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Video Game Timeline
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OXO
'OXO' or 'Noughts and crosses' was the first computer game to use an electronic screen display. This was a breakthrough in the video game industry and would be the first of several simple computer games such as Tennis for Two. -
Spacewar!
'Spacewar!' was the first widely available computer game. It was also one of the first 2-player games, which further revolutionised the video game industry. -
Magnavox Odyssey
The 'Magnavox Odyssey' was the first ever home electronic console, which paved the way for other popular consoles like the 'Atari 2600' and eventually the 'NES'. -
The peak of arcade games
'Pong' was by far the first arcade game to become majorly successful and has become an instantly recognisable part of the modern day video game culture. This was followed up by the very successful 'Space Invaders' in 1978, 'Pac-Man' in 1980 and 'Donkey Kong' in 1981. -
Microvision
The 'Microvision' was the first ever handheld device to use interchangeable cartridges, something that would become a staple for years to come in consoles such as the Gameboy and the current 3DS. -
The 1980s
The 80s saw many modern-day genres get firmly established in the public's view on video games. Games like 'The Legend of Zelda' was an early example of Adventure games, while Maze games like 'Pac-Man' were also firmly established in the 80s and influenced hundreds of games since then. -
Nintendo Power
This was one of the first English-language gaming magazines in the world and marked the point when video games were expanding in media to print. -
Game Boy
The Game Boy was released in 1989 and would become one of the most successful game consoles of all time and would spawn more than 5 other consoles in the same Game Boy family. -
Sonic the Hedgehog
Sonic the Hedgehog was introduced by Sega in 1991 and would become one of the most recognisible video game characters of all time and provided a strong rivalry between Sega and Nintendo's Mario franchise. -
The 1990s
The 90s saw many graphical enhancements with themajor change being the transition from 2D graphics to 3D graphics on home consoles with the Nintendo 64. The 90s saw video games move into a more mainstream form of entertainment. -
Major shift
The late 90s was when there was a major shift in gamers where Sony with the PlayStation gained in popularity and superseded Nintendo as the leading console developer. Much of this was due to the fact that Sony used discs while Nintendo continued to use cartidgesm, which had a much smaller size. -
Modile gaming
Nokia was the first mobile company to introduce gaming to mobile phones with 'Snake'. -
Early 00s
During the early 2000s, many consoles were released that were firsts. The GameCube was released, which was the first Nintendo console to use discs. The Xbox was Microsoft's first gaming console and the PlsyStation 2 became one of the best selling consoles of all time. -
Grand Theft Auto
The 'Grand Theft Auto' series also appeared in the 2000s to major controversy. It was controversial for the amount of violence, sexual activity and crime it displayed. It started to push the lines of what was acceptable and what was not. -
Mid 00s
This was when consoles got more technologically advanced, many of which are still very common in regular households and not with collectors. Consoles such as the Wii, PlayStation 3 and Xbox 360 were all popular, while Nintendo continued its dominance in the handheld market with the DS family outselling the PlayStation Portable. -
Nintendo Wii
The Wii was the first console to ulitise motion controls with the use of the Wii Remote. This created a minor trend which was also used by the PlayStation Move and expended upon with the Kinect for the Xbox 360. -
Online gaming
The 2000s were also when using online capabilities became commonplace. It was possible to buy games from a service and play on the console, greatly expanding the number of indie games that can be produced. -
PC gamers
PC gaming rose considerably with the release of Steam which also paved the way for indie games for the PC. -
Current day
Today, many of these moden advancements are now common, such as online connectivity and motion sensors. However, Nintendo also released the 3DS, where the top screen can become 3D like in a movie. The Wii U was also released, alongside the Xbox One and PlayStation 4.
