History of Electronic Games Timeline

Magnavox Odyssey

Apr 1, 1972

This was the world's first gaming console.

Pong

Nov 29, 1972

Based on table tennis
First game to gain widespread popularity - launched the industry boom.

Gran Track 10

Jul 24, 1974

A single-player racing arcade game by Atari.

Maze Wars

Dec 30, 1974

One of the first FPS

Coleco Telstar

Jan 12, 1976

Battery-powered and external components were required

APF TV Fun

Feb 12, 1976

Four built-in games (Tennis, Hockey, Single Handball, and Squash).

Atari 2600

Sep 11, 1977

Two joysticks, two paddle controllers, and a cartridge game -initially Combat later Pac-Man.

Space Invaders

Jun 12, 1978

Shooting game - players defeat waves of aliens with a laser and earn points

Intellivision

Feb 12, 1979

First to pose a serious threat to Atari.

Frogger

Jun 12, 1981

Move frogs home by crossing a busy road and navigate a river - skillful players obtain bonuses.

Donkey Kong

Jul 9, 1981

Move the character across a series of platforms while dodging and jumping over obstacles.

Galaga

Sep 12, 1981

Control a space ship while aliens fly in formation and come down at the player's ship to either shoot or collide.

Mario Brothers

Jul 14, 1983

Mario, a Italian-American plumber, and his brother Luigi must defeat creatures from the sewers below New York.

Nintendo Entertainment System (NES)

Jul 15, 1983

8-bit console by Nintendo.

Tetris

Jun 6, 1984

Tile-matching from the Soviet Union.

The Legend of Zelda

Feb 21, 1986

Fantasy action-adventure created in Japan and published by Nintendo.

Final Fantasy

Dec 18, 1987

Science fantasy RPGs

Nintendo’s Game Boy

Apr 21, 1989

First successful handheld - predecessor of all other Game Boys.

Sony Playstation

Dec 3, 1994

First of a series of PS consoles

Nintendo 64

Feb 13, 1996

64-bit processor sold 32.93 million units worldwide.