Video games- a byte sized history PART ONE

If you have recovered from the glorious pun in the title, then we shall begin. Video gaming has been around long enough now to have become firmly ingrained in the public consciousness as a legitimate entertainment industry that commands a large share of the overall global media output and intake. From the early days of the 2600 right up to the newest versions of the Xbox and Playstation, there has been a ridiculous amount of fun to be had. Not everything worked out, and not everything was quite as awesome as people would have you believe, but video games certainly have their history.

The Video Game industry began in the early 1970s and after almost collapsing in the mid-1980s, it is now one of the most profitable entertainment industries in the world.

The First Generation Home Video Games

Many people have fond memories of playing the legendary Pong, the very first arcade game to achieve any kind of notable success. Despite it’s simplicity, it was hugely addictive and became a genuine classic very quickly.

The late 1970s and early 1980s saw the advent of many arcade game machines (man, remember those tabletop video games? Those were AWESOME). Some of these proved to be hugely addictive. Popular games of this era included Pac-Man and its many variations, Space Invaders, Battle Zone, Defender, and Donkey Kong. Personally I was very fond of Moon Cresta.

Many gamers longed to play these games in their homes, and eventually, many of the games were in fact available to play on at least one home video console and often more than one. In the original home video game market, games were hard wired into the console. All of this would change with the advent of second generation consoles, and the scene was to explode.

Second Generation

The second generation home video game consoles allowed for cartridges that could be swapped in and out of the console. The defining console of this period was the Atari 2600, which often shipped with the popular Space Invaders game.

The main controller for the Atari 2600 was the joystick, which often wore out and had to be replaced or refurbished. The console also included paddles which were used in racing games and in some sporting games. Greats for the 2600 included Pitfall and Berserk!

This era also saw the rise of the handheld video game market. Many of these centered around sports, such as basketball and football.

In addition to the Atari 2600, some gamers also purchased the Mattel Intellivision or the ColecoVision. The home video gaming market nearly died out during this era, and only the Atari 2600 remained. Gamers would be rewarded in just a few years with the advent of third generations machines.

Third Generation

The third generation in video gaming was inaugurated in the mid-1980s by the classic Nintendo NES console. It normally shipped with the original Super Mario Bros game, which remains a favorite to this day and has spawned countless other games, TV shows and even a movie. Other titles included Duck Hunt, the Legend of Zelda and many variations of Super Mario games.

The Nintendo NES was revolutionary in that it replaced multiple controllers with one game controller that easily fit within the two hands of the gamer. Also available was a pistol that was used with Duck Hunt and other titles.

The ease of play with the NES and the enjoyable games allowed it to easily dominate the video gaming market for several years.

The Sega Master system was the alternative to the NES, offering the same 8 bit technology with a sleeker design and a more detailed game design. Many of the Master System’s most popular games were action based, such as Shinobi, Altered Beast and the like.

Home video game consoles would continue to evolve over the late 1980s and beyond. Make sure you check out PART TWO of our Byte-sized history of video games soon!

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