The History of Video Games Essay -- Video Games

The History of Video Games 1972, the year the first home video game system, named Odyssey, is released by Magnavox. This main games featured on this system were a light gun game and a tennis game. During the same time, a game by the name of Pong is a success in the public. It is because people wanted to play Pong in the comfort of their own homes, that they bought Odyssey. The system only sold around 100,000 units since Magnavox only sold the game system from their own stores, making consumers believe that the game system would only work on Magnavox TV sets. Things stay quiet until 1976. With the success of Atari (the makers of Pong), many game companies arise and try to release their own gaming systems. Due to the sudden high demands for electronics parts, many companies did not receive their products on time. During this time, Fairchild Camera and Instruments releases their game system, titled the Video Entertainment System, later renamed as Channel F. This is the first home system to have programmable video games via game cartridges. Users can now change games with by swapping in and out a game cartridge (which is about the size of a 8 track tape). 1977, Atari opens Pizza Time Theatre, a restaurant with coin operated arcade games and dancing and singing mechanical animals. Interestingly enough, the mascot of Pizza Time was a giant rat by the name of Chuck E. Cheese. Seeing the success they had with software, Atari decided they would debut their own cartridge based video game console, known as the Atari 2600. A year later, Midway games imports arcade game Space Invader by Japanese developer Taito, to the US. The game was a ... ...s project and ended its contract with Nintendo. It own focus on a next generation CD only gaming system aimed at defeating Nintendo. This Sony system later became the Sony Playstation (32bit) released in 1995. Along with the Playstation, other companies such as Nintendo and Sega releases their own 32bit system. In the end the Sony machine comes out on top. Meanwhile, Nintendo sticks with their cartridge based design and releases the 64bit Nintendo 64 gaming system. Unfortunately, due to high cost and limiting factor of cartridge systems, not many developers hopped on board. Fast forward to today, we have three major players in the field, Nintendo’s Gamecube, Sony’s Playstation 2 and the new comer, Microsoft’s XBOX. Sony still remains on top while XBOX and Gamecube fighting fiercely for number 2. Source Cited Gamespot.com. The History of Video Games Essay -- Video Games The History of Video Games 1972, the year the first home video game system, named Odyssey, is released by Magnavox. This main games featured on this system were a light gun game and a tennis game. During the same time, a game by the name of Pong is a success in the public. It is because people wanted to play Pong in the comfort of their own homes, that they bought Odyssey. The system only sold around 100,000 units since Magnavox only sold the game system from their own stores, making consumers believe that the game system would only work on Magnavox TV sets. Things stay quiet until 1976. With the success of Atari (the makers of Pong), many game companies arise and try to release their own gaming systems. Due to the sudden high demands for electronics parts, many companies did not receive their products on time. During this time, Fairchild Camera and Instruments releases their game system, titled the Video Entertainment System, later renamed as Channel F. This is the first home system to have programmable video games via game cartridges. Users can now change games with by swapping in and out a game cartridge (which is about the size of a 8 track tape). 1977, Atari opens Pizza Time Theatre, a restaurant with coin operated arcade games and dancing and singing mechanical animals. Interestingly enough, the mascot of Pizza Time was a giant rat by the name of Chuck E. Cheese. Seeing the success they had with software, Atari decided they would debut their own cartridge based video game console, known as the Atari 2600. A year later, Midway games imports arcade game Space Invader by Japanese developer Taito, to the US. The game was a ... ...s project and ended its contract with Nintendo. It own focus on a next generation CD only gaming system aimed at defeating Nintendo. This Sony system later became the Sony Playstation (32bit) released in 1995. Along with the Playstation, other companies such as Nintendo and Sega releases their own 32bit system. In the end the Sony machine comes out on top. Meanwhile, Nintendo sticks with their cartridge based design and releases the 64bit Nintendo 64 gaming system. Unfortunately, due to high cost and limiting factor of cartridge systems, not many developers hopped on board. Fast forward to today, we have three major players in the field, Nintendo’s Gamecube, Sony’s Playstation 2 and the new comer, Microsoft’s XBOX. Sony still remains on top while XBOX and Gamecube fighting fiercely for number 2. Source Cited Gamespot.com.