short history of computer games
TRANSCRIPT
CSCI 1011: Intro to Game Programming (© 2007 by Brian Downs) 1
CSCI 1011
Introductionto
Game Programming
Instructor: Brian Downs
CSCI 1011: Intro to Game Programming (© 2007 by Brian Downs) 2
A Very Brief History of Computer and Video Games
Just some highlights of this specialized use of computers and related technology It all started nearly 60 years ago!!
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In the beginning… A patent was issued for a "Cathode-Ray Tube Amusement Device" that simulated a missile firing at a target… …in 1948 In 1952 an electronic tic-tac-toe game was demonstrated at the University of Cambridge (the guy got a PhD for doing this!) In 1958 a tennis game was developed on an oscilloscope
CSCI 1011: Intro to Game Programming (© 2007 by Brian Downs) 4
In the beginning… A patent was issued for a "Cathode Ray Tube Amusement Device" that simulated a missile firing at a target… …in 1948 In 1952 an electronic tic-tac-toe game was demonstrated at the University of Cambridge (the guy got a PhD for doing this!) In 1958 a tennis game was developed on an oscilloscope
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Side-note: Chess Chess has always been a game people have strived to make a playing machine for.
A famous one shown in 1770
It was an impressive fake!
The amazing Mechanical Turk automaton !
It played an impressive game of chess.
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More on Chess Alan Turing writes the first chess playing computer program in 1950
In 1956 MANIAC I plays against humans
Grand Master Gary Kasaporov defeated by Deep Blue in 1997
2400 vacuum tubes!
This chess game had no bishops!
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Back to Video Games: History of Some of the Major Players In 1889 this company begins producing playing cards for games
• Nintendo ('leave luck to heaven')
In 1932 this company, the Con- necticut Leather Co, sells leather tooling kits
• COLECO
This company begins in post- WWII Japan in 1945 as the Tokyo Telecommunications Research Institute
• SONY
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History of Some of the Major Players: One more…
This company originally started in 1940 as Standard Games and then became Service Games. It sold jukeboxes and pinball machines
• SErvice GAmes = SEGA
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An Important Milestone In 1961, Steve Russell at MIT develops Space Wars. A two-payer game that lets each fire photon-torpedoes while trying to avoid a central black hole "If I hadn't done it, someone would've done something equally exciting if not better in the next six months. I just happened to get there first."
- Steve Russell aka "The Slug"
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Why Space Wars is Important
1971 Bill Pitts and Hugh Tuck form Computer Recreations
1972 Noland Bushnell and Ted Dabney (@Nutting Associates)
Galaxy Game Cost: $20,000Play cost: 10 centsBuilt: dozens
Galaxy Game Built: 1,500 1972
PONGBuilt: 10,000“Breaks down”
Father of the Video Game Industry
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Video Games Come Home
1972 Magnavox builds Odyssey
TV overlays
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The Golden Age 1978-1981 Taito release Space Invaders, 1978
Atari releases Asteroids, 1979
Frogger, Konami/Sega, 1981
Pac-Man, Bally/Midway, 1980
Donkey Kong, Nintendo, 1981
Namco releases Pac-Man, 1982 (+300K machines sold) Had own TV program!
US Army commissions Atari for a tank simulation game. Start of a long, enduring activity
Nintendo releases its first console in 1981
www.tripletsandus.com/80s/80s_games/
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Trouble in Paradise, 1982-1984 Commodore releases Commodore 64 PC –
initially successful but looses out to others… xxx
Coleco releases the Adam PC – it bombs…
In general, there are just too many competitors, large and small – the market saturates…
Atari is sold to Commodore
Atari pulls it console from the market
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The Rebound, 1985-1989 Nintendo release NES – the critics pan it, but it's an instant success!
Apple releases the Mac. Atari releases the 520ST (guess who won…)
Windows is released, and the PC becomes a gaming platform
Tetris is released!
Coleco closes shop…
• Legend of Zelda introduced
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The Story Continues…
1989 – Nintendo release Gameboy
1991 - Sega releases Genesis xxxix- Nintendo releases Super NES
1992 – RTS standard set by Dune II
1993 – FPS standard set by Doom xxxxi- Myst first to fully use CD-ROM capabilities. Becomes best selling game of the decade
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The Story Continues…
2000 – PlayStation 2 released xxxxi- The Sims released. Surpasses Myst in sales
2001 – Xbox released
2005 – Xbox 360 released
2006 – PlayStation 3 released xxxxi- Nintendo Wii released
2007 – CSCI 1011, "Intro to Game Programming" debuts at Century College!