5.30.2010

1961 THE FIRST VIDEO GAME IS INVENTED: SPACEWAR


I didn't even know this.... the first video game was invented in 1961! Arpanet the first version of the internet wasn't invented yet but someone had the foresight into the future of a billion dollar form of entertainment almost thirty years before the masses tuned in to the personal home computer. Here is the story of Spacewar.

By Mary Bellis

If I hadn't done it, someone would've done something equally exciting if not better in the next six months. I just happened to get there first." - Steve Russell nickname "Slug"

It was in 1962 when a young computer programmer from MIT, Steve Russell fueled with inspiration from the writings of E. E. "Doc" Smith*, led the team that created the first computer game. It took the team about 200 man-hours to write the first version of Spacewar.



Steve Russell wrote Spacewar on a PDP-1, an early DEC (Digital Equipment Corporation) interactive mini computer which used a cathode-ray tube type display and keyboard input. The computer was a donation to MIT from DEC, who hoped MIT's think tank would be able to do something remarkable with their product. A computer game called Spacewar was the last thing DEC expected who later provided the game as a diagnostic program for their customers. Russell never profited from Spacewars.


No comments:

Related Posts Plugin for WordPress, Blogger...

addtoany