The Evolution of Video Games - PowerPoint PPT Presentation

1 / 40
About This Presentation
Title:

The Evolution of Video Games

Description:

Nintendo Game Boy (1990) NEC TurboExpress (1990) Sega Game ... Game Boy Colour and Advanced (2001) 33. Home Computer ... releases the Game Boy Advanced SP. ... – PowerPoint PPT presentation

Number of Views:168
Avg rating:3.0/5.0
Slides: 41
Provided by: MichaelK8
Category:
Tags: boy | evolution | games | video

less

Transcript and Presenter's Notes

Title: The Evolution of Video Games


1
The Evolution of Video Games
  • A Brief History from the 1800s-Present

2
Ancestors of Video Games
  • The beginnings of the video game industry can be
    traced back to the pinball machine industry.
  • Pinball itself can be traced back to the 1800s
    game Bagatelle, a form of billiards in which
    players used a cue to shoot balls up a sloped
    table, hoping to have the ball land in a pocket
    on the way down.

3
Ancestors of Video Games
  • In 1931, Automatic Industries introduced the
    first real pinball machine, Whiffle, which used a
    plunger instead of a cue. It was also one of the
    first devices that was coin activated.
  • Later in 1931, David Gottlieb introduced the
    hugely popular Baffle Ball, which launched
    pinball into a serious industry.
  • At this point, there were no flippers, bumpers,
    or scoring device.

4
Ancestors of Video Games
  • Harry Williams introduced Contact in 1933, the
    first electric machine.
  • Around this time, pay-out machines were
    introduced that combined pinball and gambling.
  • Many states passed laws prohibiting gambling and
    these pay-out machines.
  • In New York, pinball was ruled an extension of
    gambling and was made illegal (until the
    1980s!). Many states followed this precedent
    and the gaming industry was tainted.

5
Ancestors of Video Games
  • In 1947, Gottleib introduced Humpty Dumpty, the
    first game to use flippers, to establish pinball
    as a game of skill and not a game of chance.
  • Some states relented, but the gaming industry
    was still tainted and linked to gambling.
  • Other innovations followed, and the pinball
    industry grew with companies like Gottleib,
    Williams, Bally, and Midway.
  • Many of the founders and innovators of the video
    game industry had their starts in pinball.

6
The First Video Game?
  • Early computers could only play simple games like
    tic-tac-toe.
  • Most historians agree the first video game was
    invented in 1958 by Willy Higginbotham at the
    Brookhaven National Laboratory.
  • It was an oscilloscope and analog Donner computer
    to play Tennis for Two as a demonstration for
    the annual visitor day.

7
The First Video Game?
Rebuilt in 1997
Original Game
8
Spacewar
  • In 1961, Steve Russell built Spacewar on a DEC
    PDP-1 at MIT.
  • It took 6 months and 200 hours of programming.
  • Using toggle switches, two players could control
    dueling ships firing torpedoes at each other.
  • Additional effects like gravity, hyperspace
    (teleporting), and unreliable weapons were
    eventually added.
  • Due to its eventual influence on the industry and
    its well-known history, many people consider this
    the first true video game.

9
Spacewar
The Spacewar PDP-1
Steve Russell and the Original Spacewar
Spacewar Screenshot
10
The Magnavox Odyssey
  • In the late 1960s, Ralph Baer began work on a
    video game system while working at Sanders
    Associates.
  • The game was a form of ping pong using a moving
    ball and player controlled paddles.
  • The system consisted of a game box containing the
    logic, two simple controllers, and used a
    standard television for a display.
  • Magnavox struck a deal, and the system became the
    Odyssey, launched in 1972.

11
The Magnavox Odyssey
  • Other games were also supported through the use
    of coloured screen overlays and accessories.
  • Magnavox, unfortunately, overpriced the system
    and marketed it as only working with Magnavox
    sets.
  • The system nevertheless sold reasonably well for
    being the first home video game console.
  • It also had great influence on the first major
    arcade video game Pong.

12
The Beginnings of Atari
  • Nolan Bushnell was first introduced to gaming
    through the pinball industry.
  • At the same time, Bushnell attended the
    University of Utah, where he first saw and played
    Spacewar.
  • He went on to create Computer Space, a coin
    operated version of Spacewar using custom
    hardware and a television for a display in 1970.

13
The Beginnings of Atari
  • With help from Bill Nutting of Nutting
    Associates, 1,500 Computer Space machines were
    manufactured in 1971.
  • Due to poor marketing and complex game play (it
    needed several pages of instructions to explain),
    the game did poorly.
  • Not to be deterred, Bushnell went on to form
    Atari in 1972 as the first video game company.

14
Atari and Pong
  • Ataris first commercial success was Pong.
  • It was test marketed at Andy Capps Tavern in
    Sunnyvale, California late in 1972.
  • It was a huge success.
  • Forgeries and copies appeared on the scene to
    cash in on the new craze.

15
Atari and Pong
  • Magnavox sued Atari for patent infringement.
  • Since Bushnell had seen the Odyssey at a trade
    show months before Pong was made, Atari was in
    trouble.
  • They settled with Magnavox and became the sole
    licensee for this technology.
  • Magnavox prosecuted all of the imitators, leaving
    Atari back on top of the industry.

16
More Early Home Consoles
  • Ataris Home Pong in 1975
  • The Connecticut Leather Company (Coleco) and
    Telstar in 1976.
  • Fairchild Camera and Instrument releases Channel
    F, also in 1976, the first programmable home
    game to use cartridges.

17
More Early Home Consoles
  • Atari released the Video Computer System (better
    known as the 2600) in 1977. Immensely popular.
  • Magnavox and Odyssey2 in 1978.
  • Mattel Electronics introduced the Intellivision
    in 1979.

18
The Early Arcade
  • Arcades did not exist at first video games were
    largely installed in bars and were not seen as
    childrens amusements.
  • Bushnell saw the huge potential and Atari
    introduced the Pizza Time Theatre (Chuck E.
    Cheese) to help establish video games for
    children in 1977.
  • Arcades for the whole family began to spring up
    as video games grew in popularity.

19
Early Arcade Developments
  • 1975 Midway imports Taitos game Gunfight the
    first to use a microprocessor.
  • 1976 Exidy Games releases Death Race, in which
    players drive over stick figures. Protests
    ensue.
  • 1978 Atari releases Football and Midway
    releases Space Invaders. Both set records.

20
Early Arcade Developments
  • 1979 Atari releases Lunar Lander, its first
    vector graphics game. Atari later released
    Asteroids, its best-selling game.
  • 1980 Namco releases Pac-Man, the most popular
    arcade game ever world-wide.
  • 1980 Atari releases Battlezone, perhaps the
    first true first-person video game.

21
Early Arcade Developments
  • 1981 Relative newcomer Nintendo releases Donkey
    Kong, with the first appearance of what would
    become Mario, later Nintendos main mascot.
  • Other classics followed
  • 1981 Galaga, Frogger, Ms. Pac-Man, Centipede
  • 1982 Dig Dug, Burger Time, Mr. Do!, QBert, Pole
    Position, Joust, Zaxxon, Moon Patrol (first game
    with parallax scrolling), Time Pilot
  • 1983 Dragons Lair (first laser disc game),
    Mario Bros., Spy Hunter

22
Meanwhile, Atari at Home
  • 1979 Atari designer Warren Robinett introduces
    Easter Eggs to video games, hiding a room with
    his name in a 2600 game called Adventure.
  • 1980 Atari ports Space Invaders to the 2600.
    The practice of porting arcade hits to home
    begins.
  • 1981 Atari ports Pac-Man to the 2600. Still
    ranks 4 on the Top Ten most Shameful Games of
    all time. Really, really bad.
  • 1982 Atari rushes E.T. for the 2600 to market
    for Christmas. Millions of cartridges are
    reportedly dumped and buried in the New Mexico
    desert. Even worse!
  • 1982 Atari releases the 5200 game console. It
    also did not do very well. Atari in big trouble.

23
Also at Home
  • 1980 Sensing Atari was in trouble, several
    developers left and formed Activision, the first
    third-party game publisher.
  • 1982 General Consumer Electronics produces the
    Vectrex.
  • The first vector graphics home console.
  • It was monochromatic, but used coloured plastic
    overlays like the first Magnavox Odyssey.
  • 1982 Coleco releases the Colecovision.
  • Both consoles faltered in 1983 and died off in
    1984, when the rest of the industry crashed.

24
The Crash of 1983-1984
  • After the golden age up to 1982, the video game
    market collapsed with several companies
    abandoning the industry or totally out of
    business. Why?
  • There was no new technology able to sustain and
    drive growth of the industry.
  • There was a huge over-supply of game cartridges.
  • Atari believed they were unstoppable and could do
    anything. Turns out they were wrong.
  • Home computers arrived on the scene, and people
    began to panic at the new threat.
  • People lacked faith, and many felt video games
    were a fad. Retailers, distributors, the press,
    and good portions of the public turned their
    backs on them.

25
The Advent of the Home Computer
  • In the early 1980s, home computers began to grow
    in popularity.
  • Some did not do very well, like the Coleco Adam
    (1984), but some proved popular as a gaming
    platform.
  • Commodore, with the VIC 20 (1981) and Commodore
    64 (1982) and again later with the Amiga.
  • Apple with the Apple II and later generations.
  • IBM and various PC clones, which has become the
    predominant home computing gaming platform.

26
The Advent of the Home Computer
  • Several new companies began developing for these
    new platforms
  • Accolade
  • Origin
  • Infocom
  • Epyx
  • Broderbund
  • Sierra
  • Microprose
  • Electronic Arts
  • Lucas Arts
  • And many, many others

27
Nintendo and Sega
  • In 1984, Nintendo released the Family Computer
    (Famicom) in Japan. It was rebranded in 1985
    as the Nintendo Entertainment System (NES) for
    North America.
  • In 1986, Sega (once known as SErvice GAmes)
    released the Sega Master System.
  • These two new home consoles begin to revitalize
    the sagging game market.

28
Nintendo and Sega
  • Sega lagged behind Nintendo in sales.
  • In 1989, Sega introduced the new 16-bit Genesis
    console, but it still lagged behind as people
    awaited the Super NES.
  • When the Super NES was introduced in 1991, Sega
    had a surprise its new mascot, Sonic the
    Hedgehog.
  • In 1992, Sega shipped the Sega CD peripheral for
    the Genesis, which did not fare very well.

29
Other Contenders
  • 1987 NEC introduces the hybrid 8/16 bit PC
    Engine in Japan, later releasing it in 1989 in
    the U.S. as TurboGrafx.
  • 1990 SNK introduces the new 24-bit NeoGeo game
    console in the U.S.
  • 1993 Panasonic releases the 32-bit 3DO system, a
    CD based system.
  • Despite their technical innovations, none of
    these systems fared as well as Nintendos or
    Segas.

30
Arcades Fight Back
  • In 1987, CAPCOM introduced Street Fighter, but
    hardware lacked the power to really drive the
    game.
  • In 1991, that was fixed with Street Fighter II,
    and new life was breathed into the arcade.
  • CAPCOM followed with many more fighting game
    classics.
  • In 1992, Midway followed suit and introduced the
    gory Mortal Kombat series. More protests.

31
Arcades Fight Back
  • Though fighting games brought life back to
    arcades, it was never the same as before the
    crash.
  • Arcades became testing grounds for next
    generation hardware and games for home consoles
    for Nintendo, Sega, and Sony.
  • Arcades also came to house specialized hardware
    unavailable to the home console, or the classic
    games that once defined the industry.
  • Despite the boost in popularity, arcades were not
    able to revive their glory days. But, this was
    not the end of the arcade either

32
Hand Held Gaming
  • Early hand helds were primarily LED based, single
    game machines.
  • New hand helds changed that
  • Atari Lynx (1989)
  • Nintendo Game Boy (1990)
  • NEC TurboExpress (1990)
  • Sega Game Gear (1991)
  • NeoGeo Pocket (1998), Colour (1999)
  • Game Boy Colour and Advanced (2001)

33
Home Computer Advancements
  • 1989 Maxis releases SimCity and begins the line
    of Sim games.
  • 1993 7th Guest becomes the first big CD-ROM
    hit. Myst follows shortly.
  • 1993 Id Software publishes Doom, firmly
    establishing the first-person shooter, and
    introduces multiplayer gaming.
  • 1995 3D acceleration hardware introduced.

34
A Three Horse Race
  • 1994 Sega releases the Saturn in Japan (1995 in
    the U.S.).
  • 1994 Sony releases the Playstation in Japan
    (1995 in the U.S.).
  • 1995 Nintendo releases the Nintendo 64 in Japan
    (1996 in the U.S.).
  • This time, all three consoles enjoy reasonable
    success.

35
A New Three Horse Race
  • 1999 Sega releases the Dreamcast.
  • 2000 Sony releases the Playstation 2.
  • 2000 Sega introduces Internet access to the
    Dreamcast.
  • 2001 Nintendo releases the Gamecube.
  • 2001 Microsoft releases the Xbox.
  • 2001 Sega discontinues the Dreamcast, and
    announces it will no longer produce hardware.
  • 2002 Both Sony and Microsoft introduce Internet
    connectivity to their consoles.

36
Portable Developments
  • 2003 Nintendo releases the Game Boy Advanced
    SP.
  • 2003 Gamepark releases the GP32 with wireless
    support, Internet connectivity, USB, and Smart
    Media cards.
  • In addition to its own games, it can play Game
    Boy and Game Boy Colour, NES, Super NES, Atari
    2600, NeoGeo Pocket, and other console titles
    through emulators.
  • 2003 Nokia releases the N-Gage with wireless
    connectivity through Bluetooth and cellular
    networks for games, e-mail, and so on.

37
Arcades Fight Back Again
  • Arcades have seen a recent revival, starting at
    the turn of the new millennium with games with
    new controls and innovative twists best suited
    for the arcade.
  • Dance Dance Revolution (and at least 12 sequels)
    ...
  • MoCap Boxing, MoCap Golf, ...
  • And quite a few others.

38
Arcades Fight Back Again
  • The arcades resurging popularity is highest in
    Asia, particularly Japan.
  • Some arcades and arcade machines are reappearing
    in North America, more so in the United States
    than in Canada.
  • But, it is still not the same as it once was.
  • The focus still appears to be more about
    introducing new technologies.
  • The gameplay almost seems secondary without the
    gimmicks, the games would not be nearly as much
    fun to play.

39
The Latest ...
  • Nintendo released in late 2004 its latest
    handheld, the dual-screenNintendo DS, with
    morepower than the N64, andlots of bells and
    whistles.
  • Sony also released in late2004 its own feature
    rich hand held, the Playstation Personal (or
    PSP) in Japan and will bring it to North America
    early 2005.

40
Coming Soon ...
  • Infinium Labs plans to soon release its Phantom
    console, based on PC hardware and strict
    copyprotection mechanisms.
  • The DISCover console is another PC based
    console, that will ship in low end and high end
    models.
  • Of course, Sony, Nintendo, and Microsoft all
    have new consoles under development, for release
    in 2005 or 2006.
Write a Comment
User Comments (0)
About PowerShow.com