05: Video Game Timeline

1940's: Thousands play NIM at the World's Fair. Computer usually wins. (1940)
1950's: Willy Higinbotham creates a tennis game on an oscilloscope and analog computer for public demonstration (1958)
1960's: While waiting for a colleague at a New York City bus station, Ralph Baer conceives the idea of playing a video game on television. (1966)
1970's: Nolan Bushnell and Al Alcorn of Atari develop an arcade table tennis game. (1972)
1980's: Multiplayer play takes a huge step forward with Dan Bunten’s M.U.L.E. In the game (1983)
1990's: Sega needs an iconic hero for its Genesis system and finds it in Sonic the Hedgehog. (1991)
2000's: Microsoft enters the video game market with Xbox and hit games like Halo: Combat Evolved. (2001)
2010's: Players hunt for virtual creatures like Pikachu and Horsea in the real world with Niantic’s free-to-play hit Pokémon Go. (2016)
2020's: he New York Times buys Wordle after the five-letter guessing game goes viral. (2022)

1940's: Thousands play NIM at the World's Fair. Computer usually wins. (1940)
1950's:Programmers at New Mexico’s Los Alamos laboratories, the birthplace of the atomic bomb, develop the first blackjack program on an IBM-701 computer. (1954)
1960's:Ralph Baer patents his interactive television game. Four years later Magnavox releases Odyssey, the first home video game system, based on his designs. (1968)
1970's:Atari introduces its home version of Pong. Atari’s founder, Nolan Bushnell, cannot find any partners in the toy business, so he sells the first units through the Sears Roebuck sporting goods department.(1975)
1980's:1984
Russian mathematician Alexey Pajitnov creates Tetris, a simple but addictive puzzle game. The game leaks out from behind the Iron Curtain, and five years later, Nintendo bundles it with every new Game Boy.
1990's:1993
Concern about bloodshed in games such as Mortal Kombat prompts United States Senate hearings on video game violence. The controversy riles the industry and prompts the creation of a video game rating system. Ironically, that same year the game Doom popularizes “first person shooters.”
2000's:2001
Microsoft enters the video game market with Xbox and hit games like Halo: Combat Evolved. Four years later, Xbox 360 gains millions of fans with its advanced graphics and seamless online play.
2010's:2011
Skylanders: Spyro’s Adventure becomes the first augmented-reality hit by letting players place plastic figures on a Portal of Power to zap characters into the game. Two years later Disney Infinity joins the ranks of toy-video game hybrids.
2020's:2022
The New York Times buys Wordle after the five-letter guessing game goes viral.

1940's: Thousands play NIM at the World's Fair. Computer usually wins. (1940)
1950's: Claude Shannon lays out the basic guidelines for programming a chess-playing computer in an article. That same year both he and Englishman Alan Turing create chess programs.
1960's: Computer programmer John Burgeson stays home sick from work at IBM and begins developing a computer baseball simulation.
1970's: Scientific American publishes the rules for LIFE in Martin Gardner’s “Mathematical Games” column. In this simulation, isolated or overcrowded cells die, while others live and reproduce.
1980's: That year a version of Pac-Man for Atari 2600 becomes the first arcade hit to appear on a home console. Two years later, Ms. Pac-Man strikes a blow for gender equality by becoming the best-selling arcade game of all time.
1990's: Microsoft bundles a video game version of the classic card game solitaire with Windows 3.0.
2000's: Will Wright’s The Sims models real life. It is not the first simulation game—Utopia on Intellivision (1982), Peter Molyneaux’s Populous (1989),
2010's: The indie game movement comes of age with the tremendous popularity of Minecraft, the addictive brick-building game from Swedish developer Markus Persson.
2020's: Millions of people turn to games like Animal Crossing: New Horizons, Among Us, and Fall Guys to play and connect with friends and strangers through the safety of their mobile phones, computers, and consoles.

1940's: Thousands play NIM at the World's Fair. Computer usually wins. (1940)
1950's:1958
Willy Higinbotham creates a tennis game on an oscilloscope and analog computer for public demonstration at Brookhaven National Laboratory. Although dismantled two years later, it anticipated later video games such as Pong.(1958)
1960's:Computer programmer John Burgeson stays home sick from work at IBM and begins developing a computer baseball simulation. A month later (in January 1961), aided by his brother Paul, John runs this first-known baseball computer program on an IBM 1620 computer.
1970's:1970
Scientific American publishes the rules for LIFE in Martin Gardner’s “Mathematical Games” column. In this simulation, isolated or overcrowded cells die, while others live and reproduce. Hackers rush to implement it on their computers, watching beautiful patterns emerge and change.
1980's:A missing slice of pizza inspires Namco’s Toru Iwatani to create Pac-Man, which goes on sale in July 1980. That year a version of Pac-Man for Atari 2600 becomes the first arcade hit to appear on a home console. Two years later, Ms. Pac-Man strikes a blow for gender equality by becoming the best-selling arcade game of all time.
1990's:Microsoft bundles a video game version of the classic card game solitaire with Windows 3.0. Millions of users who would not normally pick up a game console find they enjoy playing computer games. Solitaire becomes one of the most popular electronic games ever.(1990)
2000's:The sims is a simulation game popular for female gamers.(2000)
2010's:The indie game movement comes of age with the tremendous popularity of Minecraft, the addictive brick-building game from Swedish developer Markus Persson.(2010)
2020's:2024
In a tough year marked by layoffs at many game companies, players and critics embraced the joyous platformer Astro Bot.(2024)

1940's: Thousands play NIM at the World's Fair. Computer usually wins. (1940)
1950's: chess "ai" game
1960's: space war computer game
1970's: the oregon trail.
1980's: pac man
1990's: sonic the hedgehog.
2000's: x box
2010's: MINECRAFT
2020's: hades

1940's: Thousands play NIM at the World's Fair. Computer usually wins. (1940)
1950's: Tennis game on an oscilloscope. Inspired the invention of pong. (1958)
1960's: A computer time systems mad for students to practice coding. (1964)
1970's: Pong the tennis game was made for arcades.Broke often due to how much it played.(1972)
1980's: The legend of Zelda first action adventure game and telling of bringing storytelling into the gamming world (1987)
1990's: Ps1 Introduces the world to 3d models in gaming (1995)
2000's: Wi Fit first introduce motion controls and how movement can contribute to gameplay (2006)
2010's: Minecraft being one of th most popular long running games It popularity was mostly relient on the internet (2010)
2020's: Wordle The online games that are quick an easy a quick brian teaser. (2022)

1940's: Thousands play NIM at the World's Fair. Computer usually wins. (1940)
1950's: First computer chess program as while as being able evaluate four half-moves ahead. (1957)
1960's: Steve Russel invents the first computer-based video game. (1962)
1970's: Pong was created and grew so popular that a machine broke due to being jammed with quarters. (1972)
1980's: Nintendo fans went crazy over Donkey Kong and the protagonist that is famously known as Mario. (1981)
1990's: Sonic is born in the game "Sonic The Hedgehog" in Saga as an iconic hero. (1991)
2000's: Games like Angry Birds are released, making people start spending a lot more time on their phones. (2009)
2010's: A brand called Niantic releases a game called Pokémon Go in which they walk around in the real world while catching the Pokémon. (2016)
2020's: A global pandemic starts and makes everyone have to stay home, which increases the popularity of games. (2020)

1940's: Thousands play NIM at the World's Fair. Computer usually wins. (1940)
1950's: programers from new mexico develop the first blackjack game on an IBM-701 computer. (1954)
1960's: after Dartmouth defeats Princeton 28–14 in football to win the Ivy League championship a stundent from dartmouth make the first football game of all time. (1965)
1970's: Atari developes a aracde tennis game and they name it pong. (1972)
1980's: a small game company nintendo makes a game called donkey kong witch leads to mario later on. (1981)
1990's: sega makes a game called sonic. (1991)
2000's: since the iphone is out moblie games are popular and this leads to games like angry birds and farmville being made. (2009)
2010's: a single creator named notch makes a game called minecraft. (2010)
2020's: players get sent down to duegons and half to fight monsters and bosses to survive and the game is called hades. (2021)

1940's: Thousands play NIM at the World's Fair. Computer usually wins. (1940)
1950's: Alex Bernstein writes the first computer chess program. (1957)
1960's: Steve Russell invents Spacewar!, the first computer-based video game. (1962)
1970's: The Atari 2600 is released, featuring interchangeable cartridges and games in color. (1977)
1980's: The NES is released in the US. (1985)
1990's: IBM's Deep Blue defeats a world champion chess player in a match. (1997)
2000's: Microsoft releases the Xbox. (2001)
2010's: Indie movement grows with the popularity of Minecraft. (2010)
2020's: The New York Times buys Wordle. (2022)

1940's: Thousands play NIM at the World's Fair. Computer usually wins. (1940)
1950's:
Alex Bernstein writes the first complete computer chess program on an IBM-704 computer—a program advanced enough to evaluate four half-moves ahead. (1957)
1960's:
Ralph Baer develops his “Brown Box”, the video game prototype that lets users play tennis and other games. (1967)
1970's:
Two decades before Doom, Maze Wars introduces the first-person shooter by taking players into a labyrinth of passages made from wire-frame graphics. (1974)
1980's:
The Nintendo Entertainment System (NES) revives an ailing United States video game industry two years after the Nintendo Corporation released it in Japan as Famicom. (1985)
1990's:
Sony releases PlayStation in the United States, selling for $100 less than Sega Saturn. The lower price point, along with the arrival of Nintendo 64 in 1996, weakens Sega’s home console business. When Sony PlayStation 2 debuts in 2000, it becomes the dominant home console and Sega exits the home console business. (1995)
2000's:
Microsoft’s Xbox 360 brings high-definition realism to the game market, as well as even better multiplayer competitions on Xbox Live and popular titles such as Alan Wake. (2005)
2010's:
Millions of players tune in to watch a virtual asteroid destroy the map of Epic Games’ massively popular online battle royale game Fortnite. The game, which earned a staggering $2.4 billion in 2018, respawned two days later with a new map dubbed Fortnite: Chapter 2. (2019)
2020's:
A global pandemic fuels the growth of the video game industry. Millions of people turn to games like Animal Crossing: New Horizons, Among Us, and Fall Guys to play and connect with friends and strangers through the safety of their mobile phones, computers, and consoles. (2020)

1940's: Thousands play NIM at the World's Fair. Computer usually wins. (1940)
1950's: The first videogame that has a (sort-of) screen: It was some sort of tennis game! (1958)
1960's: A programming site (very basic) where people can create their own games. Many games are created with the language. (1964)
1970's: The first first-person shooter. Very simple. (1974)
1980's: First Mario game is released! Big hit for Nintendo. (1981)
1990's: PlayStation comes into the competition, making its own set of popular consoles! (1995)
2000's: Big moment for gaming: mobile games and games on social platforms. Never has gaming been so busy... (2009)
2010's: Pokemon Go: Mixing game with reality. (2016)
2020's: Mario Movie (Very high-grossing film) (2023)

1940's: Thousands play NIM at the World's Fair. Computer usually wins. (1940)
1950's: Developed first blackjack program (1954)
1960's: MIT student Steve Russell invents Spacewar!, the first computer-based video game. Over the following decade, the game spreads to computers across the country. (1962)
1970's: Paul Dillenberger creates Oregon Trail (1971)
1980's: Nintendo’s Game Boy popularizes handheld gaming. (1989)
1990's: Sony releases PlayStation in the United States (1995)
2000's: Xbox and hit games like Halo: Combat Evolved. (2001)
2010's:The indie game movement comes of age with the tremendous popularity of Minecraft (2010)
2020's:The New York Times buys Wordle after the five-letter guessing game goes viral. (2022)

1940's: Thousands play NIM at the world's Fair. Computer usually wins.
1950's:Alex Bernstein writes the first complete computer chess program on an IBM-704 computer—a program advanced enough to evaluate four half-moves ahead. (1957)
1960's: Computer programmer John Burgeson stays home sick from work at IBM and begins developing a computer baseball simulation. A month later (in January 1961), aided by his brother Paul, John runs this first-known baseball computer program on an IBM 1620 computer.
1970's: Minnesota college students Don Rawitsch, Bill Heinemann, and Paul Dillenberger create Oregon Trail, a simulation of pioneers’ westward trek. Originally played on a single teletype machine, Rawitsch later brought the game to the Minnesota Educational Computer Consortium (MECC) which distributed it nationally.(1971)
1980's: 1981
Video game fans go ape over Nintendo’s Donkey Kong, featuring a character that would become world-famous: Jumpman. Never heard of him? That’s because he’s better known as Mario—the name he took when his creator, Shigeru Miyamoto, makes him the star of a later game by Nintendo. (1981)
1990's: Sega needs an iconic hero for its Genesis (known as Mega Drive in Japan) system and finds it in Sonic the Hedgehog. Gamers, especially in the United States, snap up Sega systems and love the little blue guy’s blazing speed and edgy attitude. (1991)
2000's: Valve energizes PC gaming with its release of Steam. The digital distribution platform allows players to download, play, and update games.(2003)
2010's: Gone Home, The Last of Us, and Papers, Please usher in a new wave of mature video game stories that confront players with tough emotional choices in ethically-complex worlds.(2013)
2020's: Movies and television shows based on hit game franchises The Last of Us and Super Mario Bros. charm critics and draw viewers. The Super Mario Bros. Movie earns more than $1.3 billion, making it the year’s second highest grossing film.(2023)

1940's: Thousands play NIM at the World's Fair. Computer usually wins. (1940)
1950's: Alex Bernstein writes the first complete computer chess program on an IBM-704 computer a program advanced enough to evaluate four half-moves ahead. (1957)
1960's:While waiting for a colleague at a New York City bus station, Ralph Baer conceives the idea of playing a video game on television. On September 1, he writes down his ideas that become the basis of his development of television video games. (1966)
1970's:Two decades before Doom, Maze Wars introduces the first-person shooter by taking players into a labyrinth of passages made from wire-frame graphics. (1974)
1980's:Video game fans go ape over Nintendo’s Donkey Kong, featuring a character that would become world-famous: Jumpman. Never heard of him? That’s because he’s better known as Mario—the name he took when his creator, Shigeru Miyamoto, makes him the star of a later game by Nintendo. (1981)
1990's:Sony releases PlayStation in the United States, selling for $100 less than Sega Saturn. The lower price point, along with the arrival of Nintendo 64 in 1996, weakens Sega’s home console business. When Sony PlayStation 2 debuts in 2000, it becomes the dominant home console and Sega exits the home console business. (1995)
2000's:Valve energizes PC gaming with its release of Steam. The digital distribution platform allows players to download, play, and update games. (2003)
2010's:Skylanders: Spyro’s Adventure becomes the first augmented-reality hit by letting players place plastic figures on a Portal of Power to zap characters into the game. Two years later Disney Infinity joins the ranks of toy-video game hybrids. (2011)
2020's:Movies and television shows based on hit game franchises The Last of Us and Super Mario Bros. charm critics and draw viewers. The Super Mario Bros. Movie earns more than $1.3 billion, making it the year’s second highest grossing film. (2023)

1940's: Thousands play NIM at the World's Fair. Computer usually wins. (1940)
1950's: Chess playing computer.
1960's: Computer baseball simulation.
1970's: Oregan Trial.
1980's: Pac man arcade.
1990's: Online solitaire with windows 3.0.
2000's: The sim's
2010's: Minecraft.
2020's: Hades underground greek game.

1940's: Thousands play NIM at the World's Fair. Computer usually wins. (1940)
1950's: Willy Higinbotham creates a oscilloscope that plays tennis and analog computer for public demonstration (1958)
1960's: While waiting for a colleague, Ralph Baer conceives the idea of playing a video game on television. (1966)
1970's: Nolan Bushnell and Al Alcorn of Atari develop an arcade table tennis game. (1972)
1980's: Multiplayer play takes a huge step forward with Dan Bunten’s M.U.L.E. In the game (1983)
1990's: Concern about bloodshed in games such as Mortal Kombat prompts United States Senate hearings on video game violence. (1991)
2000's: Microsoft enters the video game market with Xbox and hit games like Halo: (2001)
2010's: reality hit by letting players place plastic figures on a Portal of Power to zap characters into the game.(2011)
2020's:Movies and television shows based on hit game franchises The Last of Us and Super Mario Bros. charm critics and draw viewers. (2023)

1940's: Thousands play NIM at the World's Fair. Computer usually wins. (1940)
1950's: Claud Shanon creates Chess Program.(1950)
1960's:Steve Russel creates SpaceWar!. Game spreads across country.(1962)
1970's:Scientific American Publishes the rules to LIFE. Hacker began to download the game for themselves.(1970)
1980's:Toru Iwatani creates Packman.(1980)
1990's:Microsoft bundles a video game version of the classic card game solitaire with Windows 3.0. Millions of users who would not normally pick up a game console find they enjoy playing computer games.(1990)
2000's:Will Wright’s The Sims models real life. It is not the first simulation game.(2000)
2010's:The indie game movement comes of age with the tremendous popularity of Minecraft, the addictive brick-building game from Swedish developer Markus Persson.(2010)
2020's:A global pandemic fuels the growth of the video game industry. Millions of people turn to games like Animal Crossing: New Horizons(2020)

1940's: One of the first video games is an aiming gaming that uses an oscilloscope and a cathode ray tube (1947)
1950's: A. S. Douglass uses Cambridge's EDSAC Computer to make Tic Tac Toe (aka: OXO, Noughts and Crosses) (1952)
1960's: Ralph Baer makes an early video game console called the "brown box", which can play tennis and other games.
1970's: Minnisota college students make the Oregon Trail (1971)
1980's: Donkey Kong rises in popularity leading to the future fame of Jumpman (aka) Mario. (1981)
1990's: Microsoft creates a computer game version of solitare. Many non-gamers find they enjoy it. (1990)
2000's: Nintendo releases the Nintendo DS. A handheld portable gaming system with two screens. (the best console of all time) (2004)
2010's: The indie game Minecraft releases (2010)
2020's: The pandemic fuels gamers love for multiplayer games like Animal Crossing New Horizons. (2020)

1940's: Thousands play NIM at the World's Fair. Computer usually wins. (1940)
1950's: Claude Shannon lays out the basic guidelines for programming a chess-playing computer in an article, “Programming a Computer for Playing Chess.” That same year both he and Englishman Alan Turing create chess programs.
1960's: Computer programmer John Burgeson stays home sick from work at IBM and begins developing a computer baseball simulation. A month later (in January 1961), aided by his brother Paul, John runs this first-known baseball computer program on an IBM 1620 computer.
1970's: Scientific American publishes the rules for LIFE in Martin Gardner’s “Mathematical Games” column. In this simulation, isolated or overcrowded cells die, while others live and reproduce.
1980's: A missing slice of pizza inspires Namco’s Toru Iwatani to create Pac-Man, which goes on sale in July 1980. That year a version of Pac-Man for Atari 2600 becomes the first arcade hit to appear on a home console. Two years later, Ms. Pac-Man strikes a blow for gender equality by becoming the best-selling arcade game of all time.
1990's: Microsoft bundles a video game version of the classic card game solitaire with Windows 3.0. Millions of users who would not normally pick up a game console find they enjoy playing computer games.
2000's: Will Wright’s The Sims models real life. It is not the first simulation game—Utopia on Intellivision (1982), Peter Molyneaux’s Populous (1989), Sid Meier’s Civilization (1991), and Wright’s own SimCity (1989) preceded it—but it becomes the best-selling computer game ever and the most popular game with female players.
2010's: The indie game movement comes of age with the tremendous popularity of Minecraft, the addictive brick-building game from Swedish developer Markus Persson.
2020's: A global pandemic fuels the growth of the video game industry. Millions of people turn to games like Animal Crossing: New Horizons, Among Us, and Fall Guys to play and connect with friends and strangers through the safety of their mobile phones, computers, and consoles.