A history of computers, part two

Despite the fact that the Cathode ray tube amusement device is considered the first video game, it would still a long time before anything that remotely resembled a modern games console would come into fruition. Over the following ten to fifteen years other similar developments in video games would come and go, however most of these were experimental, and like the CRT amusement device would never be fully marketed as games consoles or sold to the public. None of these games were even close to what we understand by the concept of video games today.

The start of the 70's saw a breakthrough in gaming with the development of coin operated games machines, later to be known as Arcade games. Computer Space, released by Nutting Associates, was one of the first of these and also the worlds first mass produced and commercially sold video game. It truly was the landmark in what was to become the golden age of arcade gaming. Computer space was later followed my Pong, released in 1972 by Atari, who would later become a big player in the games industry of that period.

The future is now...

Around the same time as Pong the worlds first commercially available home video game console was also released, named the Magnavox Odyssey. I think it is important to mention that this is the time when real video game history begins, consoles in general are starting to take shape and become closer in semblance to the consoles that we know and use the modern era. They are being played on television sets and monitors. The Magnavox Odyssey featured a basic console with two wired controllers, practically the same format for consoles of today.

"You couldn't beat me on COD though"

With the increasing popularity and demand for household consoles the age of arcade gaming came to halt in the early 1980's. In 1983 Sega debuted there first console, the sg-1000 and Nintendo entered with the Nintendo Famicon (later to become the NES) the biggest selling console of its time. People began staying at home to play video games with friends and family, there was just no need to go to the arcade anymore, and with time arcade machines gave way to the new consoles on the block.

This transitional period from arcade machines to home entertainment consoles didn't even matter, as by the end of 1983 something known as the "Great video game crash of 83'" began to take place. The industry went into a deep recession which led to the bankruptcy of then major console companies and almost completely wiped out the industry. The reasons for this were due to over saturation of consoles in the market. Dozens of consoles, too much quantity and not enough quality was being put out, and consumers were losing confidence in the the quality of the games. Atari, the fastest growing company at the time was divided, and were forced to dump millions of unsold games and consoles onto landfill site in New Mexico.

(I only chose this photo for nice values/composition)

 Another reason for the crash was the advancing development of computers. Consoles were dedicated gaming machines, but computers could play games as well as other functions. While most modern consoles are now dedicated for games, the less sophisticated technology and comparably simple games of the 1980's meant that a dedicated games console was seemingly needless when compared to a multifunctional computer.

The great video game crash only lasted around two years. It was the international success of Nintendo's NES (Nintendo entertainment system) that became extremely popular and re-ignited peoples confidence in video game consoles, soon becoming the most popular video game console of its time. Many still popular Nintendo titles such as the Legend of Zelda were first released on this console. Throughout the rest of the later 1980's very fewer but much more solid consoles were released such as Sega's Mega Drive which debuted Sonic the Hedgehogs first release in 1991.

All hail the savior.

 The beginning of the 90's saw the rise of a new kind of gaming, handheld consoles began to emerge with the first Nintendo Gameboy being released in 1989. Handheld games consoles had existed before this time, as early as 1977, but they were full of hardware problems and very linear, usually only containing one or a handful of inbuilt games. The gameboy was the first of its kind to use individual game cartridges and in 1996 saw the release of the first Pokémon game. Other handhelds came and went, but none held out competition like the Gameboy, and Nintendo released the Gameboy colour in 1998.

It's not actually a boy

The 1990's also saw another revolutionary hit in gaming. The original PlayStation was released by Sony in 1994, and although not the first console to run a 3D game introduced a plethora of 3D games to the mass gaming audience. It was also the first console to begin using CD-ROMs to store games instead of cartridges, a format that would eventually be used throughout the entire industry and today. Welcome to the future!

  

References -
Computer Space - http://technologizer.com/2011/12/11/computer-space-and-the-dawn-of-the-arcade-video-game/

Magnavox Odyssey - http://classicgaming.gamespy.com/View.php?view=Articles.Detail&id=396

Handhelds - http://www.engadget.com/2006/03/03/a-brief-history-of-handheld-video-games/

Playstation - http://classicgames.about.com/od/consoleandhandheldgames/p/History-Of-The-Sony-Playsation-Kick-Starting-The-Disc-Revolution.htm
 http://www.guinnessworldrecords.com/records-8000/first-3d-console-game/

Great video game crash of 83' - http://uk.ign.com/articles/2011/09/21/ten-facts-about-the-great-video-game-crash-of-83