Timeline of gaming
In this blog, I will be writing about the development of
games platform in the form of a timeline. This will include an analysis of the
different types of games platform that have emerged and their main features and
limitations. The game types I will cover are the following:
- Arcade games
- Console games
- Mobile game platforms
- PC based games
- Interactive TV based games
The timeline will start from the 1950s. For each decade that
will be mentioned in the timeline, I will explain how technology has developed
in each area, which companies have led the development of games, including
examples of games, consoles or PC
systems developed.
1950
In this decade of gaming, a developer called Charly Adama
introduced a game called Bouncing ball to the gaming world. This game was made
for MITs new computer called Whirlwind Computer. This computer was the first
computer to display real time video signals. This computer was bought into the
market in the late 1951 after it was developed in the late 1940s. Also, the
Whirlwind computer was the only computer to use core memory which stored binary
data on magnets. Although the Bouncing ball game was interactive, it was the predecessor of modern gaming.
In May 1951, the NIMROD computer
was created by a major firm called Ferranti International and was presented at
the Festival of Britain. Through the use of lights to provide display, the
NIMROD computer was exclusively designed to run the game of NIM. This
technology advancement meant that a digital computer was specifically
manufactured to play a game. This was a milestone in the history of computer
games. The picture on the right shows the live game in play at the Festival of
Britain.
In 1952, a computer program named OXO was introduced to the gaming
world. It was a program for Tic-Tac-Toe, also known as Noughts and Crosses.
This game was created Alexander S. Douglas. OXO was the first ever digital
graphical simulation game and it was only run on the EDSAC computer. The EDSAC
computer used a cathode ray tube which provided display for programs.
Furthermore, OXO has been labelled as the first true computer game.

In
1959, a gathering of interactive graphical programs were made on the TX-0
experimental PC at MIT. These included Mouse in the Maze and Tic-Tac-Toe. Mouse
in the Maze permitted users to utilise a light pen to place the walls which
formed the maze, dots that represented pieces of cheese, and in some versions
of the game, glasses of martini. A virtual mouse represented by a dot in the
game was then discharged and would navigate the maze to find the items it was
instructed. Tic-Tac-Toe also used the light pen to play a straightforward
session of checkers and crosses against the intelligence of the computer.
1960
In the mid to late 1960s, the vision of modern gaming taking
place into the gaming world was now turning into a reality. This included the
introduction of the first home video game console; it was only a matter of time
until it was placed on the market, available to customers. Also, as well as the
discussion of a new premium TV set, Ralph Baer suggested an idea to include in
the new TV set which would include an interactive game in the TV.
In 1966, Ralph Baer and his co-worker Bill
Harrison began the development of the first Brown Box. This was the very first
home video game console and video game system to be introduced into the gaming
world, allowing customers to purchase this console and experience gaming in the
comfort of their own home. As well as this, Baer and Harrison released a simple
video game called Corndog. This was the first ever game that was compatible to
be played on a standard home TV.
A year later in 1967, Bill Harrison with the assistance of
Ralph Baer created the first ever light gun and several other games with Bill
Rusch.
In 1968, the first ever video game console was prototype was
released which consisted of allowing the user to actually run a variety of
games, including Table Tennis, Gun shooting etc. These types of games were all
run in one unit.
1970
The early years of the 1970s was the beginning of some major
introductions into the gaming world.The earliest invention to be introduced into the gaming
world was the Galaxy game which was first installed in September 1971 at the
Stanford University. This was a game developed by two individuals however, it was just another,
newer version of the existing Spacewar game which was introduced in the 1960s.
The game cost the user 10 cents for one game or 25 cents for 3 games. In 1972,
the Galaxy game was improved through the addition of new and better hardware.
Also, the expansion from 4 to 8 consoles meant that users were now able to play
against each other. It was removed in 1979 due to damages to the monitor.
From 1976-1977, a number of Magnavox Odyssey consoles were introduced to the gaming world. for every new console that was released, there were slight changes. The consoles which were released in the specified time frame consisted the same games however had small modifications made including improved graphics, modified controllers and on-screen digital scoring.
Overall, the 1970s was the start video gaming however, towards the end of the decade, companies who were successful no longer maintained their performance, therefore leading in a decline in the gaming industry. However, this was soon overturned when Nintendo entered the market in the 1980s and reignited the video gaming industry. Since then, the video gaming industry has continued to grow in a success and a very wealthy industry.
1980

In 1981, there was another great addition to the world of
gaming; the introduction of Donkey Kong created by world famous company,
Nintendo. This game featured a character named Jumpman who became world famous
and is now recognised by the name Mario. This is the name the world famous
character was appointed when the creator of a later released game made Mario
the main character.
The development of consoles in this decade in comparison to
consoles released in the 1960s is that the advancement in technology has
resulted in improvement in hardware allowing the console to run better than
ever. Also, the improvement in graphics has resulted in the demand of consoles
to rapidly increase. From this point onwards, things were only going to get
better in the world of gaming.
1990
This decade of gaming bought a real excitement in the
industry. The development in hardware components meant that developers were
able to create console that were so much better than those introduced in the
past. The biggest advancement in hardware components was the leap from 2D
graphics to 3D graphics. This allowed users to experience gaming on another
level and most certainly boosted sales in the gaming industry.
The early years of the 1990s saw the introduction of the classic card game named Solitaire. This world famous game played by many was bundled together by Microsoft and ran on the Windows 3.0. It was rather fascinating that people who usually hate the idea of picking up a game console found it easier and much more enjoying to play this card game on the computer. Solitaire rapidly became a famous game and is still available to play on the latest Windows operating system.
In 1997, there was a great development in the brain of how
console gaming worked. This year in the late 1990s marked history as for the
first time, a machine was successful in a game of chess against the World Chess
Champion Gary Kasparov. The supercomputer was chess program named Deep Blue was
a great addition introduced by IBM and is surely an event which is less likely
to be forgotten.
A year later in 1998, there was another great game
introduced into the world of gaming. The Legend Of Zelda: Ocarina Of Time allowed
the gamers to experience gaming to another level. It transported users to the
imagined world of Hyrule which consisted of engaging characters, puzzles and
the most incredible and memorable instrument to ever appear in a video game.
2000
In the year 2000, The Sims simulation game founded by Will
Wright was introduced to the gaming world. It was not the first simulation game
to enter the gaming industry, however it was the predecessor of Utopia on
Intellivision introduced in 1982, Peter Molyneaux's Populous introduced in 1989,
Sid Meier's Civilization bought out in 1991 and Wright's own SimCity which made
its first appearance in 1989. The introduction of earlier games in to the
gaming industry did not stop The Sims from becoming the best-selling computer
game ever and the most popular game with female players.
In 2001, there was a great addition to the gaming industry,
Microsoft entered the market and released the Xbox along with games e.g. Halo:
Combat Evolved.
Later in the decade, Microsoft updated their console release
and introduced the Xbox 360 into the market. It proved to be a successful
console and gained millions of fans with its advanced and improved graphics and
the ability to play games online.
2010
In late 2013, the PlayStation 4 was released by Sony and was
significantly improved compared to its successor, the PlayStation 3. The
PlayStation 4 is a vastly greater gaming piece of equipment. It is equipped
with an 8-core AMD Jaguar CPU with the speed of 2.75GHz. Also, the PS4 comes
with an 800MHz GPU and a rather impressive 8GB of RAM. This was a great release
by Sony and rapidly generated a lot of money.

This is just the start of some spectacular things in the
world of gaming!