This document provides a history of arcade and home gaming from the 1970s through the 2000s. It outlines the major arcade games and consoles released each year from 1971 through the 1980s golden age of arcade gaming. It then summarizes the first home consoles from the 1970s including the Magnavox Odyssey and Atari 2600. The document continues tracking major consoles through the 1990s rise of the PlayStation and Nintendo 64 to the 2000s with the PlayStation 2, Xbox, and Wii.

1. GAMING RESEARCH
Unit 14 Demonstrating Computer Games

2. ARCADE GAMING: PRE-GOLDEN AGE
• 1971: Galaxy Game & Computer Space
• 1972: Atari releases Pong
• 1973: Taito releases Astro Space
• 1974: Taito releases Basketball & Taito releases Speed race
• 1975: Taito releases Interceptor & Western gun. Midway MFG releases Gun Fight
• 1976: Sega releases Moto- cross & Road Race. Atari releases Night Driver & Breakout
• 1977: Cinematronics releases Space wars

3. ARCADE GAMING: GOLDEN AGE
• 1978: Taito releases Space invaders. Sega releases Secret base
• 1979: Atari releases Asteroids. Namco releases Galaxian. Nintendo releases Sheriff &
Radar Scope
• 1980: Namco releases Pac man, King & Balloon and Rally – X. DECO releases DECO
Cassette System. Williams Electronics releases Defender.
• 1981: Nintendo releases Donkey kong. Sega releases Eliminator. Konami releases
Scramble and Frogger. Namco releases Bosconian.
• 1982: Namco releases Pole position. Sega releases Star Trek. Konami releases Time
Pilot. Atari released Quantum.
• 1983: Bally Midway released Journey. Namco releases Libble Rabble
• 1984: Atari releases Marble Madness and Paper Boy. Namco releases Pac-Land.
• 1985: Atari releases Gauntlet. Sega releases Space Harrier.
• 1986: Sega releases Out run.

4. ARCADE GAMING: POST- GOLDEN AGE
• 1987: Namco releases Yōkai Dōchūki. Technos Japan releases Double Dragon
• 1988: Namco releases Assault. Atari releases Hard Drivin’ and Tetris
• 1989: Atari released S.T.U.N Runner
• 1991: Capcorn releases Street Fighter II
• 1992: Midway Games releases Mortal Kombat
• 1993: Mortal Kombat II is released. Sega releases Virtual fighter and Daytona USA
• 1994: Killer Instinct is released
• 1996: SNK releases Metal Slug
• 1998: Konami releases Dance Dance Revelation
• 1999: Rush 2049 is released

5. FIRST GENERATION
Like many technological advances, the idea for video games originated with the government;
the mid-1960s military wanted some sort of device that would develop the reflexes of military
personnel. In 1966, Ralph Baer, an employee of defense contractor Sanders Associates,
addressed this demand when he came up with the concept of a “television gaming apparatus.”
This device included both a chase game and a vide tennis game, and could be attached to a
normal television set.
Website: http://www.informit.com/articles/article.aspx?p=378141

6. GAMING IN THE 70S
• The first home game console was released in 1972 called Magnavox Odyssey.
• Fairchild F was released in 1976
• In 1977 Atari released the Atari 2600.
• Midway Bally Astrocade console was released in 1977
• Coleco’s Telstar was released in 1978
• Milton Bradley released Microvision in 1979.

7. IMAGES
Magnavox Odyssey (1972) Atari 2600 (1977) Midway Bally Atrocade
(1977)
Fairchild F (1976) Miilton Bradley Microvision Coleco Telstar
(1979) (1978)

8. GAMING IN THE 80S
• CreatiVision was released in 1981 by Vtech .
• Epoch Cassette Vision released in 1981.
• PV-1000 was released in 1985 by Casio
• Atari 7800 released in 1986
• SG-1000 was released in 1983
• Nintendo Entertainment System was released in 1983

9. IMAGES
CreatiVision (1981) Epoch Cassette Vision (1981) Sega- 1000 (1983)
Nintendo Entertainment PV-1000 (1985) Atari 7800 (1986)
System (1983)

10. GAMING IN 90S
• Virtual Boy was released in 1995 by Nintendo
• PlayStation was released in 1994
• Sega Saturn was released in 1994
• Playdia was released in 1994 by Bandai
• Nintendo 64 was released in 1996
• Nintendo 64DD was released in 1999

11. IMAGES
PlayStation (1994) Sega Saturn
Virtual Boy (1995)
(1994)
Playdia (1994)
Nintendo 64 (1996)

12. GAMING IN 2000S
• PlayStation 2 released in 2000 by Sony
• Xbox was released in 2001 by Microsoft
• Nintendo GameCube was released in 2001
• PlayStation 3 released in 2003 by Sony
• Wii was released by Nintendo in 2006
• Wii U is released 2012 by Nintendo

13. IMAGES
Nintendo
PlayStation 2 Xbox (2001) GameCube (2001)
(2000)
PlayStation 3 (2003) Nintendo Wii (2006) Nintendo Wii U (2012)