On Being a Video Game Programmer - The Perks and Pitfalls

What is it like to work as a video game programmer? It is considered by many game-playing children to be a dream job. Is it actually as good as it sounds? It certainly is an interesting life. However, as with anything else on this planet, there are both positive and negative sides to working as a video game programmer.

For the last 7 years I have worked as a video game programmer at three development studios: Activision/Treyarch, Visual Concepts and DiscoPixel. I have published titles for the Microsoft, Sony and Nintendo consoles. This article is a summary of some of the perks and pitfalls that I have experienced through my work at these companies.

Perk #1 - Make Games!

This one is pretty obvious, but the biggest perk of working at a video game studio is that you will be MAKING games. You will be helping build the next great game that potentially millions of people will play and enjoy. There's an amazing satisfaction that stems from knowing that you helped make something big.

Perk #2 - Play Games!

In addition to testing and improving your current game every day, you'll also be playing games made by other companies. There are few jobs out there where sitting down and playing a newly released console title is considered research. Companies definitely want you to stay on top of the technology and features of new games, and the only way to do this is by playing lots of games. At the companies I've worked at, I've never seen anyone get reprimanded for playing video games during the day.

Perk #3 - Independence

A great aspect of working as a video game programmer is the independence you are given. It is rare that you'll have a manager breathing down your neck or double checking everything you do. To get hired into a development studio you need to already have excellent programming skills, so you are given a lot of freedom to make many decisions yourself. You may be assigned a general task to complete, but how that actually should be done, as well as how long it should take, are often up to you.

Provided that you can get your work done, the companies I have worked for generally seemed to be very willing to let me work on my terms. When I was tired or bored or lazy I could go play a game or relax somewhere without anyone complaining. Happy employees with improved morale make better games.

Perk #4 - Fun Office Environment

Everybody that works at a video game studio has one thing in common: they love games. If they didn't love playing games they would never have been hired to make them. Because of this, the office setting often has fun or quirky things anywhere you look. Many people bring strange new objects to show off or play with during the day.

Most video game studios have lots of games and toys lying around to keep its employees entertained. A few things that I have come across at various studios: Arcades with free coin-op games, foosball tables, ping pong tables, razor scooters, board games, action figures, puzzles, daytime basketball games and giant stuffed animals.

Coming to the office still means you're going to work, but there's no reason why it can't also be fun.

Perk #5 - Free Soda + Snacks

This perk is maybe not important to everyone, but it's nice to know that you won't go hungry working at a video game studio. I've never met a video game company that hasn't offered free soda and snacks as part of the benefits of working there. I suppose being loaded up on caffeine and sugar helps boost productivity. During long days at the office, companies will typically provide free dinner as a thank-you for staying late. One company I worked for served fully catered meals from assorted restaurants every night for many weeks.

Pitfall #1 - Long Work Hours

Making video games is a lot of work. The amount of time needed to make the latest game seems to be growing exponentially. Development teams continue to get bigger and bigger every year, yet somehow the amount of work per person doesn't seem to get any smaller. Games are very complicated. Also, the nature of games is that they must be fun, which is not always so easy to accurately pencil into a schedule. A lot of experimentation is needed, especially with new game concepts.

Before a milestone and especially a few months before a game is released, the work day will be very intense. The work has a way of very quickly piling up. New features and old bugs suck away all of your time. Working long nights or weekends is not uncommon. Fortunately, employees generally care about the games that they are making, and their passion helps energize them through these occasional long shifts.

The stress can get overwhelming, too. At one company I had a giant stack of bug reports waiting for me on my chair when I came into the office. I would work all day, scrambling to fix the bugs as quickly as possible, working on full blast all day and night. I'd go home for a couple hours of sleep, but when I'd return to work there would be a new, even larger stack of bug reports waiting for me.

Typically after a project has shipped there will be a period of downtime where the employees can get a chance to relax and recover. The work load will suddenly significantly reduce. One company gave bonus vacation time after a project shipped, and another put employees "on call" for about a month, in which they only had to come to the office if there was some kind of problem. It's nice to know that your long work hours do not go unnoticed.

Pitfall #2 -Choosing What to Work On

Working on your own video games in your free time is a lot of fun. You get to choose exactly what game and tasks you want to work on, focusing only on the fun stuff. Anything boring can be safely ignored since the only audience is you. Unfortunately, this is not the case for large video game studios. There are many tasks to be completed, some of which are not too glamorous. Fixing console manufacturer standards violations or building data tools is not very exciting, but it still needs to be done by someone in order to ship the final product.

These tasks typically are given to people who are just starting out in the video game industry, perhaps as a rite of passage, but probably just because nobody else wants to do them.

In addition to the possibility of working on less glamorous tasks, you could be assigned a project that you are not fully interested in. Typically the company will let you work projects that interest you, but this is not always possible. A particular project could be falling behind schedule and it needs a few more employees to fix some bugs or add some new features. Or, the project you are interested in already has enough workers.

I think that the passion of the employees working at a video game studio is crucial to the success of that game. If you are not excited about what you're working on, it will show up in the game you're creating. To avoid any misunderstandings or letdowns, before deciding to work at a particular company, it's important to find out what game you will be working on in addition to what tasks you will be assigned.

Pitfall #3 -Pay Not as Good (Maybe?)

I've heard from a few people that the pay working as a video game programmer is not as good as the pay working at more conventional companies. Business database programmers, for example, could be earning more money. This could be true. However, choosing your profession is not just about the pay. You spend a large percentage of your life at your job. Money is not everything. Choosing something that you enjoy is important, too.

I thought the pay at the companies I have worked at was very reasonable. There is also a large potential upside from royalty checks coming from a game that sells well, which has sometimes turned out to be significant. You will definitely not be living as a pauper if you get a programmer job at a video game company.

Conclusion

I hope that this article has been helpful towards learning a little bit about working as a video game programmer. As with everything in life, there are pros and cons to this profession. If what you have read sounds good to you, I hope you find that dream job making the next great bestselling game.

About The Author

Tom Bak is a professional software developer with over ten years of programming experience on diverse projects, including seven years of video game experience with numerous published console game titles. He is currently working on a free charity word puzzle and a free word game.

More Adults Are Playing Xbox 360, Playstation 3 And Wii Video Games

Do you think that most video game players are kids sitting bleary eyed in front of television sets with fingers and thumbs tapping away in a staccato like manner on the control buttons of a remote control or keyboard? Well, there are plenty of those kinds of kids for sure, but they are not the most prevalent number in the demographics of video game players. That would be the grown ups, or people over the age of 18 to be more specific.

The Entertainment Software Association, a top demographics and research company did a survey recently and found that adults make up 92 percent of the people who purchase video games these days and 80 percent who purchase video game consoles.

The average age of video game players is now up to 33, and getting higher every year it seems. This recent survey found that 67 percent of the Heads of Households play video games as a form of recreation, according to the Entertainment Software Association, or ESA. The average age of the most frequent video game buyers is 38 years old.

The evidence of how old video game players have become was quite evident recently when the release of Halo 3 was getting a lot of media attention. Every news story showed footage of die-hard Halo 3 fans waiting in line for the release of this latest Halo video game. Most of these fans were adults who have followed the Halo video game franchise for many years. Many television reporters showed up at these events and when they conducted interviews you could see that the zeal and fanaticism of these fans was second to none. Some even had costumes that would have made any serious Star Trek or Star Wars fan quite jealous.

There are a lot of parents playing video games these days. Even more interesting is the fact that 80 percent of parents who play video games said they play them with their children, and that this experience has brought them much closer together as a family. In the early days of the video games parents often dismissed them as nothing more than a diversion. The parents of today recognize the value of playing video games.

The grown ups of today are the first generation to be raised on video games. They were the first kids to play Tron, Pong, and Donkey Kong and they have never lost their interest in this kind of activity. They have matured along with video games, made them part of their everyday lives and used them as an escape from reality.

Some of the video games that are currently on the market are quite amazing in their technical and creative achievements. Corporations like Microsoft spend millions of dollars to create games like Halo 3 which offer an experience that is much more than a game. First person shooter video games like Halo 3 and Far Cry by Ubisoft put the players in the game and provide them with choices that determine the outcome. A person can play alone on their PC or with many other people online.

There are now games that offer the sense of touch through the use of special hardware that can be purchased. The hardware involves attaching sensors and transmitters to your skin. The result is a virtual experience that is so realistic you can literally feel it. This kind of interaction can be far more rewarding than simply watching a movie or listening to music. The adult entertainment industry sees the obvious value of this technology and they have seized upon the opportunity with great interest.

Video game developers have known for years that adults are their main customers. They are designing more and more games these days like Grand Theft Auto, San Andreas that are strictly for players over the age of eighteen.

More and more middle aged adults are playing video games these days. Back in 1999 only 9 percent of people over the age of 50 played video games. Now, in 2007 that number has increased to 24 percent.

The video game industry generates 80 billion dollars worldwide annually. Most of that money is made from the sales of video games and Xbox 360, Playstation 3 and Nintendo Wii video game consoles that are purchased by adults for themselves. That is, after they have purchased one for their kids, of course.

Michael P. Connelly is an Author, Artist and award-winning Filmmaker who writes on a variety of topics that effect people in their every day lives.

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Is Swapping Video Games With Other Gamers a Better Way to Play New Video Games?

Every gamer goes through the process of buying a new video game - playing it to boredom or completion and then moving onto the next game. For some, the retail value of £40 (~$60) for most new video games makes moving onto the next game a tricky task, making gaming an expensive hobby! This article will discuss several methods of buying/getting new video games available to gamers and consider whether video game swapping sites represent the best possible value to a gamer when moving onto a new video game.

Trading in Video Games

Trading your video game in at a local store is one method - this will often mean losing over half the value of the game you paid in the first place. And the local store is probably going to sell your video game at a markedly greater price. So the trade in value they offer you isn't going to get you very much at the store so you'll still have to contribute some extra cash to get a new game. However, this process is convenient and you have your next game in hand as soon as you're in the store!

Advantages:

1. Convenient

2. Instant

Disadvantages:

1. Low trade in value

2. Hefty mark up by retailer means you pay more cash for the next game

Video Game Rental

Joining a games rental service, such as Boomerang or Lovefilm, is another option. You typically pay a flat monthly subscription fee and receive a limited number of games which you can keep for as long as you wish. The quality of such services varies greatly and the major drawbacks here are that you must keep a list of games you desire - resulting in you receiving which ever game the rental company has in stock when they receive returned games. So the danger here is that you may not actually get the game at the top of your list. Other drawbacks include waiting a long time for that one game you want - or receiving games that are scratched to the point where your console won't play them! Most importantly, you hand out all that cash each month and you don't actually own anything in the end - it's arguable that there's better value in buying a game, keeping it until you've finished with it and then trading it once you're done.

Furthermore, the value in this service varies from game to game. Some games can be completed within a few days of playing, and so the effective cost of playing this game is a fraction of the monthly subscription fee. And some games will be played for many years, making playing these games via rental very expensive! So in this sense, rental has the advantage of letting you try out a large number of games for a monthly subscription fee. If you think the game has long term value, then you could simply buy the game safe in the knowledge that you'll be playing this game for a long time to come! But then PC, Xbox 360 and Playstation 3 gamers can try out new games by downloading them, muting this point in their case.

Another game rental option is often available from a local video store. The rental cost is typically 5% to 10% of the cost of the video game for up to 7 days worth of play. Using a local video store to rent games is definitely convenient and the value of the service to you depends on whether you actually finish the game or decide it's not your thing (i.e. you've gotten the most out of them) before the game is due back.

Advantages:

1. Large collection to choose from

2. Easy to get new video games as you complete old ones

3. You get to try a large number of games for a nominal subscription fee.

Disadvantages:

1. May not get the game you want

2. Could be waiting a long time for games depending on rental companies stock levels

3. You don't actually own anything in the end

Selling your video games

Another route is simply selling you video game. One of the most convenient ways to sell is by auctioning your game on eBay or TheGameCollective. If the game is a recent and popular one, you'll probably get a good price - potentially much more than a local store would pay, and all you had to do was wait a few more days for the auction/sale to complete and then send your game through the post. A little less convenient than a local store but for many the extra value in the video game is worth it.

The draw back here is that eBay will take a cut of the final sale price currently 8.25% of the final fee and if you accept payment via PayPal, you'll have to pay an additional fee (~4%), representing a loss of up to 12% of the final price (unless you're cunning and build this into the P&P price - but that's a bugbear for many!).

Advantages:

1. Can receive a good price for your game

2. Quite convenient

Disadvantages:

1. Must wait several days for sale to be agreed

2. Commission on final sale price

Video Game Swap

Swapping video games via an online game swapping network is another method. These sites include TheGameCollective, gamejam or hitflip and for a small/no fee these sites will allow gamers to agree swaps and then exchange home addresses and mail their games to each other. This service provides gamers with the opportunity to play new video games at about the cost of posting a game. So in this sense, the game swapping option offers great potential for the value conscious gamer.

Game swapping isn't currently widely adopted and so unless a game swap site experiences heavy traffic a gamer may have to wait a little longer to get the video game swap they want. This could take a short while depending on a game's popularity and so in this regard game swapping is not as convenient as, say, trading. But as game swapping becomes more popular, the process of moving onto new video games is set to become a much better value experience.

Advantages:

1. Can be obtained at the cost of mailing a game

2. Easy to get new video games as you complete old ones

Disadvantages:

1. May have to wait a long time to find another gamer willing to swap

John Dunne has been an avid gamer for over 20 years and has setup the video game swapping website TheGameCollective.co.uk to help gamers swap and sell their video games free of charge to help us get the most out of gaming.

Video Games Get the Final Votes

Have you ever thought to yourself what makes a good video game? Strong visuals and good controls are essential as well as well crafted concepts. Great video games have feeling, surprise, emotion, interaction, and even addiction and the final votes are for the year are in.

When video games offer all these elements gamers know the sure enjoyment of being able to turn on their video gaming system and instantly becoming involved in one of the best video games on the market. Great video games can cause gamers to want to stay up all night no matter if they have to go to school or work the next morning. Being able to play a great video game forces gamers to experience a new way to push your reflexes and brain harder and faster. Great video games allow gamers to become a galactic warrior, fight aliens, villains, undersea explorers, or even be the hero.

Video games from last year have been voted on and the results for best video game of the year are in. The video games that has been voted best video games of the year are BioShock, Call of Duty 4 - Modern Warfare, Assassin's Creed, Super Mario Galaxy, and Orange Box. BioShock is an adventure video game that becomes a complete experience for gamers. Gamers become immersed in the action of this video game where the environments are remarkable and the game play begins to invade your mind.

BioShock has the ability to make gamers feel like that are actually wandering through the 1960s era of a undersea utopia that is populated by a crazed zombie and crazy girls that go around carrying chemicals that will help enhance your biological superpowers. This video game goes right down to the detail with props and costumes from the 1960s period, which make such a realistic experience for gamers. The story and concept are incredible and the within the video game there are many rooms to explore, not to mention all the creepy elements that make this video game part sci-fi novel and part horror film. This video game has been rated M for mature.

Another great video game is Call of Duty 4 - Modern Warfare, which is a combination of edge of your seat warfare along with a great story line and even better visual effects. This version of Call Of Duty has been reinvented into a more modern conflict and is a perfect blend of action and realism of visual affects that are unbelievable. This video game has a well-crafted story line that is full of unexpected surprises that is sure to keep gamers pleased for hours of fun. This video game has been rated M for mature.

Assassin's Creed is another stunning video game that has naturally fluid control capabilities and incredible missions that are set within the Middle Ages. The main character in this video game has free-run abilities that are the best of any video game this year. This video game has been rated M for mature. The Mario Brothers are back with Super Mario Galaxy. In this new video game Mario soars from planet to planet within a colorful masterpiece where controls are easily handled. This video game is a combination of puzzles and action. This video game has been rated E for everyone.

The Orange Box is a combination of five amazing video games in one and has become one of the best values in video games of the year. This video game consists of a brain busting game called Portal and a multi-player game called Team Fortress 2 that is fun and stylish. It also includes the intense story of Half Life 2 that is filled with action. This is an incredible video game that has some thing for every one and is rated teen to mature.

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Recommended Video Game System for your Kids

There are many choices in the games that kids can play. Some are educational, fun and extra entertaining for many kids to enjoy. Because of our new innovative technology and progress, even changes in the way children games have also transformed to a more realistic and virtual game playing with contents unacceptable for many kids to view.

Before, video games were invented for educational and entertainment purposes that kids have enjoyed playing even today. Most likely, parents did not have to worry about what their kids are playing because game content was safe and fairly protected from harmful contents. Like the Atari video game system, offering wholesome games such as Pac-Man or Space Invaders, kids are open to have a fun and be entertained without any explicit content and away from corruption that could influence the children's behavior. Unfortunately, changes in technology have altered the way video games are today. Games of today are more realistic and are in stilled with adult content that many game manufacturers have included in their games. Therefore, parents are now concerned on the typical game system that they want their kids to have. In fact, many parents are opting to find the best video game system that is best for their kids but away from adult contents and other threatening factors that could influence the kids.

Unlike before, Atari game system was the best video games made available to kids. Now, video game system has increased due to so many selections available to consumers especially to parents. Large selections of different types of game system such as Sony PlayStation 2, Nintendo's GameCube, and Microsoft's Xbox and Xbox 360 video games from Microsoft are some of the selections that parents consider purchasing for their kids.

The best selling game console in the market is the Sony PlayStation 2 (or often referred to as PS2), it caters to all ages while providing about 600 different types of games. These games have been rated for every age bracket to enjoy and specifically for preference of age limitation allowed for each game and level usage. For example, games rated with E are allowed for ages from six and up. Other games at this rating, however, are complicated for younger children to play therefore, rating with E10+ are advisable for children above ten years old to play. Likewise, other games for younger children below 10 are rated with EC or in other words, Early Childhood.

A popular video game system that children basically love is the Nintendo GameCube console. This game system has about 263 games that are based on children's favorite titles like the Sega's Sonic GEMS Collections, Mario Party 6 and Mario Tennis from Nintendo, and other game titles particularly for GameCube console that are also rated E.

Another video game system rated E is the Xbox and Xbox 360 video game with a built-in parental control. The Xbox has about 270 available games while the Xbox 360 has about 12 games and increasing with other popular releases. Although, some of these games may not only be available on the Xbox but as well, be available to GameCube and PS2 or all three video game systems mentioned. In such, the Xbox games with E rating like Astropop and Feeding Frenzy can have crossover titles that many publishers have also released and made possible to other video game system. For instance, rated E games like Eidos InteractiveLEGO Star Wars are available to GameCube, PS2 and even Xbox whereas other rated E10+ are also available to other game systems, while other games like the rated EC Global Star Software's Dora the Explorer are solely for Xbox and PS2 only.

Choosing the best video game system for the kids is important especially if parents are very concerned in their kid's preference in video game playing. The abovementioned video game system can help parents understand the kinds of video game system available to kids while assisting parents in finding the best video game system to give to them. Parents should keep in mind that video game systems for their kids should have parental control options on the game system to lock functions or set limits to the kind of games or titles allowed for playing or viewing. From the abovementioned video game systems, the most advisable for parents to purchase is the Xbox and Xbox 360 because it comes with a built-in parental control.

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An Unbiased look at the Epidemic of Video Games in Our Youth

Since the creation of video-games, parents, and children alike have been wondering about the usefulness, and disadvantages of playing these technology-based diversions. If moderated, games can be a great medium for social bonding, and an outlet for a well deserved break. Recently many studies have been released showing many effects of playing video-games, and many times, their data is misinterpreted. Instead of taking the radical approach to denying the advantages of playing video-games, or even proclaiming them as the savior for today’s youth, it is necessary to take the middle road, and adjust it according to your own values.

On one social aspect, video-games are a great way to enhance friendship, or even make new relationships. By sitting down to a nice game of Madden 06 (A football game) or even playing co-op mode on Halo 2 (a first person shooter), you can develop bonds between you and your partner. By playing these games you are working on your teamwork, it being necessary to be corporative and work out a game plan to win. However you can also play on opposite teams in Madden 06, or even fight against each other in Halo 2. If taken too seriously, this can prove to be harmful to a relationship. Nonetheless, usually these games provide a light healthy competition, and hopefully allow the loser (and winner) to practice sportsmanship skills.

Unfortunately there are also negative effects on social behavior, almost directly linked to playing too many video-games. Many times, if gamers become too obsessed, playing some single-player games could cause social-isolation. These games (if abused) could take time away from being with friends and plant gamers in front of a screen. At an early age this could prove very harmful as kids are still learning better social behavior and skills. Becoming “addicted” to video-games could cause a child to grow up as an introvert, shy, and/or anti-social.

Another ill-affect of video-games besides the social health of gamers is there physical health. Many conditions and injuries have been linked to repetitive use of video games. Some of them include: Eye Strains, Wrist/ Neck/ injuries, Back Pain, Photosensitive Epilepsy, Headaches, nerve and muscle damage, and even hallucinations! Currently researchers are examining the effect of video-games on obesity, and whether it is a factor. Even though these alone sound like a reason enough to eradicate video-games you must look at the conditions of the studies performed to come to these conclusions. Many of these injuries are very rare, and you also must examine the word repetitively. Most of the cases of an injury or disease as a result of playing video-games happened because the person was playing too much. Therefore with moderation, one can enjoy video-games with a much lower risk of besetting one of these injuries.

Even though there are negative risks to playing video-games, there are also many positive effects on physical health brought upon by playing these games. Many studies show, including one by Stanford University, that video games have a great effect on player’s problem solving skills and alertness ([http://www.usatoday.com/news/health/spotlight/2001-01-19-video.htm]). The US Governments National Institute of Heath also recently released a study showing amazing increases in visual skills and attentiveness after playing video-games (http://news.bbc.co.uk/2/hi/technology/2943280.stm). Among these increased skills is also the better ability to follow directions. Teachers for centuries have been trying to instill the educational ideal of following directions upon students. Now with the advances in video-games player’s skills in directional following will also hopefully rise.

In additional to the capability to follow directions, come many other educational benefits to playing video-games. It is proven that many strategy games such as Age of Empires and Rome: Total War, increase logic and thinking skills. In these games, players are required to engage in critical thinking and decision making that will influence there gaming experience. In order to win, you need to think through a decision before you do it. For example in Age of Empires, choosing whether to build an archery range or a stable could influence the result of your next battle. Many role-playing games (such as Final Fantasy X) also require you to read great amounts of text scrolling fast through the screen. In fact, many American teachers have been noting improvement in spelling, reading, and even mathematics due to video-games (http://www.buzzle.com/editorials/2-27-2004-51038.asp). Many readers may now be thinking that it is obviously more beneficial to reading skills to read a book, but how much easier is it to ask a child if they want to read a novel, or play the latest blockbuster game to hit shelves?

The content of games is also important. Today the array of genre and content of games has increased ten-fold. There are games designed for pre-teen girls, violent teenagers, sports lovers, history aficionados, anybody you name, and there is probably a game that was designed with them as demographic. The same study by the US Institute of Health also used different games as variables (http://news.bbc.co.uk/2/hi/technology/2943280.stm). They had some children play modern games, just released in the last few years (such as Medal of Honor), and grievously released games (such as Tetris). The Medal of Honor players improved there visual and attention skills significantly, whereas the Tetris players had almost nil improvement.

Regrettably, many of today’s youth are using video-games to escape the stresses of daily life. It is also ultimately one of the best tools for procrastinators. This can have a negative effect on daily life. Children will play video-games instead of doing there homework, instead of studying for tests, even instead of conversing with their own family! In addition, many video-games are understandably “addicting” and cause many “hard-core” players to lose jobs, fail school, and even lose a relationship. These qualities of video-games make them seem almost drug-like possessing some of the same social negatives as alcohol. However just like red-wine (which appear to be positive to your health (http://news.bbc.co.uk/1/hi/health/1719675.stm)) video-games are great in moderation.

Ultimately if a player practices self control video games can be positive for them. As long as they keep track of time, choose good games, and balance their life, gamers around the world can all feel these productive effects. Fantasy is an essential part of a kids growing imagination. So as long as they do so wisely, let them play, let them have fun.

History of Video Games - The First Video Game Ever Made?

As an avid retro-gamer, for quite a long time I've been particularly interested in the history of video games. To be more specific, a subject that I am very passionate about is "Which was the first video game ever made?"... So, I started an exhaustive investigation on this subject (and making this article the first one in a series of articles that will cover in detail all video gaming history).

The question was: Which was the first video game ever made?

The answer: Well, as a lot of things in life, there is no easy answer to that question. It depends on your own definition of the term "video game". For example: When you talk about "the first video game", do you mean the first video game that was commercially-made, or the first console game, or maybe the first digitally programmed game? Because of this, I made a list of 4-5 video games that in one way or another were the beginners of the video gaming industry. You will notice that the first video games were not created with the idea of getting any profit from them (back in those decades there was no Nintendo, Sony, Microsoft, Sega, Atari, or any other video game company around). In fact, the sole idea of a "video game" or an electronic device which was only made for "playing games and having fun" was above the imagination of over 99% of the population back in those days. But thanks to this small group of geniuses who walked the first steps into the video gaming revolution, we are able to enjoy many hours of fun and entertainment today (keeping aside the creation of millions of jobs during the past 4 or 5 decades). Without further ado, here I present the "first video game nominees":

1940s: Cathode Ray Tube Amusement Device

This is considered (with official documentation) as the first electronic game device ever made. It was created by Thomas T. Goldsmith Jr. and Estle Ray Mann. The game was assembled in the 1940s and submitted for an US Patent in January 1947. The patent was granted December 1948, which also makes it the first electronic game device to ever receive a patent (US Patent 2,455,992). As described in the patent, it was an analog circuit device with an array of knobs used to move a dot that appeared in the cathode ray tube display. This game was inspired by how missiles appeared in WWII radars, and the object of the game was simply controlling a "missile" in order to hit a target. In the 1940s it was extremely difficult (for not saying impossible) to show graphics in a Cathode Ray Tube display. Because of this, only the actual "missile" appeared on the display. The target and any other graphics were showed on screen overlays manually placed on the display screen. It's been said by many that Atari's famous video game "Missile Command" was created after this gaming device.

1951: NIMROD

NIMROD was the name of a digital computer device from the 50s decade. The creators of this computer were the engineers of an UK-based company under the name Ferranti, with the idea of displaying the device at the 1951 Festival of Britain (and later it was also showed in Berlin).

NIM is a two-player numerical game of strategy, which is believed to come originally from the ancient China. The rules of NIM are easy: There are a certain number of groups (or "heaps"), and each group contains a certain number of objects (a common starting array of NIM is 3 heaps containing 3, 4, and 5 objects respectively). Each player take turns removing objects from the heaps, but all removed objects must be from a single heap and at least one object is removed. The player to take the last object from the last heap loses, however there is a variation of the game where the player to take the last object of the last heap wins.

NIMROD used a lights panel as a display and was planned and made with the unique purpose of playing the game of NIM, which makes it the first digital computer device to be specifically created for playing a game (however the main idea was showing and illustrating how a digital computer works, rather than to entertain and have fun with it). Because it doesn't have "raster video equipment" as a display (a TV set, monitor, etc.) it is not considered by many people as a real "video game" (an electronic game, yes... a video game, no...). But once again, it really depends on your point of view when you talk about a "video game".

1952: OXO ("Noughts and Crosses")

This was a digital version of "Tic-Tac-Toe", created for an EDSAC (Electronic Delay Storage Automatic Calculator) computer. It was designed by Alexander S. Douglas from the University of Cambridge, and one more time it was not made for entertainment, it was part of his PhD Thesis on "Interactions between human and computer".

The rules of the game are those of a regular Tic-Tac-Toe game, player against the computer (no 2-player option was available). The input method was a rotary dial (like the ones in old telephones). The output was showed in a 35x16-pixel cathode-ray tube display. This game was never very popular because the EDSAC computer was only available at the University of Cambridge, so there was no way to install it and play it anywhere else (until many years later when an EDSAC emulator was created available, and by that time many other excellent video games where available as well...).

1958: Tennis for Two

"Tennis for Two" was created by William Higinbotham, a physicist working at the Brookhaven National Laboratory. This game was made as a way of entertainment, so laboratory visitors had something funny to do during their wait on "visitors day" (finally!... a video game that was created "just for fun"...) . The game was pretty well designed for its era: the ball behavior was modified by several factors like gravity, wind velocity, position and angle of contact, etc.; you had to avoid the net as in real tennis, and many other things. The video game hardware included two "joysticks" (two controllers with a rotational knob and a push button each) connected to an analog console, and an oscilloscope as a display.

"Tennis for Two" is considered by many the first video game ever created. But once again, many others differ from that idea stating that "it was a computer game, not a video game" or "the output display was an oscilloscope, not a "raster" video display... so it does not qualify as a video game". But well... you can't please everyone...

It is also rumored that "Tennis for Two" was the inspiration for Atari's mega hit "Pong", but this rumor has always been strongly denied... for obvious reasons.

1961: Spacewar!

"Spacewar!" video game was created by Stephen Russell, with the help of J. Martin Graetz, Peter Samson, Alan Kotok, Wayne Witanen and Dan Edwards from MIT. By the 1960s, MIT was "the right choice" if you wanted to do computer research and development. So this half a dozen of innovative guys took advantage of a brand-new computer was ordered and expected to arrive campus very soon (a DEC PDP-1) and started thinking about what kind of hardware testing programs would be made. When they found out that a "Precision CRT Display" would be installed to the system, they instantly decided that "some sort of visual/interactive game" would be the demonstration software of choice for the PDP-1. And after some discussion, it was soon decided to be a space battle game or something similar. After this decision, all other ideas came out pretty quick: like rules of the game, designing concepts, programming ideas, and so forth.

So after about 200 man/hours of work, the first version of the game was at last ready to be tested. The game consisted of two spaceships (affectively named by players "pencil" and "wedge") shooting missiles at each other with a star in the middle of the display (which "pulls" both spaceships because of its gravitational force). A set of control switches was used to control each spaceship (for rotation, speed, missiles, and "hyperspace"). Each spaceship have a limited amount of fuel and weapons, and the hyperspace option was like a "panic button", in case there is no other way out (it could either "save you or break you").

The computer game was an instant success between MIT students and programmers, and soon they started making their own changes to the game program (like real star charts for background, star/no star option, background disable option, angular momentum option, among others). The game code was ported to many other computer platforms (since the game required a video display, a hard to find option in 1960s systems, it was mostly ported to newer/cheaper DEC systems like the PDP-10 and PDP-11).

Spacewar! is not only considered by many as the first "real" video game (since this game does have a video display), but it also have been proved to be the true predecessor of the original arcade game, as well as being the inspiration of many other video games, consoles, and even video gaming companies (can you say "Atari"?...). But that's another story, arcade games as well as console video games were written in a different page of the history of video games (so stay tuned for future articles on these subjects).

So here they are, the "First Video Game" nominees. Which one do you think is the first video game ever made?... If you ask me, I think all these games were revolutionary for its era, and should be credited as a whole as the beginners of the video gaming revolution. Instead of looking for which one was the first video game, what is really important is that they were created, period. As the creator of "Spacewar!", Stephen Rusell, once said: "If I hadn't done it, someone would have done something equally exciting or even better in the next six months. I just happened to get there first".

Ian Blake is a freelance writer/blogger from Planet Earth, Solar System. You may read similar articles at his History of Video Games Blog at --> http://www.retro-videogames.com