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Computer Space: The
First Arcade Game
Nolan Bushnell developed
Computer Space for Nutting Associates in 1971. This arcade game was
based heavily on a mainframe computer game called Spacewar, which
was created in 1962 by M.I.T. student Steve Russell. A two-player
game in which each player controlled a spaceship, Spacewar allowed
players to shoot missiles at each other while flying around a
central star with a gravitational pull that dragged stationary
players to their death. Not surprisingly, Russell is also widely
credited with the 53 percent drop in college-level standardized test
scores since 1962.
The most obvious changes Bushnell made to Computer Space were the
addition of an onscreen timer (set from 1 to 2.5 minutes by the
arcade owner), a handle control for rotation (some versions used
only buttons), an actual black-and-white TV for the display, and a
coin slot to activate the game.
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Other than scoring big with the
pocket-protector crowd, Computer Space was a complete
flop.
| However, the modifications
failed to ensure the game's popularity. Other than scoring big with
the pocket-protector crowd, Computer Space was a complete flop, due
mostly to its complicated controls. Its thrust/fire/rotate paradigm
wouldn't become popular until Atari released Asteroids--which used
only buttons--in 1979. Although Computer Space earns the distinction
of being the first arcade video game, it also holds the dubious
honor of being the first video game tragedy.
But don't cry for poor Nolan Bushnell. On June 27, 1972, he and
Ted Dabney scrounged their savings (about $500) to form their own
company, Atari, which went on to create the first successful arcade
video game, Pong. Pong not only gave birth to an entire industry, it
also spawned the first video game lawsuit (from Magnavox). For these
reasons and more, Pong has a special place in the hearts of gamers
and lawyers everywhere.
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