Timeline: History of Electronic Games

Jan 25, 1947

Cathode Ray Tube Amusement Device

Produced a CRT light beam that could be controlled by mechanical knobs.

May 6, 1949

First Video Game

Called EDSAC built at Cambridge University. Had a library of short programs called subroutines stored on punched paper tapes.

Jan 1, 1951

SEGA

SEGA was created and produced coin operated amusement-type games.

May 1, 1972

Pong

Pong a game based on table tennis was created.

Aug 1, 1972

Magnavox Odyssey

First Video Game System

Jan 1, 1976

Coleco Telstar

A pong clone that played several variants of the game.

Jan 1, 1976

Fairchild Channel F

World's second cartridge based console. Also the world's first programmable cartridge system.

Oct 1, 1977

Atari 2600

Video game console that made microprocessors and cartridges containing games popular.

Jan 1, 1978

Magnavox Odyssey2

Played programmable ROM catridges and allowed each game to have its own unique game experience.

Oct 16, 1978

Space Invaders

Space Invaders is released by Tatio

Oct 16, 1980

Pac-Man

Pacman is released in Japan, to be played on a micro home computer.

Oct 16, 1983

First Mario released

Mario was the first game of its time it was the first platform game and had plenty of different levels and villains to defeat.

Oct 21, 1983

The Video Game Crash

The Video game industry crashed in 1983 due to the amount of companies producing stale video games.

Oct 16, 1985

Nintendo NES

Nintendo release the NES. The NES helped bring the compter game industry back to life after the great video game crash in 1983 with games like Donkey Kong, Donkey Kong Jr and Super Mario.

Oct 16, 1989

Game Boy

First hand held machine from Nintendo, called "Game Boy".

Oct 16, 1989

Sega Genesis

Sega releases the Sega Genesis. This was made in japan but was very popular in Europe and USA and later Brazil. It was released around the same time as the NES and there was a big rivalry.

Oct 16, 1994

Sony Playstation

Sony releases the Playstation in Japan. Playstation games were the nextlevel in computer gaming sony had stepped up the game with the graphics, the controls and it the games were on disc instead of the older cartridge form.