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Hand Held Gaming

• Early hand helds were primarily LED based, single
  game machines.
• New hand helds changed that
• Atari Lynx (1989)
• Nintendo Game Boy (1990)
• NEC TurboExpress (1990)
• Sega Game Gear (1991)
• NeoGeo Pocket (1998), Colour (1999)
• Game Boy Colour and Advanced (2001)

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Home Computer Advancements

• 1989 Maxis releases SimCity and begins the line
  of Sim games.
• 1993 7th Guest becomes the first big CD-ROM
  hit. Myst follows shortly.
• 1993 Id Software publishes Doom, firmly
  establishing the first-person shooter, and
  introduces multiplayer gaming.
• 1995 3D acceleration hardware introduced.

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A Three Horse Race

• 1994 Sega releases the Saturn in Japan (1995 in
  the U.S.).
• 1994 Sony releases the Playstation in Japan
  (1995 in the U.S.).
• 1995 Nintendo releases the Nintendo 64 in Japan
  (1996 in the U.S.).
• This time, all three consoles enjoy reasonable
  success.

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A New Three Horse Race

• 1999 Sega releases the Dreamcast.
• 2000 Sony releases the Playstation 2.
• 2000 Sega introduces Internet access to the
  Dreamcast.
• 2001 Nintendo releases the Gamecube.
• 2001 Microsoft releases the Xbox.
• 2001 Sega discontinues the Dreamcast, and
  announces it will no longer produce hardware.
• 2002 Both Sony and Microsoft introduce Internet
  connectivity to their consoles.

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Portable Developments

• 2003 Nintendo releases the Game Boy Advanced
  SP.
• 2003 Gamepark releases the GP32 with wireless
  support, Internet connectivity, USB, and Smart
  Media cards.
• In addition to its own games, it can play Game
  Boy and Game Boy Colour, NES, Super NES, Atari
  2600, NeoGeo Pocket, and other console titles
  through emulators.
• 2003 Nokia releases the N-Gage with wireless
  connectivity through Bluetooth and cellular
  networks for games, e-mail, and so on.

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Arcades Fight Back Again

• Arcades have seen a recent revival, starting at
  the turn of the new millennium with games with
  new controls and innovative twists best suited
  for the arcade.
• Dance Dance Revolution (and at least 12 sequels)
  ...
• MoCap Boxing, MoCap Golf, ...
• And quite a few others.

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Arcades Fight Back Again

• The arcades resurging popularity is highest in
  Asia, particularly Japan.
• Some arcades and arcade machines are reappearing
  in North America, more so in the United States
  than in Canada.
• But, it is still not the same as it once was.
• The focus still appears to be more about
  introducing new technologies.
• The gameplay almost seems secondary without the
  gimmicks, the games would not be nearly as much
  fun to play.

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The Latest ...

• Nintendo released in late 2004 its latest
  handheld, the dual-screenNintendo DS, with
  morepower than the N64, andlots of bells and
  whistles.
• Sony also released in late2004 its own feature
  rich hand held, the Playstation Personal (or
  PSP) in Japan and brought it to North America
  early 2005.

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The Latest

• In late 2005, Microsoft launched its Xbox 360.
• It features a three-core processor, built-in
  wireless, hard-drive, built-in network support,
  and high-end graphics. Very nice.
• This marks the beginning of the next generation
  of console hardware

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Coming Soon ...

• Infinium Labs plans to soon release its Phantom
  console, based on PC hardware and strict
  copyprotection mechanisms.
• The DISCover console is another PC based
  console, that will ship in low end and high end
  models.
• These have been coming soon for years,
  however, so dont hold your breath!

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Coming Soon

• Of course, Sony and Nintendo also have new
  consoles under development, for release in 2006
  or 2007.

Nintendos Revolution
Sonys Playstation 3