Inventor of computer games

During the s and s, computers took up entire rooms and were so expensive that only universities and large companies could afford them. Most people had both a limited understanding of what these electronic behemoths were able to do and an unfamiliarity with the types of mathematical equations these machines were regularly programmed to compute.

It was this mindset that led a group of MIT students during the s to create one of the first and most groundbreaking computer games. Although Spacewar was fun to play, it was never destined for released to the general public, since computers were still too expensive for personal use.

In fact, video games did not get their true start from computer programmers, but from an engineer skilled in another major invention of the 20th century: the television set.

By the s, millions of Americans had invested in televisions for their homes, but these television sets were only used for the viewing of entertainment. Engineer Ralph Baer was certain this technology could be used to play games.

In , while working for Sanders Associates, Inc. In , assisted by Sanders technician Bob Tremblay, Baer created the first of several video game test units. Called TVG 1 or TV Game Unit 1, the device, when used with an alignment generator, produced a dot on the television screen that could be manually controlled by the user. Once Baer had established how it was possible to interact with the television set, he and his team were able to design and build increasingly sophisticated prototypes.

With fewer than , units sold, Magnavox Odyssey was not considered a commercial success. Among the contributing factors, poor marketing played a large role. Many potential consumers were under the impression—sometimes encouraged by Magnavox salesmen—that Odyssey would only work on Magnavox televisions. Ultimately, the problem was that Magnavox saw Odyssey as a gimmick to sell more television sets. Executives at Magnavox lacked the vision to see that television games had the potential to become an independent industry, and did not give the product the support it needed.

Meanwhile, a creative young entrepreneur named Nolan Bushnell remembered playing Spacewar during his years as a student at the University of Utah. He began to think of ways that the game could be retailed. Bushnell had past experience with amusement park arcades and had witnessed firsthand the popularity of pinball machines.

He believed that Spacewar would make a successful coin-operated machine. The changes that were required to convert the two-player Spacewar to a one-player game made Computer Space frustratingly difficult for those who did learn how to play.

Though Computer Space was a flop, Bushnell still believed that coin-operated video games could be successful. He and his business partner, Ted Dabney, formed Atari, Inc. A few days later, the tavern owner called Atari to send someone out to fix the machine. The problem turned out to be that the cashbox was filled with too many quarters.

The coins had overflowed and jammed the machine. Atari clearly had a sensation on its hands. Magnavox sued for patent rights infringement. Ralph Baer had carefully documented his work. Magnavox could prove that they demonstrated Odyssey to the public in and that Bushnell had attended the demonstration. Rather than face a lengthy and undoubtedly unsuccessful court case, Atari settled with Magnavox. The home version of Pong was just as successful as the arcade version. Atari sold , units in alone compared to the , Odysseys that took Magnavox three years to sell.

Other companies soon began to produce their own home versions of Pong. Actively scan device characteristics for identification. Use precise geolocation data.

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Measure content performance. Develop and improve products. List of Partners vendors. Share Flipboard Email. By Mary Bellis Mary Bellis. Mary Bellis covered inventions and inventors for ThoughtCo for 18 years. She is known for her independent films and documentaries, including one about Alexander Graham Bell.