Short History of Computer Games

The history of computer games is a long one. It began with simple programs like tic-tac-toe and checkers, but it has evolved into a multi-billion dollar industry with many different types of games available today.

1950s

The 1950s was a time of great innovation, and computer games were no exception. In fact, the first computers were used for games in this decade.

The first game that was created in 1951 was known as Tennis for Two or Tennis 1 (depending on which source you choose). It was played on an IBM 704 mainframe computer at Harvard University by two students named Kenneth C. Galler and Joseph W. Weckerly Jr., who also developed a version of their game specifically designed for use with punch cards instead of paper records like they had been using before then; this version became known as Tennis 2 and later became available commercially through Mattel Electronics' electromechanical toy line later that year.

1960s

The 1960s were a time of great change for computer games. Text-based games were the norm, and most early interactive programs used mainframes to run their data. The technology was still developing in the 1960s, and there were few commercial games available at the time.

College students began playing games on mainframes at universities across North America as early as 1964 when they could connect to their school's computers via phone lines or cable TV lines running over long distances.

1970s

In the early 1970s, the first computer game to use a microprocessor was Pong. This simple tennis game uses two players (each controlling a paddle) to hit the ball back and forth against each other. The graphics were rudimentary at best: no background or anything else besides two dots on a screen that would change color depending on whether your opponent had scored or not.

The second major milestone in computer games was Adventure, released by Atari in 1977. It used full 3D graphics--the first time this had been done on home computers--to allow users to explore an island filled with dungeons, caves and castles as they imagined themselves exploring in real life instead of just sitting still at home like most people did back then!

1980s

In 1980, the first ever computer game was created by Steven Russel. The game was called "Space War". It was a strategy simulation where players had to use their own missile systems against other players' missiles.

In 1981, Atari released its first home console called Atari 2600 (or simply 'Atari 2600'). It became one of the best-selling video games consoles ever made due to its excellent graphics and sound quality at that time compared to other consoles available in those days such as Intellivision which ran on an actual TV set instead of just being plugged into your TV set via composite video cable like this one does now!

In 1982 Electronics Arts released Star Castle which became one of their most popular titles ever since then until today where it continues selling millions upon millions every year despite being 30 years old now but still has over 100 million fans worldwide who play it regularly either alone or together online through various channels including Facebook Messenger App etcetera...

1990s

The 90s were an important decade for computer games, as the technology behind them evolved rapidly. The introduction of 3D graphics and online gaming brought a new level of realism to video games that had previously been limited by 2D sprites and 8-bit sound. The rise of consoles also saw an increase in popularity, allowing players to play their favorite titles on home televisions instead of just using consoles at arcades or computers at school.

2000s

The 2000s was a decade of transition. It saw the rise of the internet, which brought new opportunities for games and other forms of media to be distributed online. Online gaming became popular during this time period, and it's important to note how significant this development was in terms of computer game history.

In many ways, online gaming has been an important step forward in terms of how we think about what constitutes "computer games" -- as well as their place in culture at large.