A history of computer games, part one: 1950s - 1970s

The birth of Computer Games, where did it all start? Well first lets talk Computers. Charles Babbage (1791 - 1871) invented the first mechanical computer, the Difference Engine, commenced around 1822. The idea was to do calculations without human error, it calculated polynomials by using a numerical method called the differences method. He later designed and worked on the "Analytical Engine" which was not limited to polynomials. In 1991 the Difference Engine was constructed using his original designs, it functioned perfectly. The original design was to be used with a crank handle that manually turned chosen mechanics and the result was then printed, it also created a template of the data, almost like saving information that could be copied and reused, the concept of a hardrive with paper that represented the monitors we use today.   

Fast forward a hundred odd years and we come across a man named Ralph Baer around 1951. The key thing to note here is the difference between computer games and video games. Computers were very expensive in the 50s & 60s, not obtainable by everyone; in fact the technology of the time did not allow computers and video games to integrate. Ralph Baer had the idea to develop a system of playing video games on the television, however his boss at the time rejected the it, in 1966, Ralph started building the first video game prototypes and therefore is accordingly credited as the inventor of the video game. However, back in 1947 a very basic game was developed by Thomas T. Goldsmith Jr. and Estle Ray Mann. The system used eight vacuum tubes and the simulation involved a missile being fired at a target, clearly inspired by radar displays used in World War II. Since it didn't generate video signals such as an ordinary TV or monitor, it wasn't qualified to be a video game although it is believed to be the first system specifically designed for game play.

1961, Spacewar! A brief glimpse of what was to come for the next decade. Three students from MIT (Massachusetts Institute of Technology) and a DEC PDP-1 computer. It involved two ships shooting at each other and these students figured out that the debugger program generated random pixels portraying stars. In the center was a "gravity star/sun" and this attracted both spaceships, although once again this did not qualify for a VIDEO game as it did not use video display. 

1972, in the USA it started with Magnavox Odyssey which was the first home video game, followed by Atari with PONG!! Atari's game was quickly copied as well as improved in 1973. Home video games became very popular around this time and were sold by many companies. Home video games arrived in Europe around 1974, the gaming market was quite fragile in Europe formed from a few small companies. In the late 70's arcades were born and the golden age of video games began.