Computer Games

Computer games have been around for over 50 years. The first example was called “Tennis for two” back in 1947. They began on huge Mainframe computers, and gradually evolved into the handheld devices used today. The first games were actually played on Missile Defense systems. Designed by programmers, they quickly evolved. The first marketable computer game was called “Computer Space” released in 1971. In 1972 Magnavox released the very first game console, the Magnavox Odyssey, computer games could now be played at home. The video game industry had been born.

With the development of the personal computer, games began to make the transition, moving from console to computer. The first games were mostly text based and were ether entered manually or loaded using a tape drive. As computer technology improved so did computer games. It became a competition between software developers and hardware designers. This competition fueled advances in computer technology. Graphics became a driving force in computer games. Improved memory capacity and computer speed gave game developers more options to improve their games.

One computer system, (Commodore 64 in 1982) did more for the computer game industry then any other system. It was small, and by today’s standards slow. It helped to push the development of computer technology. People began to program their own games, and they demanded more from computer manufactures and games designers alike. The current world of computer gaming is far beyond anything our parents could have dreamed of. We can now battle alien invaders, build cities of our own design, and even create artificial versions of ourselves. Computer games have reached a point where they have escaped from the confines of a single home computer. With games like Warcraft, we can join millions of other people and become a part of this on line world.