The evolution of video games - 1950s to 1970s

History of computer games introduction.

*Before I write what has been written hundred's of times before,I think a slight introduction is needed into games and there role from a form of entertainment into something more. I will write in my own words from my own point of view, site sources of information were needed and definitely not copy and paste from the drab pages of wikipedia or any other area of cyber space. I will try to make it as different and as interesting as possible.

Here goes......

Introduction

I believe the most important thing that influenced the advent of computer games was interactivity between man and machine. The idea that a person could have influence over an image on a monitor first came into play with a missile defence system that used cathode ray tube or CRT technology in the late 1940s, the idea of this system was that the person interacted with knobs and buttons to manipulate a CRT beam that simulated firing at airplane targets, it was simple, there was no "real” game environment as we know it now just a overlay on the screen to represent the environment and dots to represent the action.

 This defence system did not work for what it was intended for but this was an important event in video game history  because it was adapted into simple games. From this point simple games were created by defence contract workers..... that's how it started and the rest is history.

Video game history is more than just a list of things that happened through time, its more of an evolutionary process where a lot of different ideas were tried and the best ones were kept, the ones that did not work so well were discarded, games were being programmed on different machines which went from being large,impractical and being the size of a small planet to becoming smaller, and more compact, and less costly taking up less space making them more suitable for use in homes.

When this happened the competition started and different computer developers would compete against each other to sell there games through clever use of advertising. In the early days of home entertainment systems this advertising was usually misleading, Technology had not developed enough for the graphics in a game to acurately represent what a player saw on the box or tv. It was usually very  different from what was advertised, for example a space ship which would look high tech and interesting on the video game box or advert but would be represented in the game by a small triangle

Interactivity with games also changed with alternative methods of playing being created. some of these ideas worked and some did not. The ones that did formed the foundations for the games we play today such as Steven Russels creation of the game "space wars" that used a controller,Something us modern gamers take for granted.

apart from Steven Russel other video game pioneers include A.S. Douglas, William Higgenbotham and Ralph Baer.

In the beginning

There is a little conflict about "the first ever" video game, some sources say that A.S Douglas made the first video game on record, It was simply naughts and crosses. Others say William Higgenbotham programmed the first game tennis for two.

William Higgenbotham a nuclear physicist was the head of the brookhaven lab of instrumentation division, and he had the realization that all science exhibits were too static, he felt that he was able to change that so he created the first real game “tennis for two” for people to interact with.

http://www.bnl.gov/bnlweb/history/higinbotham.asp

Higinbotham wrote, “it might liven up the place to have a game that people could play, and which would convey the message that our scientific endeavors have relevance for society."

The game “tennis for two” which was funnily enough a simple tennis game required using buttons on a controller and the twisting of a knob to interact with the game. The ball, which was represented with a dot would leave trails as it virtually bounced around , knowing this I can only imagine that this experience would be closer in comparison to doodling on an "etch-a-sketch" than playing a modern computer game. 

And the timeline....

1952 as douglas created naughts and crosses on the electronic delay storage automatic calculator

1958 william higgenbotham – tennis for two. the idea of a tennis simulation game may seem so simple but it was widley copied it seemed everyone wanted to jump on the electronic tennis wagon. Pong which came later was probably the most recognised tennis game but even nintendo realeased a handheld version of an electronic tennis game. It was in fact the copying of "pong" that lead to the video game crash of the 1980's.

1961 ralph war  created the first interactive game, controller runs on the digital pdp 1 mainframe computer

1966 – probably the most influential idea in video game history ralph baer recieves support for making games for a tv, although this idea for interactive tv was realised a lot earlier than this when he was commissioned to design the best tv set in the world... he went on to be known as the father of video games.

just a year later in 1967 this idea is realised and ralph baer along with his team create 2 video games for use with a tv , they also make a toy gun be able to detect spots of light on a tv an evolution of the older controller

1970 The future founders of atari, nolan bushnell and ted dabney attemot to recreate an arcade version of space war called computer space 

1971 comuter space becomes the first video arcade game ever released.1500 were distributed but public said that the game wass too difficult to play

1972 computer television gaming apparatus and method us patent is issued to ralph baer

Ralph Baer was then come to known as the father of video games

1972 magnavox odyssey the first home entertainment video game system

1972 atarti is created

first game pong probably the most influential game because this started off the video games industry, with new video games companies competing by trying to recreate this game....even atari who invented pong recreated this game.......or gave it different names and passed it off as something else.

1973 in my opinion the best event in video game history..... the birth of nintendo as a games producer.

nintendo a japanese toy manufacturer who specialised in making playing cards.

1975 pong is released atari produced 150,000 units

1975 the first game to use a micro processor instead of hardwired solid state circuits

named gunfight

1976 first programmable games console, rather than having games built in it was the first games console that allowed users to change game by switching cartridges this was a breakthrough and influenced the way we play games today

In 1976 video game violence was born. A game called death race that was based on the film death race 2000. The gameplay involved the user hitting pedestrians with a car. Controversy was created over this video game violence and the game sold poorly. This game also was a first for another reason.... it was the first film game tie in something that has become really popular. It was the first but definatley not the last utterly crap film- game tie in (probably the worst moment in video game history).

1977 Atari produces first cartridge based home video system which becomes known as the atari 2600, it costed $249. 95

1978 The first high score space invaders is released in japan into arcades. The game became so popular that it created a national coin shortage.

1978 maganavox odyssey - the first controller with keyboard

1978 atari works on combat simulator for the u.s department of defense

1979 asteroids the first computer game to allow initials to be entered after highscore

and the future......

The early development of video games were not for the purpose of entertainment, they have evolved into that from ideas created for other purposes. In recent years games seem to be evolving still from a form of entertainment into something more. Although games for entertainment purposes still and in my opinion always will exist and grow in popularity. video games have been adapted for other purposes. These purpose include

• Education - in games such as brain training as a recent example, donkey Kong Jr math as an older example
• Fitness -such as Wii sports,Wii fit
• Training purposes - serious games like medical simulation games.

Arguably most "hardcore gamers" wouldn't class anything above as “real games”, but there made the same way, controlled the same way, they ARE games, like it or not.

The escapist in me thinks that the main reason why video games have become so popular apart from there addictive quality's are because they allow the player to be submerged into another world all together, be someone exciting for a time and that's why I love them.

The reason they have evolved is because of there use of interactivity and potential. There is endless potential on what you can create in 3D and with new technology being developed quicker than ever who knows what ideas will be created or combined with games in 5, 10 or 20 years time. Some of them probably unimaginable to us now.

Games have become more appealing over the years to a wider audience because of the ever expanding genres and what was once considered a geeky pass time is now an acceptable form of entertainment for all. You don't have to be a lazy couch potato to be a gamer these days. 

Sources of information

http://www.sccs.swarthmore.edu/users/08/ajb/tmve/wiki100k/docs/History_of_video_games.html

http://www.bmigaming.com/videogamehistory.htm

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=9yn4JRsmyy4

Video game history from a womens point of view.

When I was scouring for information about video game history I was desperate for something different and interesting to write about. I found a lot of information about females and how important they were to the video games industry. I also found a lot of information on how the industry has attempted to reach us and more so how the video games industry has outraged us.

Firstly I am not a feminist I just thought it would be interesting to get inside the head of a feminist and write a history of video games from a feminists point of view, even if those views are not my own. Others have written bits and bobs, no one has done a complete timeline.

And now I present in my own words, A brief history of video games, from a feminists point of view.

1979 The first Female video game designer.

Carol Shaw was first female video game designer. The first game she ever designed was tic tac toe. She later went on to Activision to create the game river raid for the Atari 2600 and many other popular games.

1980 The First Woman to Design an Arcade Game. Dona bailey

Dona Bailey was determined to break into the buisness of making games. She became an engineer at Atari in 1980. At this time she was the only female game designer at Atari. She co created and designed the Arcade hit Centipede.

1981 First game aimed at a female audience

After the release of Pac Man a year earlier there was speculation that the games puzzle based less violent game play was more of an interest to women. To tap into the female market Namco released Ms Pac man. They used Ms rather than Miss Or Mrs in an attempt to reach a wider female audience and not to single out any age group. Unlike the original Pac Man, the spaces in between the walls are filled in, making it easier to see where the path is. I do not know if the game was made this way so the inferior female brain could cope with the game.

Apart from being the classic heroine of video games the reason why Ms Pac man was so popular is that “her” game was considered by most gamers to be a whole lot better than the original pac man.

This is surely proof that people will play a decent game regardless of the gender of the character.

I still don't think games developers have “got this”.

1981 First damsel in distress.

Donkey Kong is released in arcades, this is the first example of a female character acting as damsel in distress in video games. Donkey Kong set the template for lots of similar female characters. The Legend of Zelda series that followed also had a main objective to rescue a damsel in distress and later on Resident evil 4 where the object of the game is to rescue the presidents daughter. This is to name but a few. At this time the female character is still seen as weak and not as an equal.

1983 The first female adventure game for girls

In 1983 Amy Brigg created an adventure game primarily aimed at a female audience. She convinced her bosses with her spirit and writing skills to give her the go ahead for her video game concept for a romance game for girls called plundered hearts.

1983 The first female competitive gamer.

Doris Self was one of the first female competitive gamers. When she was 58 she entered the 1983 video game master tournament and she managed to break the world high score for Q*Bert with 1,112,300. her score was beaten a few years later but she still continued to work towards conquering the game.

1984's First Video game degrading women.

The national Organization of women criticised the game Custer's revenge for containing elements of rape.

1986 –Best female protagonist of all time.

Nintendo creates the Metroid series which has a female character Samus Aran. Samus who stood at 6' 3 was not originally intended to be a female but at the end of development the idea was suggested to make Samus a female to surprise the player.

Due to the impact the Metroid developers thought it may have on the franchise they hid the fact that Samus was a female until the end of the game. Samus wore a power suit through out the game. When the game is completed she takes it off and is revealed as a women who is wearing very little.

1987 .The first western action game with an exclusively female character.

The video game Saboteur II :Avenging angel was released in this year, with an exclusivley female character.

1992 The first female playable character in a fighting game

Chun-Li. The character has acquired the name “ the first lady of video games” by enthusiasts of the genre. At this moment female characters became equals.

1993 -Core design began the development of the game Tomb raider. Lara Croft was created as the main character of this video game.

1996 – First female character pin up.

Lara Croft was introduced and became a pin up . Rather than offering an alternative to a strong male character the developers created a highly sexualised character that engaged in the same violent aggressive behaviour associated with male characters. The character has been criticised for this.

1997 The birth of GTA

Grand theft auto has created a lot of controversy in relation to promoting violence towards women. There are parts of the game where you beat up and kill prostitutes, The game is continually criticised for encouraging violent behaviour towards women.

2004 - Ubisoft created the Frag Dolls.

The Frag Dolls were created for the purpose of encouraging more women to play video games and also as role models to encourage females to play video games online. There other goals were to prove that women enjoyed the same kind of games as men. Also, the team has been known to actively promote games published by Ubisoft during interviews and events

2004 –a survey done at this time shows that 46 percent of video game consumers are female.

2006 - Sony releases a limited edition Pink PS2 in europe

2008 First Gaming magazine aimed at females is released.

Nintendo launches the free magazine Girl Gamer in the UK. Nintendo attempt to reach a female audience by associating the magazine with pink things, cooking and raising babies. The magazine is given free in the two most popular girls magazines Bliss and Mizz.

2009 Game aimed at female audience is the best selling console game of all time

Wii fit is the best selling console game in history the game which is primarily aimed at a female audience.

2009  The player gets to decide how the women appear in the game.

In the game silent hill shattered memories the women in the game are affected by the players interaction with certain objects/ scenes in the game. For example the way the women dress in the game will depend on a questionnaire you fill out at the beginning of the game.

Part of the game play requires you to shine a torch on certain areas if the player shines it for two long on certain objects such as dirty magazines found in the gaming environment then the female characters dress and attitude will change depending on how much time the player spent looking at that certain object.

2010 Nintendo kills Samus

Fearing that Male gamers see the Metroid franchise as a girls game due to its strong female character, Nintendo change Samus Aran's character so she is less masculine. In parts of the game she runs away from Boss fights and has the guys come and help her out. That is not the Samus Aran I know and love.

Summing it up

I appreciate that the games industry has identified us gals as a target market, and is consistently trying to think of new ways to get us “into” video games. To be honest I think they are waisting there time and money doing so. They need to realise that women do not want stereotypical computer games. In fact us girls want games involving bringing up babies and cooking just as much as guys want games were they have to work a 9 to 5.

In my opinion they should just carry on doing what they do, we like the same stuff as the guys and we always have, no doubt about it. Back in the day of course wives were playing there hubbys magnavox odyssey between hoovering and dusting. Us female gamers are only starting to “crawl out of the woodwork” now because gaming has become an acceptable female pass time as has getting a career, driving a car speaking our mind and so on.

As for the Controversy games create that “offend us so much” who cares. Its a business and if female characters with large breasts and no clothes sell then so be it, it makes money, isnt that the ultimate goal. No one is forcing you to play these games if the site of flesh offends you so much.

As for characters being realistic, video game characters are never realistic, whether they are male or female. The design of Lara croft does not offend me as a women, why would it. All video game characters are exaggerated. For example Mario is a short, fat Italian man, he can jump 15 ft in the air, Sonic, a blue hedgehog?  not very realistic is it, exaggerating characters is part of the fun. The main thing that attracts me to video games is that they are an escape from real life, I dont want real I want fantasy, youve achieved that already please dont change.

As for The issue with good ol Lara Croft being “not real” enough, whats next? stopping off to buy tampons between levels? Labour pains during bosses? PMT during puzzle solving? You get the point.

Get with the times video game industry. We are equals so give us the same, I like blowing stuff up aswell as the next man or woman for that matter.

Sources of information

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Street_Fighter_II

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Chun-Li

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Ms._Pac-Man

http://uk.gamespot.com/news/6156083/euro-ps2-gets-pretty-in-pink

http://www.joystiq.com/2008/01/30/girl-gamer-magazine-thinks-its-still-the-1950s/

http://www.411mania.com/games/columns/150930/Working-Title-08.30.10:-Did-Nintendo-Kill-Samus?.htm

http://classicgames.about.com/od/history/tp/HistoricWomeninClassicGames.htm

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Portrayal_of_women_in_video_games

http://www.associatedcontent.com/article/59326/top_ten_female_video_game_protagonists_pg4.html?cat=19