By Adam Pratt
This is an update & re-write of an original article that was published on ArcadeHeroes.com on June 27th, 2012 entitled ‘40 Years Of Arcade Games’. You can still read that post here: http://arcadeheroes.com/2012/06/27/40-years-of-arcade-games/
Video games as a form of entertainment have not been around quite as long as other options out there – books, sports, radio, movies, etc. – but they established themselves as a viable way to pass the time whether it be for business or leisure. Video games had existed since 50s but they wouldn’t become the force they are known for now until 1972. That is when the enterprising partnership of Ted Dabney and Nolan Bushnell formed Atari Inc., released PONG and gave us a history worth looking into, which we will do today as I take you through forty-five years of coin operated gaming goodness.
Now, I am aware of developments like Galaxy Game and Dabney/Bushnell’s Computer Space but we’ll stick to using Pong as the beginning of our story. This is because that title is what made games palpable to the public to enjoy – it was simple but addictively entertaining. It also could not really be enjoyed alone, meaning you had to play with a friend or even a stranger. This was a key element for many early video games, driving the social aspect of gaming into the cultural mind about games.
Of course, everybody has heard of Pong since it launched the industry and made it what it is today. Several other big names in the business would copy the concept to cash in while the iron was hot – Sega, Taito, Midway and several others that no one remembers. But it was not the only title worth mentioning in our walk along the road of history. – Read the rest of this article on page 32 by clicking here!
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