History of Video Games

Video games are a major market for electronic companies. It is estimated that among adolescents, boys play video games an average of 13 hours a week, and girls play video games an average of 5 hours a week. Video gaming has a rich history dating back to the 1940s that gets richer and more expansive as time goes on.

The first video games

In 1947, a patent was filed for a “cathode ray tube amusement device” by Thomas T. Goldsmith and Estle Ray Mann. The game was a simple box with a single set of controls, designed for two people to play, similar to Pong. Between 1959 and 1961, a machine was created at MIT that was capable of playing three games “Mouse in the Maze,” “Hax” and a computerized version of tic-tac toe.

The first gaming consoles

The first video console, mass produced for home use, was called the Magnavox Odyssey. Prototypes were released between 1966 and 1968, and it was released on the open market in 1972. The Odyssey used cartridges and was the first system for home use that could play multiple games. It sold more than 100,000 copies in the first year.

Following consoles

In the years that followed, a number of systems came out with varying success. Each system had significantly better graphics and gaming possibilities. The first significant gaming system was the Atari. It lost popularity, however, when the Nintendo system was released. It was followed by the Super Nintendo, the Sega system, the X-box, the Wii and the multiple version of the PlayStation.

Today, gaming systems have the ability to track players' physical movements for the most realistic game play yet. Work is underway to create 3-D game play, and virtual reality games already exsist in arcades and places where larger equipment is installed.