The Top 10 Most Important Moments in Gaming (1947-1979)
The Most Important Moments in Early Gaming
From the Archives: I originally published this article on August 2024. I had long term plans to do this for gaming eras and decades but fell behind. Since I’m working on getting those past project working again, it made sense to republish this one. I did some slight format changes and a slight edit here or there, but it’s mostly unchanged.
From 1947 to 1979, an entertainment industry juggernaut was born. As video games became a thing, I wanted to look at the most critical and consequential moments during these years. I’ll rank what I feel are the ten moments in time that defined the industry. As always, this list was created through personal research and subjective opinion. There’s a chance I may miss a moment or two you feel deserves to be here, but I’m limited to ten. With that being said, let’s get started!
10 - Invaders from Space
Created by the legendary Tomohiro Nishikado, Space Invaders was released in 1978 in arcades and became a worldwide phenomenon. While it’s true that Pong made the idea of gaming popular, Space Invaders was the first mega hit for the industry. The game launched the golden age of video game arcades and produced sci-fi hits that would help early platforms like Atari thrive. The influence of Space Invaders cannot be overstated, as it proved to be the influence for many iconic games to come.
9 - Computer Games
The book 101 Basic Computer Games was published in 1973, making the ability to code and play numerous early PC titles. These included titles like Lunar Lander, Chomp, Civil War, Nim, Star Trek, and so much more. This was the first step in the PC gaming community, which has grown to massive levels today. It also cannot be overlooked that many computer enthusiasts used their time reading this book to get involved in the industry. In the 1980s, it became the first book about computers to sell over a million copies.
8 - Spacewar!
In 1962, Spacewar! appeared and showed what the concept of video games could be. The game would make its way across the computer programming community and universities, influencing many future industry icons. Most games before Spacewar! were based on checkers, chess, or tick-tac-toe, but Spacewar! did something different by having you in space. After seeing Spacewar!, Atari and Pong creator Nolan Bushnell was inspired to make his works! It can be argued that this game is the closest thing to what 2001: A Space Odyssey was for many would-be video game directors.
7 - The Train Ride
Gunpei Yokoi quickly became the go-to guy for the card and toy company Nintendo after he was hired for his imagination and creative skills. In the 1970s, he had taken a train ride and noticed a passenger was trying to pass the time by messing around with his LCD calculator. It then hit him that people wanted a way to pass the time in situations like a train ride, and he would eventually use that motivation to create the Game N’ Watch. The portable system uses LCD technology to give customers a small game. That train ride would set Nintendo up to get involved in video games and eventually become one of the most important companies in technology and entertainment today. The train ride sets the course for a vital gaming console, arguably the greatest video game developer of all time and the most iconic character in the industry.
6 - Atari
In September 1977, the Atari Video Computer System was launched in the United States. While some early consoles were released, this system set the precedent for gaming consoles. The system would be the first multi-million unit selling system with a vast catalog of titles and popularity. The Atari VCS made video games a mainstream pastime for many middle-class households. The system was so popular by the early 80s that corporations and movie directors got involved. Many iconic titles and arcade ports would flood the system and create the first video game memories for many kids born in the 70s.
5 - A Fistful of Coins
The first video game that made the idea of playing a game popular was Atari’s Pong. The arcade cabinet took off due to its simplicity and easy to pick up and play gameplay. You didn’t need technological know-how to understand it. The game became such a hit that an industry of clones became the norm throughout the decade. Pong released a TV version, one of the first must-have holiday video game items. The success of Pong set the stage for Atari to become a key player in the arcade industry and eventually launch the Atari VCS console. To this day, even non-gamers know and have most likely played Pong or a version of the game.
4 - The Video Game Cartridge
The one problem video game consoles had was the reliance on hardware that needed games to be programmed into the box from the start. The Fairchild Channel F looked to fix that by creating a new format that would be the essential ingredient to make the video game industry become a juggernaut - the video game cartridge. Created by Gerald “Jerry” Lawson, the video game system would use a cartridge format influenced by tape cassettes to help add games to the system after purchase. While the Fairchild Channel F would flame out, the cartridge idea would be copied by Atari to create the catalog of titles the system would make its money on. To this day, the concept of a console is to sell the box as a point of entry to the games, where the real revenue is made. Lawson’s contributions to the industry as the creator of the cartridge are recognized today, especially during black history month.
3 - The Brown Box
Ralph Baer became obsessed with the idea of playing games on your television set. He had imagined the idea of a new medium of games, spanning different genres and a whole industry similar to movies and music. Baer made a concept known famously as the brown box. While it took time, he eventually got a partner in Maganvox and released the Odyssey, the world’s first home video game console. The hardware would be limited and play more like an interactive board game, but everything needs a start and this was it for video game consoles. While it would be the Atari VCS that made video game consoles popular and the Nintendo Entertainment System that set the standard for modern consoles, the Odyssey was where it all began.
2 - The Patent
United States patent US2455992A. This patent started the concept of video games. Thomas T. Goldsmith Jr. and Estle Ray Mann made this project in 1947. Goldsmith had the idea from radar display during his time in WWII. You would use a device with knobs to control a beam on a CRT (cathode-ray tube) screen to simulate a missile hitting a target. They called it the cathode-ray tube amusement device. While the game was apparently made, it was never marketed or sold, and the patent became a part of history, used in the many lawsuits Baer and Magnavox had trying to keep video games to themselves. While it was never officially made, this has become known to many industry experts as the starting point of video games.
1 - Draughts
While the cathode-ray tube amusement device is considered the start of the industry, the first recognized video game is Christopher Strachey’s Draughts, also known by some as M.C.U. Draughts, is a simple game of checkers. It was created by the brilliant Christopher Strachey, a pioneer in computer programming who even had connections to Alan Turing. Strachey made Draughts during a time when many computer programmers raced to create an interactive game on display. While it was close, there is enough evidence through thesis publication dates to label Draughts as the first video game. This makes video games arguably a British invention, and since Strachey was a gay man, a part of LGBTQ+ history. Even though it wasn’t being made for money or had an eye on creating a whole entertainment industry, Draughts is the granddaddy of video games. The most critical moment, not just in early gaming history, but I would argue, of all video game history, is the completion of the Draughts project.
Very informative. I sometimes like pieces like this. Nice one.