LAFS SVGI Session 5 - The History of Console and Arcade Games
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Transcript of LAFS SVGI Session 5 - The History of Console and Arcade Games
HISTORY OF ARCADE AND CONSOLE GAMES
Session 5
David Mullich
Survey of the Video Game Industry
The Los Angeles Film School
EARLY VIDEO GAMES1947– 1972
1947: Cathode Ray Tube Amusement Device
Earliest known interactive electronic game
Missile simulator using analog circuitry to control the CRT beam and position a dot on the screen
Patent filed by Thomas T. Goldsmith and Estle Ray Mann in 1947 and filed in 1948
Circuitry schematic of Cathode Ray Tube Amusement Device
1951: Baer’s Idea for Interactive Television
Inventor Ralph Baer realizes that by giving audience the ability to control what was projected on their television set, their role changes from passive observing to interactive manipulation
Bear’s boss at electronics company Loral dismisses the idea because they’re behind schedule
Baer later becomes known as “The Father of Video Games”
Ralph Baer (left) receives the National Medal of Technology from former president George W. Bush (right)
1966: First Video Game Displayed on Television
Baer and Bill Harrison, a co-worker at electronics contractor Sanders Associates create a game called Chase, the first to display on a standard television set
Harrison, with Baer’s help, creates a light gun, the first video game peripheral
Bill Harrison, co-creator of the first video game for television
1968: The First Video Game Console
Work is completed on a prototype, which Baer called “The Brown Box”, that could play several different games such as table tennis and target shooting
By 1969, Sanders shows off the world’s first home video game console to manufacturers
This console would eventually become the Magnavox Odyssey
Brown Box prototype now on display at the Smithsonian Institution’s National
Museum of American History
Rise of the Video Game: Ralph Baer (2:56)
Ralph Baer
Arcade Games
G4 Icons Episode #26: Arcade (22:45)
1966: Sega’s Periscope Worldwide Success
Sega introduces electro-mechanical game called Periscope, a submarine simulator and light gun shooter
Huge success in Japan, Europe and North America
First arcade machine to cost a quarter to play
1969: Duck Hunt
Sega produces gun games similar to first-person shooters
Electro-mechanical game using rear image projection to produce moving images on screen
First of these was Duck Hunt featuring animated moving targets, score printed on ticket, and volume-controlled sound effects
1969: Missile
Sega releases Missile, a shooter and vehicle combat simulation featuring electronic sound and a moving film strip to represent targets on a projection screen
Earliest known arcade game to feature a joystick with a fire button
1971: First Coin-Op Arcade Video Game
Students at Stanford University set up the Galaxy Game, a coin-operated version of SpaceWar!
Earliest known instance of a coin-operated video game
Console incorporated a DEC PDP-11/20 with vector displays
1971: First Commercially Sold Arcade Game
Computer Space was created by Nolan Bushnell and Ted Dabney, and released by Nutting Associates in November 1971
World’s first commercially sold coin-operated video arcade game
Display is rendered on a specially modified General Electric 15" black-and-white portable television vacuum tube set
1972: Nolan Bushnell Forms Atari and Creates Pong
Nolan Bushnell and Ted Dabney form Atari, although Nolan buys Dabney out soon afterwards
Atari hires engineer Allan Alcorn as its first employee, who creates coin-op version of the Magnavox tennis game
Pong is so successful in bringing video games to the masses that Atari is credited with creating the coin-op video arcade industry
Atari founder Nolan Bushnell and Pong
1ST GENERATION CONSOLES1972– 1980
1972: Magnavox Odyssey
US television manufacturer Magnavox signs deal to sell Ralph Baer’s “Brown Box” console system under the name Magnavox Odyssey
Alternations include using plug-in circuits to change games and using color overlays for game backgrounds
Released with 27 games including Simon Says, Table Tennis, Volleyball and Shooting Gallery
330,000 units sold
Magnavox Odyssey
1975: Atari/Sears Tele-Games Home Pong
Atari engineer teams up with Pong inventor Alcorn to create a home version of the coin-op game
Home Pong becomes Sears most successful product at the time, selling 150,000 units during the holiday season
Magnavox sues Atari, but settles out of court with Atari becoming a Magnavox licensee
Atari/Sears Tele-Games Home Pong
1976: Coleco Telestar
Series of 14 consoles produced from 1976 to 1978
Console had two paddle controllers and the first to use General Instrument's AY-3-8500 chip, a processor that had 6 games: Tennis, Soccer, Squash, Practice, and Rifle Game (1 and 2 player versions)
One million Telestar units sold
Coleco Telestar
1977: Nintendo Color TV Game
Nintendo’s first entry into the videogame industry was securing rights to distribute the Magnavox Odyssey in 1974
Beginning in 1977, Nintendo produced a series of four dedicated home consoles for the Japanese market
Three million Color TV Game units sold
Nintendo Color TV Game
Video Game Crash of 1977
Pong “clones” had flooded the market and manufacturers sold older, obsolete clones at a loss
Many manufacturers abandoned their console game business, leaving only Atari and Magnavox
Crash came to an end with the success of Taito’s Space Invaders in 1978
THE GOLDEN AGE OFARCADE GAMES1978– 1986
1978: Space Invaders (Taito/Midway)
Designed by Tomohiro Nishikado
Manufactured by Taito in Japan and later licensed to Midway in the US
By 1981, the game grossed over $1 Billion, making it the best-selling entertainment product of its time
Inspired arcade machines to become prevalent in mainstream locations such as shopping malls
Considered to have started The Golden Age of Arcade Games
1979: Asteroids (Atari)
One of the most popular and influential games of the Golden Age
70,000 arcade cabinets sold, becoming Atari’s best-selling game of all time
1980: Pac-Man (Namco/Midway)
Sold by Namco in Japan and sold by Midway in the US
Established the maze chase genre, which appealed to both men and women
Introduced the first gaming mascot, power-ups and cut-scenes
Considered a video game classic and an icon of 1980s pop culture
1981: Donkey Kong (Nintendo) Nintendo’s first big hit! Designed by first-time game
designer Shigeru Miyamoto Laid foundations for platform
game genre as well as for visual storytelling in video games
Introduced Mario (originally called “Jumpman”, the character who would become Nintendo’s mascot
Enormously successful in Japan and North America
1982: Tron (Bally Midway)
Based on the Walt Disney film “Tron” released that same year
Consisted of four mini-games based on scenes from the film
The game earned more money than the film’s initial release
1983: Dragon’s Lair (Cinematronics)
Laserdisc video game featuring animation created by ex-Disney animator Don Bluth
One of only three video games (along with Pong and Pac-Man) on display in the Smithsonian Institution
Dirk the Daring, hero of Dragon’s Lair
2ND GENERATION CONSOLES1976– 1983
1976: Fairchild Channel F
First programmable ROM cartridge–based video game console, and the first console to use a microprocessor
Contained two built-in games, Hockey and Tennis, with 27 additional Videocarts
Spurred Atari into improving and releasing their Atari VCS gaming system, which was still in development
250,000 units sold
Fairchild Channel F Promotional Poster
1977: Atari 2600
Popularized use of microprocessor-based hardware and ROM cartridges containing game code by being superior to the Fairchild
Originally named the Atari VCS Typically bundled with two joystick
controllers, pair of game paddles, and the game Combat (later Pac-Man)
30 million units sold, and considered one of the greatest game consoles of all time
This is the system that brought video games into the home.
Atari 2600
1979: Activision Founded
Formed by disgruntled Atari game designers who failed to convince Atari to pay them royalties and give them credit on game boxes
Became the first third-party developer of video games
Promoted game creators along with the games themselves
In 1982, released Pitfall!, a best-selling title on the Atari 2600
In 1982, Activision releases Pitfall for the Atari 2600
1980: Mattel Intellivision
Introduced by Mattel toy company in 1989
Featured unique processor allowing superior graphics to the older Atari 2600
More than 125 games released
Sold 3 million unitsMattel Intellivision
1982: ColecoVision
A powerful machine with near-arcade-quality graphics
Catalog of about 145 game titles
Licensed Nintendo’s Donkey Kong as the official pack-in cartridge, which was received as a near-perfect arcade port
ColecoVision“The arcade quality video
game system”
Video Game Crash of 1983
Massive recession of the videogame industry lasting from 1983 to 1985
Revenues that had peaked at $3.2 billion in 1983 fell to $100 million by 1985, almost destroying the industry
Crash blamed on a glut of low-quality video games, flooded console market, and competition from home computers
High-profile failures like the ET-The Extraterrestrial
vidoe game contributed to the crash
Video Game Crash of 1983
G4 Icons Episode #32: The Video Game Crash (22:45)
3RD GENERATION CONSOLES1983– 1993
1983: Nintendo Entertainment System (NES)
Released in Japan as the Famicom (Family Computer)
First console of the 8-bit era, with tile and sprite-based graphics
Introduced the gamepad Nintendo introduced now-
standard business model of licensing third-party developers
Longest production run of any console (1983-2003) and credited with ending the Video Game Crash of 1983
Considered the greatest video game console in history
NES gamepad controller
1985: Super Mario Bros. (Nintendo) Designer Shigeru Miyamoto’s
first home console game The standard to which all 2D
platformers would be judged! “Jumpman” renamed Mario Sold 40.24 million copies,
making it the best-selling video game in the Mario series and the fifth best-selling game ever
Ensured Nintendo’s dominance over the console market with the NES
Design Club - Super Mario Bros: Level 1-1
1985: Sega Master System
Released as a direct competitor to the NES, starting the Console Wars
Could play both cartridges and credit card-sized “Sega cards”
Although technically superior to the NES, it failed to overturn Nintendo’s market share in Japan and North America
Small game library, coupled with the highly uneven quality of the few games released
Sega Master System with Light Gun
1986: Atari 7800
Originally announced in 1984 but release was shelved due to sale of the company
When released in 1986, it had simple dual joysticks and was almost fully backward compatible with the Atari 2600
Considered affordable at $140
Atari 7800 ProSystem
1986: The Legend of Zelda (Nintendo)
Created by game designers Shigeru Miyamoto and Takashi Tezuka
Gameplay consists of a mixture of action, adventure, and puzzle solving
Original game is the fourth best-selling NES game of all time
Series consists of 16 games, with a total of 67.9 million copies
The Legend of Zelda for NES
1987: Final Fantasy (Square)
Conceived by designer Hironobu Sakaguchi as his “final” effort in the video game industry
RPG that introduced a side-view perspective of combat, evolving class-change system, and different modes of transportation
Regarded as one of the most influential early RPG’s and launched a series that has sold over 100 million units
Final Fantasy for NES
1987: Metal Gear (Konami / Ultra Games)
Originally created for the MSX2 in Japan by first-time video game designer Hideo Kojima
Considered to be the progenitor of the stealth game genre
Ported to the NES and sold in US by Konami’s Ultra Games
Metal Gear for NES
1989: Nintendo GameBoy
8-bit handheld video game device released in Japan and North America in 1989
The popular puzzle game Tetris was included with the system
It was a tremendous success. The Game Boy and its successor, the Game Boy Color, sold a combined 118 million units worldwide
Made play portable and helped gamers to stick with Nintendo rather than Sega
Nintendo GameBoy with Tetris
4TH GENERATION CONSOLES1987– 1995
1987: TurboGrafx-16 Entertainment SuperSystem
Released in Japan as the PC Engine in 1987 and in North America two years later
First console of the 16-bit era, although it had a 8-bit processor with dual 16-bit GPU capable of producing 482 colors simultaneously
CD-ROMS were introduced in this generation as add-ons
Suffered from a lack of third-party support and the absence of a second controller port
TurboGrafx-16
1988: Sega Genesis
Released in Japan in 1988 as the Sega Mega Drive, and in North America in 1989 under the name Genesis
Sega’s most successful game console
Controversy over violent games like Mortal Combat forced Sega to create the first video game rating system, allowing it to ship games with little censorship and giving it a competitive edge over Nintendo
Sega Genesis
1990: Neo-Geo
SNK’s NEO-GEO was capable of 2D graphics at a quality level years ahead of other consoles because it had the same hardware as SNK’s arcade games
However, it was also the most expensive console at the time by a wide marginNeo-Geo
1990: Super NES
Released in Japan in 1990 as Super Famicom, and in North America in 1990
Introduced advanced graphics and sounds and was able to run some of the first three-dimensional video games on consoles
Became the best-selling console of the 16-bit era despite its late start and fierce competition
Super NES
5TH GENERATION CONSOLES1993– 2006
1993: Atari Jaguar
Marketed as the first 64-bit gaming system
Proved to be a commercial failure due to its small library of games and prompted Atari to leave the home video game console market
Last console from an American company until the 2001 introduction of the X-BoxAtari Jaguar
1993: 3DO Interactive Multiplayer
Conceived by Electronic Arts founder Trip Hawkins
The 3DO Company licensed the technology for other manufactures, such as Panasonic, to produced
Despite a highly promoted launch (including being named Time magazine’s “1994 Product of the Year”) its high price of $699 was one of the factors that prevented it from achieving success
3DO Interactive Multiplayer
1994: Sega Saturn
Released by Sega in 1994 in Japan and 1995 in North America
Sold 9.4 million units worldwide
Installed base was 6 million units in Japan but only 2 million in the US, losing market share to its competitors
Sega Saturn
1994: Sony PlayStation
Released by Sony in 1994 in Japan and 1995 in North America
First “computer entertainment platform” to ship 100 million units
The best selling console of all time from 1998 until 2006, when it was surpassed by the PlayStation 2
Its competitor Nintendo was considered stuck in the past with its use of cartridges and cap on mature-themed games
Sony PlayStation
1996: Nintendo 64
Released by Nintendo in 1996 in both Japan and North America
Suggested retail price was $199.99 at launch and sold 32.93 million units worldwide
Time Magazine named it “1996 Machine of the Year” despite having a limited texture cache and still relying on ROM cartridges
Nintendo 64
1997: GoldenEye (Nintendo)
Nintendo 64 title principally made by a team who had never coded a video game before
Directed by Martin Hollis of Rare and published by Nintendo
Multiplayer deathmatch mode considered one of the most enjoyable multiplayer experiences ever
Sold 8 million units worldwide, making it the third best selling Nintendo 64 game
6TH GENERATION CONSOLES1998– 2013
1998: Sega Dreamcast
Launched by Sega in Japan in 1998 and other territories in 1999
Intended as a comeback after previous efforts with the Sega Saturn failed
First console with a built-in modem and internet support for online play
Despite it being initially well received, sales plummeted when the PlayStation 2 was announced and the system was discontinued in 2001
Sega Dreamcast
2000: PlayStation 2
Released by Sony in all territories in 2000
Featured DVD-base game disks with the ability to play DVD movies and audio CD’s
More than 3,800 game titles have been released for the PS2 since launch
It is the best-selling video game console of all time, selling over 150 million units, winning the Console Wars
Sony PlayStation 2
2001: Nintendo GameCube
Released by Nintendo in all territories in 2001
Nintendo’s first optical disc-based console using 80mm “mini-DVD”’s (but couldn’t play standard DVD’s or audio CD’s)
First Nintendo to support online gaming
Criticized for its color scheme and lack of features
Sold 22 million units worldwide before being discontinued in 2007
Nintendo GameCube
2001: Xbox
Released by Microsoft in North America in 2001 and in other territories in 2002
Microsoft’s first entry in the console market, and first American console since the Atari Jaguar
In 2002, Microsoft launched Xbox live, a fee-based online gaming system
Microsoft Xbox
7TH GENERATION CONSOLES2004– NOW
2005: Xbox 360
Microsoft unveiled the Xbox 360 on MTV in 2005
Major features include integrated Xbox Live service that allows players to compete online
Windows Media Center multimedia capabilities
Games rendered natively at HD resolutionsXbox 360
2006: PlayStation 3
First released by Sony in 2006 in Japan and in other territories shortly thereafter
First console to use Blu-ray Disc as its major storage medium
Major features include its unified gaming services, the PlayStation Network
PlayStation 3
2006: Wii
First released by Nintendo in 2006
Wii Remote can be used as a handheld pointing device and detects movement in three dimensions
First console to offer Virtual Console service, with which select emulated games from past systems can be downloaded
Wii Remote in action
Nintendo’s Vision
Make games for an expanded audience
Devotion to entertainment business
Willingness to take risks
Shigeru Miyamoto