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If you were born in the last 50 years, then you
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probably grew up playing them.
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And even if you don't play them
yourselves, you've heard about all
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the popular titles and franchises
that were spawned from them.
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You guessed it, video games.
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The video game industry generates more
than the music and film industry combined
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as much as two to three times more.
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So in this episode, let's discuss
the origins and evolution of
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this entertainment behemoth.
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Welcome to It Started Somewhere,
a podcast about popular products,
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places and things we know about, but
may not know the story behind them.
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I'm Shaimond, and today we're getting
into the history of video games.
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So grab your controllers, and let's
press start on this exciting journey.
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Our story begins in the 1940s long
before the first home consoles hit
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the market, believe it or not, the
seeds of video gaming were planted
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by none other than Alan Turing,
the father of modern computing.
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Turing and his colleague,
David Champernowne.
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created an AI informed chess game that was
too complex for the computers of the time.
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instead, Touring had to run the
game manually moving pieces based
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on the algorithm's decisions.
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Fast forward to the 1960s and we
find ourselves at MIT where a group
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of students were about to change
the course of entertainment history.
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Steve Russell and his friends were
given access to the university's new
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PDP 1 computer with one condition.
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They had to create a demonstration program
that pushed the machine to its limits.
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Inspired by the science fiction
novels they loved, these young hackers
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created a game called Spacewar!
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It featured two spaceships
dueling in the stars.
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And it quickly became
a sensation on campus.
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While space war was groundbreaking,
it wasn't destined for the masses.
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Computers were still massive, expensive
machines confined to research facilities.
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The 1970s ushered in the era of
the arcade games, bringing video
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games to the public in a big way.
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In 1971, Nolan Bushnell and Ted
Dabney created Computer Space,
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the first commercial arcade game.
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They founded a little company
you might have heard of, Atari.
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But it was Atari's next game that would
truly ignite the arcade revolution.
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In 1972, they created They
released Pong, a simple yet
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addictive table tennis simulation.
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Pong became a smash hit and
suddenly everyone wanted a
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piece of the arcade action.
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As Pong clones flooded the market,
game developers had to get creative.
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This led to a golden age of arcade
games from:
1978
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like Space Invaders, Asteroids,
and Pac-Man taking center stage.
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These games weren't just popular,
they were cultural phenomena.
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Pac Man with its lovable yellow hero
and ghostly enemies became an icon
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that transcended the world of gaming.
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while arcades were booming, innovators
were working on ways to bring video
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games into living rooms across America.
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In 1972, the same year Pong hit arcades,
Ralph Baer released the Magnavox Odyssey,
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the first home video game console.
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The Odyssey didn't exactly fly off
shelves selling fewer than 200,000 units.
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Poor marketing was partly to blame.
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Some consumers only thought
it worked with Magnavox TVs.
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But the biggest issue was that
Magnavox saw the Odyssey as a
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gimmick to sell more televisions,
not as the birth of a new industry.
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Atari, however, saw the potential.
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In 1975, they partnered with Sears
to release a home version of Pong.
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It was a hit.
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And the home console market was born.
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As the 1970s gave way to the
80s, a new player entered
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the game, personal computers.
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Machines like Apple II, Radio
Shack's TRS 80, and the Commodore
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64 offered gaming capabilities
alongside other useful functions.
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For many consumers, these versatile
devices seemed like a better investment
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than a dedicated gaming console.
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This shift, combined with a flood
of low quality games, led to the
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great video game crash of 1983.
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The market was oversaturated.
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And consumers lost confidence.
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Many companies abandoned their
video game lines and it seemed
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like the home gaming craze might
be over before it really began.
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Just when things looked bleakest.
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A Japanese company stepped
in to save the day.
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In 1985, Nintendo released the
Nintendo Entertainment System,
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or NES, in North America.
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With its innovative controller
design and roster of instant
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classics like Super Mario Bros.
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and The Legend of Zelda.
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The NES revolutionized the industry
and ushered in a new era of gaming.
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Nintendo didn't stop there.
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In 1989, they released the Game Boy,
the first major handheld gaming system.
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Suddenly, gamers could take
their favorite titles on the go.
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Nintendo's success didn't go unnoticed.
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Soon other companies
wanted a piece of the pie.
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Sega entered the fray with its
Genesis console, setting the stage
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for the great console wars of the 90s.
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The battle between Sega and Nintendo
pushed both companies to innovate,
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resulting in better graphics,
more complex games and iconic
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characters like Sonic the Hedgehog.
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As the 90s progressed, a new
challenger appeared, Sony.
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The PlayStation released in 1994 brought
CD-ROM technology to consoles, allowing
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for more immersive gaming experiences with
full motion video and CD quality sound.
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The mid 90s saw another major shift
in gaming, the move to 3D graphics.
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Games like Doom on a PC, and Super
Mario 64 on Nintendo 64 showed gamers
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worlds they had never seen before.
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These titles were just
technological marvels.
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They fundamentally changed how
games were designed and played.
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As we enter the new millennium,
gaming continued to evolve.
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Sony's PlayStation 2, released
in:
2000
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home console of all time.
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Microsoft joined the console
race with the Xbox in:
2001
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Introducing online gaming to
consoles in a big way with Xbox Live.
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Games were getting bigger,
more complex, and more mature.
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Titles like Grand Theft Auto 3 and Halo
Combat Evolved pushed the boundaries of
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what games could be, offering expansive
worlds and cinematic storytelling.
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Today, video games are a multi billion
dollar industry that rivals Hollywood
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in terms of cultural impact and revenue.
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From mobile games that millions play
on their phones to massive multiplayer
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online worlds, gaming has become more
diverse and accessible than ever before.
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But even as we look into the future
with technologies like virtual and
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augmented reality, the industry
continues to celebrate its roots.
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Retro gaming has seen a resurgence
with classic consoles being
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rereleased and old school games
finding new life on modern platforms.
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As we wrap up our journey through video
game history, it's clear this medium
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has come a long way from Turing's
chess algorithm in MIT's Spacewar!
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Video games have evolved from simple
diversions to complex art forms that
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can make us laugh, cry, and think.
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They've changed how we play,
how we tell stories and even
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how we connect with others.
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From the beeps and pongs of Pong to
the orchestra scores of modern epics.
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From two dimensional sprites
to photorealistic 3D worlds.
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Video games have constantly pushed the
boundaries of technology and imagination.
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So the next time you pick up your
controller or tap on your phone
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screen to play a game, remember,
you're not just having fun, you're
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participating in a rich history that
spans decades, a history of innovation,
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creativity, and the simple joy of play.
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I'm Shaimond and this has
been It Started Somewhere.
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Keep wondering about the origins
of things we know and love.
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And I'll catch you on the next episode.
