Origin of Computer Games!

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Submitted on: 11/27/2003 8:11:54 AM
By: suneet singh
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Just for your knowledge about origin of computer Games................................ Suneet S Mausil .... Author of: Game Programming in C/C++ ....WILEY-Dreamtech ............ www.suneetsmausil.com (Visit for free game downloads) --------------------------------------------------------------------------------

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The first person who intended to develop a video game was an engineer Ralph Baer. In 1949 he was given an assignment for building a high quality television set, and he wanted to extend it to play some kind of game. Though he wasn't allowed to go ahead with his ideas but the concept became alive. In 1958, William A. Higinbotham, head of Brookhaven National Laboratory's Instrumentation division (a US Nuclear research lab), developed a game 'Tennis for two'. It worked on an oscilloscope and is considered as the world's first video game. In 1967 Ralph Baer demonstrated a multi-game unit playing a variety of simple games on a TV screen and filed the first video game patent in 1968. The real inventor of video game is still in controversy, as William A. Higinbotham never applied for patents. The research in this field carried on. Steve Russell developed a fully interactive video game 'Spacewar' in 1962, which is claimed to be the first computer game. Due to the sky high cost of the PDP computer on which it was developed, it wasn't launched in market. As you can see, the real problem in developing games at that time was the lack of technology and funding. With time both of them grew and the game industry came into existence. The real revolution began with the release of the first Atari PC with games like 'Pac-Man' in 1977. Most of the well-known game companies of today came in existence during 80's. The year 1989 was a revolutionary year for computer games. The sound cards Adlib, Soundblaster were released and 256-VGA Graphics came into existence. Use of CD's and modem in game playing too was introduced that year. This all revolutionized game industry. Now the history is not about persons but companies. The main players that time were Atari, SEGA, Magnavox and Nintendo. During 90's the technology grew and some smash hit games, like ID Software's DOOM were released. Now advanced technology with video cards supporting 3D graphics and fast processor speed are taking the video game to new heights. Internet has added a new dimension to the computer games. Now persons sitting miles apart can play interactive games on net and with each other. Now computer industry is witnessing games involving complex real-like 3D graphics, which were once considered impossible. Imagine the silliest and the most extraordinary game you can think of, with rise in technology who knows it might be reality tomorrow.

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11/27/2003 9:00:12 AM:Chris Pietschmann, MCSD, MCAD
Oh yeah that's real advanced stuff. Did you get that straight out of a book?

11/27/2003 1:21:24 PM:suneet singh
Well, I've done some research. Its also part of the book I authored. Suneet www.suneetsmausil .com

11/29/2003 2:46:42 PM:Patrick Krecker
hahaha ... he DID get it straight out of a book -- his OWN BOOK!

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