H I S T O RY O F V I D E O G A M E S
B Y - V A N S H S I N G H V I

Introduction
The first video game
arcades
video games become popular
TA B L E O F C O N T E N T S
console timeline
conclusion

By the 1960s, millions of Americans had invested in televisions
for their homes, but these television sets were only used for the
viewing of entertainment. Engineer Ralph Baer was certain this
technology could be used to play games. In 1966, while working
for Sanders Associates, Inc., Baer began to make video games.
I N T R O D U C T I O N

T H E F I R S T E V E R
V I D E O G A M E
In October 1958, Physicist William Higinbotham created
what is thought to be the first video game. It was a very
simple tennis game, similar to the classic 1970s video game
Pong, and it was quite a hit at a Brookhaven National
Laboratory open house
.
Higinbotham was born on October 25, 1910 in Bridgeport,
CT and grew up in Caledonia, NY.
He graduated from Williams College in 1932, and then went
to graduate school in physics at Cornell University. At
Cornell as a graduate student he worked as an electronics
technician. In 1941, he joined the MIT Radiation Lab, where
he worked on cathode ray tube displays for radar systems.
In 1943 he moved to Los Alamos to work on electronics for
a timing system for the atomic bomb.

A R C A D E S
Arcade video games takes player input from its controls,
processes it through electrical or computerized
components, and displays output to an electronic monitor
The first arcade game, Computer Space, was created by
Nolan Bushnell and Ted Dabney, the founders of Atari, Inc.,
and released in 1971; the company followed on its success
the next year with Pong.

V I D E O G A M E S
B E C O M E P O P U L A R
Video gaming reached mainstream popularity in the
1970s and 1980s, when arcade video games, gaming
consoles and home computer games were introduced
to the general public. Since then, video gaming has
become a popular form of entertainment and a part of
modern culture in most parts of the world. families also
see the benefits of playing video games together, the
ESA found, with 77% of parents regularly play video
games with their children.
The golden age of arcade video games was the period
of rapid growth, technological development and cultural
influence of arcade video games, from the late 1970s to
the early 1980s.

C O N S O L E S A N D
T H E I R T I M E L I N E
In 1972, Ralph Baer created the Magnavox
Odyssey. It was the first video game console
playable on home televisions.
Magnavox mass-produced these consoles
which featured 5 diskettes that generated
different code already located in the machine
and 2 huge controllers that used 6-C batteries
apiece.
HAL (A.I.) first introduced.
Atari releases 2600 in 1975, these
entertainment systems are referred to as the
1st generation of consoles.

T I M E L I N E

C O N C L U S I O N
Technology continues to grow and improve on
a daily basis The consoles we use today (Xbox
360, PS3, etc.) contain processors so much
more powerful than as little as 5 years ago that
the measurement of bits is no longer
appropriate Video games are now in a stage of
voice recognition, motion detection, among
other things that will continue to bring
technology to further developments
Made by - Vansh Singhvi

T H A N K Y O U
M A D E B Y - VA N S H S I N G H V I