Tennis for Two – First Video Game Created for Fun

"Tennis for Two," was created in 1958 by William Higginbotham.  When discussing the first video game in history, it is difficult to come to a conclusion as to which game was actually first.  This is due the technical aspect of early video games, and also the purpose of their creation.  Some people believe that "Tennis for Two" was the first video game in history and William Higginbotham is the inventor of video games.

"Tennis for Two," is also known as Tennis Programming.  It was played on the analog computer with separate controllers and oscilloscope in the role of a screen.  This game was played by two people.

The oscilloscope screen used a cathode-ray tube, and showed the tennis court from the two-dimensional side view.  Net and ground were represented as the bright vertical and horizontal lines.  The ball was represented by a moving dot.  Players used controllers to operate the invisible rackets.  Controllers had a button for “hitting” the ball, and a rotating dial for setting the angle of the ball(s) trajectory.

Unlike A. S. Douglas, who created "OXO" ("Noughts And Crosses") for scientific purposes in 1952, for his PhD dissertation about human-computer interaction, William Higginbotham created "Tennis for Two," as an entertainment based project.  This is why, despite the release dates, some people believe that "Tennis for Two" deserves the title for the first video game created, rather than "Noughts And Crosses."

Noughts And Crosses – First Real Graphical Computer Game

The first real graphical computer game was released in 1952 by Alexander S. Douglas, and is called "Noughts And Crosses" (or OXO.)  Douglas wrote it on EDSAC for his dissertation.

EDSAC is the first computer, which was built at the University of Cambridge, United Kingdom, in 1949.  EDSAC had a 35x16 pixels display.  The idea of Alexander S. Douglas was to use the display, to display his game.

Douglas was writing a PhD dissertation about Human-Computer interaction, he programmed "Noughts And Crosses," a Tic-Tac-Toe game, to show this interaction.  The opponent of a player in "Noughts and Crosses," was the machine. The player used a mechanical telephone dialer to place the nought or cross wherever he/she chose.  This dissertation is still stored in the library of the University of Cambridge.

You may wonder why, if "Noughts And Crosses" was the first real graphical computer game, why didn’t it spread worldwide?  This in fact, was not possible.  There was no other computer similar to EDSAC in the world (it was unique.)  So, if somebody wanted to play "Noughts And Crosses," they had to go to the University of Cambridge.

Arcade Games in 20th Century: Part 4 - Arcades and Personal Computers

Even though arcades had survived the rapid increase of video game technologies, their time had seemingly passed.  Every year game technologies become more and more advanced, allowing games to become more complex and realistic.  Video arcade games, with their poor graphics and low capabilities could not hold peoples interest any more.

One thing that became possible with the rise of video game technologies, was the ability for one to play different games on a single platform, this occurred when the personal computer (PC) appeared.


Back then computers had very few capabilities, and the installation of arcade games required a great deal of time; as did running the games on early PCs.  Despite these disadvantages, computers became the number one choice of many gamers.

Early video arcade games could be played only on arcade cabinets, which were specially designed for them.  Personal computers quickly became the universal platform.  In result, there was no longer a need for arcade cabinets, and arcade establishments started to lose popularity.

Regardless however, of all of the disadvantages of video arcade games,  as well as the capabilities of modern video game technologies, when arcades were introduced online, it became obvious that arcade games  were and are still very popular.

Arcade Games in 20th Century: Part 3 - Arcades vs. Simulators

The rise of video game technologies did not only improve video arcade games; the exaggerated use of realistic elements led to the appearance of a totally new game genre, simulator games (sim games.)


From the moment that simulators appeared, their popularity began to rise rapidly and the interest in arcades began to fall.  This resulted in decreasing sales in the video arcade game industry.  Simulators definitely had benefits in terms of video game technologies much more than arcades.  They became popular thanks to their atmosphere and realism.

Obviously, it was not the best of times for video arcade games, however, this game genre did not disappear.  Why so, you might ask, after all the main characteristics of arcades are:

• low reality imitation
• low planning of the levels
• low planning of the task issues

In terms of the first point of view, these characteristics leave no chances for the genre.  Arcades do however have one benefit that allows them to exist along with simulator games, the simple game play.  Simplicity is both the advantage and disadvantage of video arcade games.

The benefits the modern Arcade VGA monitors

A modern arcade monitor doesn't look like a TV, it is more like a computer monitor.  Older game boards had very basic video circuitry, which was constrained in resolution for two reasons.  The first reason is that most early monitors were based on TV designs, and so they had the same frequencies.  Second, memory was expensive and higher resolutions require much more RAM.  The red, green, and blue wires are the signals for the red, green, and blue electron beams in the CRT monitor.

TV combined all of the colors and synced them into the one RCA video line, that would be about 25% of RGB power.  There were some very clever designs around, which used the concept of "sprites" to work around the memory limit, but resolutions were still limited.  The simplicity produces sharply-defined but low resolution graphics.  For an emulator to reproduce this exactly, the beam of the monitor must have a one-to-one correlation with emulators graphics memory.

Most new arcade monitors use VGA now but, the one thing that really set them apart from your computer monitor and TV is that they are designed with a frame for installing them in an arcade cabinet.  This is a good thing because it really is the best way to mount the monitor in the cabinet.  If you try to put a computer monitor in an arcade game, there is no way to bolt the it in.

What is the advantage of using a real arcade monitor for the "old school" games?

The main reason is that the real games used these same monitors!  The first arcade gane cabinets were equipped with a very basic video card, which was constrained in resolution for two reasons; first, most available early monitors were based on TV designs and so they had the same frequencies.  Second, memory was expensive and higher resolutions require much more RAM.  The simplicity produces sharply-defined but low resolution graphics.

For an emulator to reproduce this exactly, the beam of the monitor must have a one-to-one correlation with emulators graphics memory.  We can make the VGA card behave as a 100% emulation of the game board, however, now comes the problem.  To do this, the number of vertical lines and horizontal pixels that the VGA card displays on the monitor must be exactly the same as the original game board.

If they are not the exact same, we have to re-sample the original memory mapping and stretch or compress it to fit the screen, or put up with an incorrectly sized picture.  So the 100% emulation is lost if hardware stretching or a scan converter is used.  So a game which was originally designed to run at, say, 320 X 240 must run the monitor at exactly the same resolution to give a 100% emulation.  If it is run at any other resolution, just because the monitor is capable of handling it, the quality of the original game will be compromised, even if the resolution is higher.

Arcade Game History Part 2

The popularity of arcade games began to loose its success in the mid to late 1990's, when CD based console gaming started to become popular.  This was definitely the case when 32-bit consoles and games arrived.

Because of improved capability in graphics, and the compact discs ability to carry a lot of data, developers were finally able to make good ports of their games to sell on consoles.  Developers saw that they could make a lot more money porting flawless or near flawless copies on their games to popular gaming consoles.  It is because of this, that gamers no longer felt they needed to spend money in the arcades to play the latest arcade game.  They could simply go to the store or mall and buy the full game for their console.

By the 21st century, console gaming surpassed arcade gaming in every way that mattered.  As a result , arcades have been on life support in some areas and dead in others.  Today, many video game developers are now making arcade games using modern PC hardware making sure the legacy lives on forever.  Please visit our web site to find out about our latest arcade cabinets and get what you'll really enjoy!

Arcade Game History Part 1

1980's

The first remarkable success of video arcade games refers to 1980's and found its peak in the 1990's.  This began in 1980 with the release of the game Pac-Man.  This uncomplicated game quickly became extremely popular, resulting in the developers creating a sequel, Ms. Pac-Man.

Both Pac-Man and Ms. Pac-Man would become so huge that people of all ages and genders crowded the arcades playing the game.  These games, with some others like Space Invaders, Galaga, Defender, Missile Command, and Donkey Kong, kept the arcade scene alive in the early 1980's.

By the mid 1980's the popularity of video games in general began to drop.  This began to affect the arcade scene.  This however, soon changed in 1985 when Nintendo released their sequel to one of their mildly popular arcade games Mario Brothers.  The game was called Super Mario Brothers.  Super Mario Bros became a phenomenon and would arguably put video games on the map.  After the game made a killing on Nintendo's own console, a special arcade version named VS: Super Mario Brothers appeared in the arcades.

The arcade version had levels that were different, and more challenging than the console version.  From Super Mario Brothers onward, video game developers released innovative and fun video games in arcades that would create a lasting effect for over a decade in the United States.  Developers like Sega, Namco, Midway, Capcom, and Konami became household names because of their great games.

Arcade Games in 20th Century: Part 2 - Evolution of Arcades

The appearance of arcades took place during the interwar period.  That was the time when the coin operated machines were developed.  However, not everyone was able to use arcade games; the person had to be in a certain age range.  In addition, only certain categories of people were allowed to use arcade games.

Then the video game technologies started to improve arcades with electronic features.  This led to the improvement of automatic gaming tools.  Modifications in there structure resulted in the simplification and enrichment of game play.

After some more time had passed, modifications have been moved from external area of arcade games to internal, the games themselves started to be improved.  This improvement led to more realistic imitations in games.

In the late 1970s-1980s, arcade games became an industrial environment based on electronic work.  This period of time is also known as the golden age of video arcade games.

Arcade Games in the 20th Century: Part 1 - Introduction

Arcade games have come a long and bright way.  They have left an indelible mark on history, arcades are known as one of the logos of the twentieth century, its legendary phenomenon.  When we talk about the legacy of the twentieth century, we are reminded of the arcades.

It is hard to find person who did not play video arcade games, or at the very least did not hear about them.  Though everyone is familiar with the arcades, not everyone knows that the combination of the words: arcade, games, has several meanings.

The first meaning comes from the Italian understanding of arcatta, and represents the amusement tools which are kept in an arch way enclosure.

The second meaning of arcade games is the game genre.  It is the operating machine with coin control that has different ways of entertaining of people, games such as ping-pong, pinball, car races, etc.

The last meaning is that of the combination of the two words, arcade, games, this combination became well known in the world.

In terms of the structure, video arcade games are the example of what can be made by joining together entertainment and electronics, two totally different domains of human life.

Influence of Arcade Industry Saviors

It is a well-known fact that Nintendo has made the ''Play-Choice.''  "Play-Choice," which offers you the opportunity to play all sorts of NES games at Arcade did quite well.  When Nintendo made the decision to get concrete Super Nintendo Entertainment System titles, they offered only a limited release and then stopped.  Despite this fact, some companies did well, meanwhile others did not.

The large successes really lasted only until the middle of 1990's.  Luckily, around 1997 Konami turned out to be a ''Savior,'' thanks to their highly unique and innovative titles.  Titles such as ''Dance, Dance Revolution,'' it is important to note that this game attracted an absolutely different variety of gamers, along with a lot of non-gamers back into Arcades.

The problem with these ''Arcade Industry Saviors'' is that they relied so much on the mainstream attention, unlike the ''Golden Age'' where each game was given a lot of attention from avid gamers.

After a couple of years,  DDR (Direct Disk Recorder) players remained the only gamers in the Arcade Industry, and Capcom started getting more attention from their 2D fighter/Marvel Comic Book games, the ''Marvel Vs.'' series which appeared at the same time.

Best of Arcades in 1990-x

Fortunately after the "Great Video Game Crash of 1983,'' one of the greatest and most popular games of all time, Super Mario Bros. came out on the much-loved console that is the NES.

The Arcade Industry tried hard to improve its financial wounds during the middle and the end of 1980's.  To tell the truth, some went out quite decently with such games as Atari's Gauntlet, and Marble Madness. However, some went out, not so well, such as Capcom's Final Fight and Capcom's Street Fighter.

Nevertheless, another great change happened in 1991, when you began to hear about games like Street Fighter II.  One of the most Capcom's most famous genre games got numerous gamers back into the Arcades.  They also had the incredibly praised game, Alien Vs. Predator: The Dungeons & Dragons brawler series as well as many others.

At the time when other companies like Konami "were most definitely not slouches," as they delivered classic titles like TMNT, X-Men and The Simpson's, games like Mortal Kombat came about as well.  (Together with different racing games & shorter titles.)

Golden Age of Video Arcade Games (1980-x)

The 1980's were the most prosperous years for the Arcade industry.  Games such as Asteroids, Atari and, Namco's favorite Pac-Man, appeared during that time.  The arcade Industry in the United States went on a total boom, as most of the games were extremely popular (specifically games like Pac-Man.)  The industry, consequently, has made plenty money and "[its] financial success is what invented the thought of Video Games going better than Movie's Box Office Grosses."

During this time, the console industry was far from its success; the beginning of 1980's was evidently the ''Golden Age'' for the Arcade Industry.

It goes without saying that the incontestable beauty of the industry's popularity lies in love of the people, regardless of age and social levels, a lot of people played arcade games no matter who they were, young kids or adults.

Video Arcade Games Ancestors of 20-th Century

More than a hundred years ago, way back when the Civil War was finished, humanity got to know about a new invention called as the "Penny Arcade."  The Penny Arcade had basic attractions such as test your strength machines and peep shows.

It is no secret that the Penny Arcade attracted a lot of attention through out the years, including the turn of the century into the 1900's.  Things really got going during the 1920's - 1930's, during the Great Depression "Film Shorts" did a really great job at providing entertainment. 

For all these years it had been keeping Americans from more horrible woes however, the Arcades did quite a decent job too.  Thanks to an invention called Pinball, made by the man with the surname of Gottlieb, people got interested in playing an ''easy to learn, difficult to master'' game.  Even after the World War-driven fear of the US population ended, Pinball games remained to be an incredibly popular source of entertainment.

It should not be much of a surprise that all that changed in 1974, when Nolan Bushnell invented a tiny little jewel called Pong.  Despite the fact that Pong is not the first electronic Video game ever made, it did become the first game to attract Video Games into the Arcade Industry.

Clip about the History of Video Games

Here is a very interesting video.  It is a clip representing an amateur song on the topic of the history of video games.

In fact, the video is very cool.  But there are also some sad disadvantages.  The lyrics consist mostly of different words (the only exception is refrain) that define different video game technologies, names of great people from the arcade world, arcade game companies, video game consoles, and titles of arcade games.  These words were planned to be sorted in chronological order.  The end result however, left the song with some with chronological mistakes, some important video games for example (like Spacewar, 1962) and people (like Willy Higinbotham, the inventor of video game Tennis for Two, 1958, which is believed to be the first video game) were missed.

Also, (in my opinion,) the song should be in a different genre of music.  The song talks about a time before the 1990's, the time of classic video games.  These games had the 8bit music, and I believe that the song should be 8bit too.

Despite these disadvantages, the video leaves a good impression.  It is very pleasant to hear the well known, and loved titles of classic arcade games, the games of childhood.  It is as though you are remembering your whole life, in terms of video arcade games.  A special thanks for the video itself, it perfectly supplements the nostalgic atmosphere of the music.  It would be nice if the author wrote the continuation of the song to tell about the history of video games from 1990 until today.

You can watch the clip about the history of video games below or here on Youtube.com.

Modern Life of Classic Arcade Games

Today companies exist whose activity is focused on the restoration of classic arcade games. Such companies are founded by fans of classic arcades. Some of these companies restore classic games in all facets while others focus only on one facet of the restoration activity.

One such company is "Arcade Renovations." They focus on the reproduction art for classic arcade games.

Many of these companies also give tips and advice, about how to restore classic games to mint condition. Such tips and advice are usually posted on the company's website(s). Thanks to them, fans of classic arcades and classic arcade games can again, enjoy these wonderful games of their childhood.

In addition to the activity of classic arcade restore companies, classic arcades are also being brought back to life thanks to the discussions around them. Today, for example, there are several newsgroups who are devoted to classic games. Moreover, there are few conventions which are dedicated solely to classic arcade gaming. One of such convention is "California Extreme."

Present Situation of Video Arcade Games: Part 2

On the other hand, there are also some arcades games that do not need to fight for survival. This is because some genres of video games are still very popular in arcades. Among these are dancing and rhythm types of games. Some famous video arcade games of this genre would include "Dance, Dance Revolution," and part of the "Bemani," series.

When the modern video arcade games cannot find a place under the sun, the early video games find new life.

Thanks to the simple, and purely exciting game play of many of the early video games, many of these games have found a lot of new fans amongst the modern generation. The modern generation however, play these arcade games on mobile phones, or with the help of special emulators such as MAME.

In addition, nowadays some of the classic video arcade games are reappearing in commercial settings. Such as the way the "Ms. Pac-Man 20 Year Reunion." was released, as well as "Galaga Class of 1981," (two-in-one game.) Other classic arcades are integrated directly into controller hardware (joysticks) with replaceable flash drives storing game ROMs.

Present Situation of Video Arcade Games: Part 1

Video arcade games have a great history, in the 1980s they were very popular. They even created popular video game cultures, so to speak, and cultural icons. What is the present situation of video arcade games? Did the arcades become extinct? No, of course they didn’t. It is true that the time of arcades has passed, but the video arcade game industry does still exist today. Just on a significantly reduced level.

In order to facilitate porting a video arcade game to a home system, the modern video arcade game hardware is often based on home game consoles. Some home consoles have the video arcade versions:

PlayStation 2 – System 246

Microsoft Xbox – Chihiro

Dreamcast – NAOMI, Atomiswave

Nintendo GameCube – Triforce

The survival of some video arcade games is caused by their expanding into ticket-based prize redemption. Others have survived by expanding into more physical games which haven’t equivalents among home game consoles. Some examples of the latter would be skee-ball and whack-a-mole.

Classic Video Arcade Games Are Still in Demand

Nowadays, we can notice a good many people who collect the classic video arcade games. Classic arcades were the games of their childhood – they were created in the late 1970s – 1980s. Of course, people will not collect these games if they don’t have warm, nostalgic feelings toward the games.  It is easy to understand how even now there is still a desire to play these old but wonderful games

During the 70's & 80's,  a lot of wonderful video arcade games started to be created, and arcades became very popular.  Because of the huge popularity of some of the games, Pac-Man, for example, even entered the popular culture. For decades there wasn’t anything else that could be matched to the early video games, or enjoyed in quite the same way.

Due to the fact that today, only few of these games have any commercial value, the cost of their acquisition can range from 200 to 750 dollars.  However, when we talk about arcade games that have been fully restored, there value can be significantly higher than this.

End of Golden Age of Video Arcade Games: Video Game Consoles: Part 2

It was due to the glut of poor-quality home video game systems, that the video game crash took place in the 1983; that was really big problem. The situation began to get better from the second half of the 1980s.

In the 1985 the Nintendo Entertainment System was released. Thanks to this system, a reasonably good video arcade experience was able to be provided at home. Thus, the Nintendo Entertainment System began to level the playing field.

The role of the Nintendo Entertainment System was later taken by two other home video game systems. They were, the Super Nintendo Entertainment System (SNES) and the Mega Drive. The Mega Drive was known in North America as The Genesis. During the first half of 1990s these home video game consoles greatly improved home play. Some of the technology was even integrated into a few video arcade machines.

With the release of the PlayStation in the 1995 and the Nintendo 64 in the 1996 many video arcade games had gone out of business.